Operation Mastiff

On the morning of 21 February 142 helicopters began lifting the 2nd and 3rd Brigades of the 1st Infantry Division to establish a cordon around a 100 square kilometer area around the west bank of the Saigon River. The units then moved in from the north and south discovering abandoned base areas, hospitals and supplies but few PAVN soldiers.^{[1]: 174–5}

Operation Mastiff officially concluded on 25 February, but it took another two days for the operation to wind down completely. The US claimed PAVN/VC losses were 61 killed (40 of them in a single airstrike), US losses were 17 killed and 94 wounded (mostly by mines and booby traps). The operation was a major disappointment for the US command as the PAVN 9th Division was not engaged and the PAVN had again demonstrated their ability to choose when and where it would stand and fight.^[1]: 175

Although there were no major engagements with VC forces, the 3rd Brigade commander Colonel Brodbeck still considered they accomplished their mission successfully like defeating VC in a large battle by moving into an area never before entered by US troops and destroying critical VC base camps, stores of food, munitions and medical supplies.^[2]: 78

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.