1966 in the Vietnam War
| 1966 in the Vietnam War | |||
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← 1965
1967 →
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| Belligerents | |||
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Anti-Communist forces:  South Vietnam United States South Korea Australia Philippines New Zealand Kingdom of Laos Republic of China
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Communist forces:  North Vietnam Viet Cong Pathet Lao People's Republic of China Soviet Union North Korea
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| Strength | |||
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South Vietnam: 735,900 |
Viet Cong and North Vietnam: 282,000 | ||
| Casualties and losses | |||
| US: 6,143 killed South Vietnam: 11,953 killed South Korea: hundreds killed Australia 63 killed |
Viet Cong and North Vietnam: casualties 71,473 killed (U.S. estimate, probably inflated by at least 30 percent) | ||
Anti-Communist forces:
Communist forces:
South Vietnam: 735,900
United States: 385,300
South Korea: 25,570
Thailand : 240
Australia: 4530
Philippines: 2060
At the beginning of 1966, the number of U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam totaled 184,314. South Vietnamese military forces totaled 514,000 including the army (ARVN) and the Regional Force and Popular Force (the "Ruff-Puffs") militias. The North Vietnamese Army (PAVN) numbered 400,000, most still in North Vietnam. 50,000 North Vietnamese cadre and soldiers infiltrated South Vietnam during 1965. Group 559, charged with transporting supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail to supply communist troops in both South Vietnam and Laos, numbered 24,400 personnel.
The U.S. estimated the number of Viet Cong (VC) and PAVN soldiers in South Vietnam at nearly 280,000 by June 1966, including part-time guerrillas.
A pause in the bombing of North Vietnam by U.S. warplanes had been announced by President Johnson on December 24 and remained in effect.
The PAVN bombarded a Special Forces Civilian Irregular Defense Group camp at Khe Sanh Combat Base near the DMZ of South Vietnam with 120mm mortars, the heaviest weapon they had used in the War. Defending the combat base were American and South Vietnamese Special Forces, Nung and Bru (Montagnard) irregulars, and Ruff-Puff militia.
Operation Crimp also known as the Battle of the Ho Bo Woods—was a joint US-Australian military operation in the Ho Bo Woods, 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Cu Chi in Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam, about 56 kilometres (35 mi) north-east of Saigon. The operation was a minor tactical success for the Australian and U.S. armies but the Viet Cong soon returned and the Ho Bo Woods continued to function as a base area for them until 1970.
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Wikipedia