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HERE
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase III Campaign (1967-68)/Operation Kunia
From Month/Year
September / 1967
To Month/Year
October / 1967
Description Operation KUNIA was a First Brigade, 25th Infantry Division operation conducted in the Ho Bo Woods, northeast of Cu Chi. The long time rest and staging area for VC/NVA forces proved of primary importance to enemy forces in Hau Nhgia province. The Golden Dragons launched KUNIA on 15 September 67 with a heliborne combat assault. Within a matter of minutes all four rifle companies were on the ground and moved out on a detailed search and destroy mission. Each Infantry battalion was given a section of the Ho Bo Woods for an AO and was responsible for searching and destroying all VC forces and installations. The Golden Dragons met with immediate success on the first day when they uncovered a large base camp complex. Painstaking effort was made to thoroughly search the area. The Dragon soldiers uncovered documents, clothing, ammunition, rice and many bicycles. In conjunction with the detailed search and destroy mission carried out by the two Infantry battalions the mechanized battalion of the brigade secured a land clearing team of 30 Rome plows which had the mission of leveling the Ho Bo Woods. The job was magnanimous, movement was slow and the Golden Dragons were constantly exposed to mortar attacks, hundreds of well-concealed booby traps and stick mines and harassing small arms fire from stay-behind units. Casualties from the booby traps during this operation were the highest yet encountered by the Golden Dragons. From experience, the leaders of the 2/14th recognized a need to vary daily patterns of movement. Working out of established bases for five or more days at a time, it was discovered that the VC were staying one step ahead and booby trapping the area the units would move into the following day. Once this was recognized and the pattern broken, incidents of this nature were stopped. Another lesson learned during this operation was that the VC were registering their mortars on the CH-47 aircraft which brought re-supply at night and extracted in the morning. From a thousand meters away the VC could line up their mortars on the CH-47 as it hovered over the LZ dropping or picking up equipment. It became necessary to send out, or in some cases leave out, patrols during these times and to use two or three different LZ’s with the helicopter making a low-level approach. As the operation progressed and more land clearing was accomplished, units began to uncover large tunnel complexes. Near the end of the operation two extensive tunnel complexes were discovered. Tunnel rats were used to first check out and map the tunnels as far as possible, but due to cave-ins caused by the Rome plows and air strikes, this proved difficult. Because of the close proximity of the Saigon River, an experiment in flooding the tunnels was initiated. This project involved airlifting in thousands of feet of six-inch pipe and water pumps. Once constructed, colored dye was used to mark the tunnel length and exits. This method proved moderately successful. The great quantities of water pumped in at 1000 GPM caused most of the tunnels to cave in. In cases where the tunnel was so deep as to not cave in, powdered CS gas was placed in the mouth of the tunnel and the entrances blown. While on a detailed search operation, Company A located a large weapons cache which included three 30 cal machine guns complete with tripods and T&E mechanisms, two BAR’s, a Russian assault gun, four Chicom light machine guns, a 60mm mortar, four 9mm parabellum French Commando grease guns and large quantities of 50 cal and 75mm ammunition. In addition, a clothing factory was uncovered revealing over 350 lbs of cloth and uniforms. Operation KUNIA was highly successful, resulting in a complete search and destroy operation covering the entire Ho Bo Woods. The land clearing operation which followed completely leveled all foliage. This joint effort succeeded in denying the VC effective use of this well-fortified stronghold. During Operation KUNIA Captain William A. Montgomery assumed command of Company A and Captain Joseph R. Maio assumed command of C Company.
