Pacific Stars and Stripes information
for 3 BDE 1 CAV

For date 680126


3 BDE 1 CAV was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation WHEELER/WALLOWA
Quang Tin Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, LZ Baldy
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Mass VC Defections Reveal Morale Decay." LZ Baldy (IO) - For the second time, the Viet Cong infrastructure of a village in the 3rd Brigade, 1st Air Cav. Div. area of operations has rallied to the Government of Vietnam en masse. The brigade is a part of the Americal Div.'s Operation Wheeler-Wallowa. Thirty members of the infrastructure of Phu Dien village, near this brigade base camp 20 miles southwest of Da Nang, left their village to become Hoi Chanhs. They were induced to leave by constant and effective Cavalry operations in the area and by their growing belief that they were on the losing side. In addition, Phu Dien had been an early and successful target of early morning cordon-and-search raids conducted by Cavalrymen and Vietnamese National Police. The raids, designed to root out the Viet Cong VC personnel, and the remaining infrastructure members saw that they would have to be constantly on the run to avoid the cordons. The mass Chieu Hoi was one of a number indications of declining enemy morale in the 3rd Brigade area. Ralliers told government authorities that North Vietnamese officers informed them, "The people were with us before, but now they disappear or refuse to help us." Another soldier was warned before his unit moved to an area that, "The enemy has observation planes and helicopters flying constantly, and they seem to have artillery support wherever we appear."

The source for this information was 6801pss.avn supplied by Les Hines


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023