1969 in the Vietnam War

1969 in the Vietnam War
← 1968 1970 →
Helicopters of the 170th and the 189th Helicopter Assault Companies, await the loading of troops at Polei Kleng, in the Central Highlands of the Republic of South Vietnam., 04/10/1969
Location Indochina
Belligerents
Anti-Communist forces:  South Vietnam  United States  South Korea  Australia  Philippines  New Zealand Kingdom of Cambodia  Thailand Kingdom of Laos Republic of China	Communist forces:  North Vietnam Viet Cong Khmer Rouge Pathet Lao  People's Republic of China  Soviet Union  North Korea
Strength
South Vietnam 897,000 United States: 549,500 South Korea: 48,870 Thailand : 11,570 Australia: 7670 Philippines: 190 New Zealand: 550
Casualties and losses
US: 11,616 killed South Vietnam: Killed

Congressman Alexander Pirnie (R-NY) drawing the first capsule for the Selective Service draft, Dec 1, 1969

January

January 31

Tet 1969 refers to the attacks mounted by principally North Vietnamese forces in February 1969 in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, one year after the original Tet Offensive.

March

18 March 1969 to 28 May 1970

Operation Menu was the codename of a covert United States Strategic Air Command (SAC) bombing campaign conducted in eastern Cambodia from 18 March 1969 until 26 May 1970, during the Vietnam War. The supposed targets of these attacks were sanctuaries and Base Areas of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and forces of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF or Viet Cong), which utilized them for resupply, training, and resting between campaigns across the border in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).

April

The number of American military personnel in Vietnam peaked at 543,000.^[1]

May

May 10

The Battle of Hamburger Hill was a battle of the Vietnam War which was fought between the United States and South Vietnam against North Vietnamese forces from May 10–20, 1969. Although the heavily fortified Hill 937 was of little strategic value, U.S. command ordered its capture by direct assault.

May 10

Operation Apache Snow was a military operation in the A Shau Valley from May 10 to June 7, 1969. The A Shau Valley was an important corridor for moving supplies into South Vietnam and used as staging area for attacks. Previous sweeps of the valley in Operation Delaware and Operation Dewey Canyon had not been able to keep the North Vietnamese Army from operating in the valley.^[2]

June

June 6

The Battle of Binh Ba, also known as Operation Hammer, was a hard fought, but one-sided, battle. The action occurred on 6–8 June 1969 when Australian Army troops from the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5RAR) fought a combined communist force of North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong in the village of Binh Ba, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Nui Dat in Phuoc Tuy Province.

August

August 21

Operation Camden was an Australian Army military operation in support of the 501 Land Clearing Company, United States Army Corps of Engineers who were undertaking land clearing operations in the Hat Dich Area.

September

September 2

With the outcome of the Vietnam War still in question, Hồ Chí Minh died on the morning of 2 September 1969, at his home in Hanoi at age 79 from heart failure.

Year in numbers

Armed Force	Strength	KIA	Reference		Military costs - 1968	Military costs in 2016 US$	Reference
South Vietnam ARVN	897,000		[3]
United States US Forces	549,500	11,616	[4]
South Korea	48,870		[3][5]
Thailand	11,570		[3]
Australia	7670		[3]
Philippines	190		[3]
New Zealand	550		[3]
North Vietnam

Bibliography

Notes

1. Lewy, Guenther (1978), America in Vietnam, New York: Oxford University Press, p. 146.
2. Stanton 2003, p. 13

3. War Remnants Museum Data

   Armed Force	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972
   South Vietnam ARVN	514,000	643,000	735,900	798,800	820,000	897,000	968,000	1,046,250	1,048,000
   United States	23,310	180,000	385,300	485,600	549,500	549,500	335,790	158,120	24,000
   South Korea	200	20,620	25,570	47,830	50,000	48,870	48,540	45,700	36,790
   Australia	200	1560	4530	6820	7660	7670	6800	2000	130
   Thailand	0	20	240	2220	6000	11,570	11,570	6000	40
   Philippines	20	70	2060	2020	1580	190	70	50	50
   New Zealand	30	120	160	530	520	550	440	100	50

4. United States 2010
5. Leepson & Hannaford 1999, p. 209

References

• Stanton, Shelby L. (2003). Vietnam order of battle (2003 ed.). Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0071-2. - Total pages: 396
• United States, Government (2010). "Statistical information about casualties of the Vietnam War". National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.

External links

• Blog covers Widow’s travels to Vietnam in search of her MIA husband’s jet crash site in Que Son Mtns