Combat· Vietnam War
Operation HARVEST MOON
Operation Harvest Moon was a combined Marine and South Vietnamese offensive launched in the Que Son valley, a fertile and populous region the Communists were determined to control, after the 1st Viet Cong Regiment, rebuilt since its mauling at Starlite, attacked and overran Vietnamese positions there. The Marines committed battalions by helicopter and overland to relieve the pressure and destroy the enemy force, fighting through difficult terrain against an opponent who stood and battled before withdrawing. The operation saw heavy fighting in the valley and the surrounding hills, with the Marines calling on their full weight of supporting arms, including a heavy aerial bombardment, to break the enemy's resistance. Harvest Moon inflicted significant losses on the Viet Cong and cleared the immediate threat, though the Que Son valley would remain bitterly contested for years. It underscored both the strength of the enemy's main-force units and the contested nature of the central provinces.
Record no. 668