sion was also responsible for traffic control on the Saigon River. At night, ambushes were to be emplaced along the river; by day, patrols would secure the river, thereby releasing the majority of forces for search and destroy operations.

The 196th Light Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier General Richard T. Knowles, was deployed from Tay Ninh to the Ho Bo woods. Under the guise of a continuation of Operation FITCHBURG-an action initiated earlier in the Tay Ninh area-the 196th was to locate and destroy key enemy installations and fortifications, deny the use of the area as a logistical base and headquarters, and establish blocking positions to prevent enemy escape across the Saigon River. The operational area of the 196th comprised the northern portion of the 25th Division zone of responsibility and was fifteen kilometers long, extending parallel to the Saigon River from the Boi Loi woods on the north to the Rach (stream) Son, immediately northwest of the Filhol Plantation. The task organization included two infantry battalions, two mechanized