CHAPTER VII
The Results
During its 19-day duration CEDAR FALLS
compiled some im-pressive statistics. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces accounted
for nearly 750 confirmed enemy dead and 280 prisoners. In addition, there were
540 Viet Cong Chieu Hoi ralliers, 512 suspects detained, and 5,987 refugees
evacuated. Enemy equipment losses were 23 crew-served weapons, 590 individual
weapons, and over 2,800 explosive items such as mines, grenades, and mortar and
artillery rounds. Over 60,000 rounds of small arms ammunition were captured, as
were many miscellaneous items of equipment, including over 7,500 uniforms. Some
1,100 bunkers, 525 tunnels, and over 500 structures were destroyed. Captured
were 3,700 tons of rice- enough to feed 13,000 troops for a full year- and more
than a half million pages of assorted documents.
U.S. battle losses totaled 72 killed,
337 wounded; those for the South Vietnamese, 11 killed and 8 wounded. U.S.
equipment lost included 1 tank and 3 armored personnel carriers (APC's). Damage
was sustained by 3 tanks, 9 APC's, 1 tankdozer, 2 quarter-ton trucks (jeeps),
and 2 light observation helicopters. The South Vietnamese lost 3 individual
weapons.
In addition, eleven square kilometers
of jungle were cleared and many miles of road in the area were made passable.
These roads, the landing zones cleared, and the swaths cut at intervals through
the jungle would all make any future penetration of the area much simpler.
As had been expected, main force
elements were contacted only rarely. The 1st, 7th, and 8th Viet Cong Main Force
Battalions of Military Region IV did not conduct an organized defense of their
areas, apparently having been directed to disperse and avoid con-tact. Task
Force DEANE did report prisoners taken from the 61st Local Force Company of the
Phu Loi Battalion and from small rear services elements.
A review of the interrogation reports
of those who rallied, were taken prisoner, or detained indicated that the
majority were from Viet Cong infrastructure in the area. Over three hundred of
the ralliers and prisoners were from local guerrilla units, primarily
