Operation Dewey Canyon was the last major offensive by the 3rd Marine Division during the Vietnam War. It took place from 22 January through 18 March 1969 and involved a sweep of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN)–dominated A Shau and Song Đa Krông Valleys by the 9th Marine Regiment. Based on intelligence and captured documents, the PAVN unit in contact was believed to be the 9th Regiment.
Operation Dewey Canyon
A wounded Marine is helped to an evacuation point
Marine UH-1Es at Fire Base Cunningham during Operation Dewey Canyon
The Ho Chi Minh Trail, also called Annamite Range Trail was a logistical network of roads and trails that ran from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through the kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia. The system provided support, in the form of manpower and materiel, to the Viet Cong and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), during the Vietnam War. Construction for the network began following the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos in July 1959. At the time it was believed to be the main supply route, however it later transpired that the Sihanouk Trail which ran through Cambodia was handling significantly more materials
In the early days of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, bicycles were often used to transport arms and equipment from North to South Vietnam.
Bicycle used by communist forces on the Ho Chi Minh Trail to transport supplies. National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.
Barrel Roll • Steel Tiger • Tiger Hound areas of operations
PAVN troops on the trail (photo taken by a U.S. MACV-SOG team)
