View source for Operation Beaver Cage

{{Short description|Part of the Vietnam War (1967)}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Operation Beaver Cage
| partof      = the [[Vietnam War]]
| date        = April 28 &ndash; May 12, 1967
| place       = [[Que Son Valley]], [[Quang Nam Province]], [[South Vietnam]]
| result      = U.S. victory
| combatant1  = [[Image:Flag of the United States.svg|22px]] [[United States]]
| combatant2  = {{Flagicon image|FNL Flag.svg}} [[Viet Cong]]
| commander1  = COL James A Gallo Jr.
| commander2  = 
| units1   = [[1st Battalion, 3rd Marines#Vietnam War|1st Battalion, 3rd Marines]]
| units2   = 
| casualties1 = 55 killed
| casualties2 = 181 killed<br>66 captured
| notes       = 
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Vietnam War}}
}}
'''Operation Beaver Cage''' was a U.S. Marine Corps operation in the [[Que Son Valley]] that took place from 28 April through to 12 May 1967.

==Background==
Operation Beaver Cage was an operation by [[31st Marine Expeditionary Unit#Vietnam War|Special Landing Force Alpha]] comprising [[1st Battalion, 3rd Marines#Vietnam War|1st Battalion, 3rd Marines]] and [[HMM-263]] against the [[Viet Cong]] (VC) base areas in the Que Son Valley south of [[Danang]].<ref name=Telfer>{{cite book|last=Telfer|first=Gary|title=U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967|url=https://archive.org/details/FightingTheNorthVietnamese|publisher=History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps|year=1984|isbn=978-1494285449}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|158}}

==Operation==
The operation commenced with a helicopter assault into the valley at 07:00 on 28 April. Contact was minimal until the night of 2 May when a VC unit attacked Company C's night defensive position and was forced back by artillery and [[Douglas AC-47 Spooky|AC-47 ''Spooky'']] gunfire.<ref name=Telfer/>

On 5 May as the Battalion headquarters was being withdrawn by helicopters it was attacked by VC mortar and small arms fire, the assault was repulsed without loss.<ref name=Telfer/>{{rp|158–9}}

On 9 May Beaver Cage was joined with [[Operation Union]]. On 10 May Companies B and C engaged a large VC unit killing 86 VC.<ref name=Telfer/>{{rp|159}}

==Aftermath==
The operation concluded on 12 May, Marine losses were 55 dead and 151 wounded, while VC losses were 181 killed and 66 captured.<ref name=Telfer/>{{rp|159}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Marine Corps}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord missing|Vietnam}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:BeaverCage, Operation}}
[[Category:United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1967]]
[[Category:History of Quảng Nam province]]