page_title: Operation Kunia
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Operation Kunia / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Operation Kunia was initiated in the Ho Bo Woods area along the Saigon river near Cu Chi on the 20th of September. Much of the area of operations can be seen in this photograph.
context_page_description: Operation Kunia was an operation conducted by the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division in the Ho Bo Woods, lasting from 15 September to 10 November 1967.
context_section_description: In September 1967 the 1st Brigade was assigned responsibility for destroying base areas in the Ho Bo Woods, which were believed to be sheltering the Viet Cong (VC) 1st and 7th Battalions. U.S. forces had last entered the area in June 1967 during Operation Manhattan.
  The plan called for 4 artillery battalions to support the attack, 2 of which would establish firebases on Route 6A near the Saigon River. A battalion from the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division would form a screening force along the river and the 1st Brigade would then sweep through the woods. After eliminating any resistance, the 1st Brigade would provide security while the 168th Engineer Battalion would use Rome plows to clear the woods. The entire operation was to be completed by the end of October.
  On 14 September the two artillery battalions moving along Route 6A became stuck in mud several kilometers from the planned firebase locations. The 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry was deployed to protect the stranded convoy while it took 2 days for engineers to extract the bogged down vehicles and build a Corduroy road out of the area.
caption: Kunia operational area, 24 September 1967
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