The territory was familiar to the fighting men of the U.S. 1st Cavalry (Airmobile). From late January through mid-March, they had swept the scrub-grown slopes and rocky ridges of the An Lao Valley in a furious, 41-day string of fights that killed 1,342 Communist soldiers and netted 250 enemy weapons. The Reds moved back in when the Air Cav left, but last weekon the foggy coastal plain east of An Laothey received an encore. "Operation Davy Crockett" proved as sharp-eyed as its namesake.
Stiffened Morale. Though the three Communist regiments in the An Lao Valley were reluctant to fight, the...