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By Root 995 0

Area 354 just south of the Dog's Face of War Zone C. Besides caches, the 95C NVA Regiment and the HQ of the 9th NVA Division were thought to be in the area. The border facing BA 354 was defined by a river, but with airmobile and engineer assets, its crossing could be no more difficult than an exercise at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning. The real difficulty then was to expand rapidly the division's area of operations around Cu Chi and the Nui Ba Den Mountain to points north to War Zone C. Such a reshuffling would free up the remaining line battalions of the 1st Cavalry Division in War Zone C, allowing them to reinforce the Fishhook operations, while stretching and thinning the 25th Division's capabilities over an enormous area. Davison and Bautz had decided that the attack could commence within forty-eight hours. Having arranged a few more details regarding aviation support, interpreters, and the like, Bautz rejoined his aide-de-camp at the chopper pad and, once airborne, radioed ahead to his chief of staff to “… get the staff ready for work.”

The headquarters of the 25th Division was in its fourth year at Cu Chi, on Highway 1 between Saigon and Tay Ninh. General Bautz's right-hand men at division, Brig. Gen. Michael J. L. Greene (ADC-A) and Brig. Gen. John R. Thurman III (ADC-B),1 shared Bautz's reaction to the cross-border directive: surprise. Bautz had previously thought the sanctuary offensive a limited operation. With his tank battalion, cavalry squadron, and one of his mechanized infantry battalions already loaned to the 1st Cavalry Division, and with the remainder of his division spread across III CTZ, he had not expected to be called upon. At the time, in fact, only the 1st Brigade, 25th Division (Col. Paul J. Mueller, Jr.), was in ready positions for a move into Cambodia. Colocated with elements of the 1st Cav at Tay Ninh and responsible for the northern and western extremes of the division area of operations, the brigade operated atop Nui Ba Den Mountain and in War Zone C, as well as around the Michelin Plantation since the withdrawal of the Big Red One. Presently it had operational control of five line battalions: 2-12 Infantry (Lt. Col. Sheppard H. Phillips), 3-22 Infantry (Lt. Col. John E. Hazelwood), 1-5 Mechanized Infantry (Lt. Col. Ted G. Westerman), 4-23 Mechanized Infantry (Lt. Col. Edward M. Bradford), and 7-11 Field Artillery (Lt. Col. Robert E. Robinson).

The 2d Brigade, 25th Division (Col. Ennis C. Whitehead, Jr.), was presently opcon to II FFV, was base-camped at FSB Colorado in eastern III CTZ, and operated with only three line battalions: 4-9 Infantry (Lt. Col. Robert W. Welsh), 1-27 Infantry (Lt. Col. Martin L. Rosenstein), and 1-8 Field Artillery (Lt. Col. Richard A. Manion).

The 3d Brigade, 25th Division (Col. Olin E. Smith), was headquartered at Cu Chi and was responsible for division base defense and operations in the surrounding flatlands, which included the Boi Loi and Hobo Woods, areas that were once hot but had been cooling (like most areas under divisional control) since Christmastime, with four line battalions: 2-14 Infantry (Lt. Col. Charles W. Norton), 2-27 Infantry (Lt. Col. Albert P. Hodges), 2-22 Mechanized Infantry (Lt. Col. John R. Parker), and 2-77 Field Artillery (Lt. Col. Charles S. Stodter, Jr.).

The 3rd Brigade (Separate), 9th Division (Col. Walworth F. Williams), opcon to the 25th Division since the withdrawal of its sister brigades the previous summer, was base-camped at Tan An below the southern frontier of the 25th Division's TAOR and above the Mekong Delta, and with five line battalions was prepared to reinforce the 1st Cavalry and 25th Infantry Divisions in Cambodia, even as it mounted its own thrust into the Parrot's Beak.

Before returning to Cu Chi after his conference with Davison and Roberts, Bautz touched down briefly at Tay Ninh to give the word personally to Colonel Mueller that his Lancer Brigade would lead the Tropic Lightning Division into Cambodia. Mueller was also completely surprised at the news. The first order of business for him, Bautz