The Son Tay raid was the first U.S. joint military operation under direct Chairman of the Joint Chiefs control, and its intelligence failure prompted a major reorganization of the U.S. intelligence community.
Key Facts
- Date of raid
- 21 November 1970
- Special Forces soldiers landed
- 56 soldiers
- POWs expected at camp
- 61 prisoners
- POWs actually rescued
- 0 prisoners
- U.S. casualties
- 2 personnel
- Distance from Hanoi
- 23 miles
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Vietnam War, U.S. intelligence indicated that 61 American prisoners of war were being held at the Sơn Tây camp, 23 miles west of Hanoi. From May to November 1970, planners and specially selected raiders trained extensively at Eglin Air Force Base, rehearsing a rescue mission while intelligence gathering continued in parallel.
On 21 November 1970, a joint U.S. Air Force and Army force commanded by Brigadier General LeRoy J. Manor and Colonel Arthur D. Simons inserted 56 Army Special Forces soldiers by helicopter into the Sơn Tây prisoner-of-war camp. The raiders found the camp empty — the prisoners had recently been relocated — but executed the assault with near-flawless precision, suffering only two casualties and losing two aircraft.
Although no prisoners were freed, criticism of the intelligence failure to detect the POWs' removal reached both the public and the Nixon administration. This pressure led, approximately one year later, to a significant reorganization of the United States intelligence community. The operation also established a precedent as the first joint U.S. military mission under direct Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff command.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Brigadier General LeRoy J. Manor, Colonel Arthur D. "Bull" Simons.
Side B
1 belligerent