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==1968==
==1968==
[[2nd Battalion, 1st Marines]] took over the defense of Con Thien in mid-December. During the Christmas truce period the Battalion added 11 bunkers and dug a new trench along the forward slope. The troops then sandbagged existing bunkers with a "burster layer" in the roofs, usually consisting of airfield matting to burst delayed fuse rounds. They then covered the positions with rubberized tarps to keep the water out. By the end of the year, all of the new bunkers had been sandbagged and wired in with the new razor wire<ref name="Shulimson41">Shulimson, p. 41</ref>.
[[2nd Battalion, 1st Marines]] took over the defense of Con Thien in mid-December. During the Christmas truce period the Battalion added 11 bunkers and dug a new trench along the forward slope. The troops then sandbagged existing bunkers with a "burster layer" in the roofs, usually consisting of airfield matting to burst delayed fuse rounds. They then covered the positions with rubberized tarps to keep the water out. By the end of the year, all of the new bunkers had been sandbagged and wired in with the new razor wire<ref name="Shulimson41">Shulimson, p. 41</ref>. During January the NVA kept up sporadic fire on the base firing for 22 of 31 days with each barrage averaging about 30 rounds<ref name="Shulimson43">Shulimson, p. 43</ref>. The artillery fire gradually destroyed the minefield and bunkers protecting the northwest of the base causing regular casualties<ref name="Shulimson44">Shulimson, p. 44</ref>.


The [[803d NVA Regiment]] had relieved the [[90th NVA Regiment]] in the positions facing Con Thien and began to launch regular small scale probes of the Marine defences. On the night of 14 January, the NVA tripped a mine and one soldier was left in the minefield, the NVA made 2 attemptes to rescue their wounded man, eventually succeeding under cover of small arms, recoilless rifles and mortars<ref name="Shulimson44">Shulimson, p. 44</ref>.
During January the NVA kept up sporadic fire on the base firing for 22 of 31 days with each barrage averaging about 30 rounds<ref name="Shulimson43">Shulimson, p. 43</ref>.


==Notes==
==Notes==

Revision as of 07:45, 4 March 2010

Con Thien Battles
Part of the Vietnam War
DateFebruary 1967 - February 1968
Standort
Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone
Result U.S. victory
Belligerents
Vereinigte Staaten North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
Lew Walt
Lowell E. English		 Nguyen Van
Strength
1200 Unknown
Casualties and losses
1400 killed, 9300 wounded 9600 killed, 160 captured

Con Thien (meaning the "Hill of Angels"), was a United States Marine Corps combat base located near the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone about 3km from North Vietnam. It was the site of fierce fighting from February 1967 through February 1968.

Standort

Con Thien was located at 16°54′35″N 106°58′48″E / 16.90972°N 106.98000°E / 16.90972; 106.98000Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (MGRS 48QYD113703) and was originally established as a Special Forces/CIDG camp before being taken over by the Marines in December 1966. Together with Marine bases at Gio Linh, Dong Ha and Cam Lo, Con Thien enclosed the area known to the Marines as Leatherneck Square[1]. Con Thien was intended to be used as a base for the McNamara Line to prevent NVA infiltration across the DMZ. The firebase was strategically important because it offered unfettered views for 15km east to the coast and north into North Vietnam. It was also very vulnerable because it was within range of NVA artillery north of the DMZ which was largely immune to counter-battery fire.[2]

Border Battles

On February 27, 1967, in response to Marine artillery fire into and the area north of the DMZ (Operation Highrise) NVA mortar, rocket and artillery fire hit Con Thien and Gio Linh[3]. On March 20, NVA began shelling Con Thien and Gio Linh which continued sporadically for the next two weeks[4]. On 24 March 1st Battalion, 9th Marines began Operation Praire III where they encounted an NVA battalion in a bunker complex southeast of Con Thien. After a two hour fight the NVA withdrew leaving 33 killed in action. Sergeant Walter K. Singleton was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the attack. 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines (3/3) operating beside 1/9 encountered an entrenched NVA Company, killing 28 NVA including two women[5].

In mid-April Charlie Company, 11th Engineer Battalion was tasked with clearing a 200m wide strip from Con Thien to Gio Linh, a distance of 10.6km. The engineers were protected by a task force comprised of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, an AMTRAC (LVT-5) platoon, a platoon of M42 Dusters from the Army's 1st Battalion, 44th Artillery and some ARVN units. By April 19, despite harassment from NVA mines, small arms, recoilless rifle, mortar and artillery fire the strip was half-completed[5].

Attack on Con Thien

8 May, at 03:00 some 300 rounds of mortar and artillery fire hit the base, while NVA sappers with Bangalore torpedoes breached the perimeter wire. At 04:00 two battalions of the 812th NVA Regiment armed with flamethrowers attempted to overrun the base. At the time of the attack the base was defended by the command element and Companies A and D of 1/4 Marines and a CIDG unit. The attack fell primarily on Company D. A relief column from Company A was sent with an M42 Duster, 2 LVT-5s and 2 1/4 ton trucks. The M42 was hit by an RPG-7 and an LVT-5 and one truck were destroyed by satchel charges. By 09:00 the NVA had withdrawn leaving 197 KIA and 8 prisoners. The Marines had suffered 44 KIA and 110 wounded[6].

Remilitarizing the DMZ

After the attack May 8, recognizing that the NVA were using the DMZ as a sanctuary for attacks into I Corps, Washington lifted the prohibition on US forces entering the DMZ and MACV authorized the III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) to conduct combat operations into the southern half of the DMZ[7].

From May 13 - 16, 1/9 Marines cleared Route 561 from Cam Lo to Con Thien fought a well-entrenched NVA force south of the base. The NVA subsequently withdrew into the DMZ[7].

III MAF proceeded to plan a series of combined operations with ARVN forces that occurred from 18 to 26 May. Under Operation Hickory 3rd Marines' advanced to the Ben Hai River. Under Operation Lam Son 54 the 1st ARVN Division advanced parallel to 3rd Marines while the amphibious Special Landing Force Alpha secured the coastline south of the Ben Hai River under Operation Beau Charger and Special Landing Force Bravo linked up with 3rd Marines under Operation Belt Tight. Once at the Ben Hai River, the forces swept south on a broad front to Route 9[7].

From 19 until 27 May when Lam Son 54 ended the ARVN were in constant contact with the NVA. The ARVN suffered 22 KIA and 122 wounded, while the NVA suffered 342 KIA and 30 captured[8].

The amphibious element of Operation Beau Charger met no opposition while the heliborne assault dropped into a hot LZ. Only one platoon was landed and it remained isolated until rescued several hours later. Beau Charger continued until 26 May with minimal contact. 85 NVA were killed[9].

In Operation Hickory the 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines and 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines advanced north from Con Thien on the morning of 18 May to press any NVA against a blocking force from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines on the Ben Hai River. At 10:00 2/26 Marines made contact with 2 NVA Battalions in bunkers and trenches. The 2/9 Marines joined 2/26 and fought a running battle until nightfall. 5 Marines were KIA and 142 were wounded, while 31 NVA were killed. That night 75 radar-controlled airstrikes were called in on the bunker complex. At 07:00 on 19 May after 2 hours of artillery preparation (in which short rounds killed 3 Marines), the 2/26 proceeded to attack the bunker complex, overrunning it by 10:30 killing 34 NVA[10]. At 13:30 2/9 Marines met heavy automatic weapons and mortar fire and an M-48 moved up to silence the NVA positions with canister fire. 2 M-48s were later knocked out by RPG-7 fire and 2/9 Marines suffered 7 KIA and 12 wounded[11]. On 20 May, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines covering the left flank of the operation encountered an NVA bunker complex and in fighting lasting into the 21st May suffered 26 KIA and 59 wounded for 36 NVA dead[12]. On 25 May Companies H and K from the 26th Marines engaged an NVA Company in a bunker complex near Hill 117 5km west of Con Thien, fighting lasted throughout the day and cost 14 Marine KIA and 92 wounded for 41 NVA killed. Marine air and artillery pounded the complex throughout the night and a new assault was planned for the morning of 26 May, but NVA fire brought down a UH-1E injuring the command element and the assault was postponed until 27 May when Companies E and F 2/26 Marines and 3/4 Marines took the hill with no resistance[13]. For the remainder of Operation Hickory the Marines encountered only scattered resistance but discovered and destroyed numerous bunkers, ordinance and rice. Operation Hickory concluded on 28 May, the Marines had suffered 142 KIA and 896 wounded for 362 NVA killed[14].

Lam Son 54, Hickory, Belt Tight and Beau Charger also resulted in the removal of the entire civilian population from the area with the result that it was all now a free fire zone[14].

At the conclusion of Operation Hickory, all participating units joined Operation Praire IV sweeping the area southwest of Con Thien. On 28 May 3/4 Marines ran into a bunker complex on Hill 174, 6km southwest of Con Thien. Companies M and L attacked the complex but were forced back by small arms, machine guns, 57mm recoilless rifle and 82mm mortars for the loss of 2 Marines KIA and 21 wounded. Artillery hit the hill throughout the night and the next day Companies M and I attacked the hill, suffering 5 KIA and 33 wounded without driving the NVA from the crest of the hill. Companies M and I attacked unsuccessfully again on 30 May suffering 1 KIA and 45 wounded. The NVA abandoned the hill during the night of 30/31 May. Operation Praire IV resulted in 505 NVA killed and 8 captured for 164 Marines KIA and 1240 wounded[14].

On 1 June Operation Cimarron began with in the same area with the same units. There was limited contact with the NVA but many enemy bunkers and supply caches were found and destroyed and several NVA graves located. Cimarron ended on 2 July[14].

On 1 July the land-clearing project from Con Thien to Gio Linh was completed, with the clear strip widened to 600m[14].

On July 2, Companies A and B from 1/9 launched Operation Buffalo, a sweep of the area north of Con Thien. As the infantrymen moved along Route 561 in an area called the Marketplace, the NVA attacked inflicting severe casualties on Company B. Operation Buffalo concludes on 14 July at a cost of 159 Marines KIA and 345 WIA. The NVA suffered 1290 KIA.

  • Map of Operations Hickory, Belt Tight, Beau Charger and Lam Son 54
    Map of Operations Hickory, Belt Tight, Beau Charger and Lam Son 54

Siege

In September 1967 the NVA started their major shelling. 152mm howitzers, 120mm and 82mm mortars and 122mm rockets hit the base daily.[15] During the climax of the attack (September 19 - 27, 1967) over three thousand rounds of artillery pounded the fire base. On September 25, a reported 1200 rounds pounded the hill sides of the 158m mound of red dirt[15].

On October 14, 1967 21 Marines from 2nd Battalion 4th Marines were killed defending the C-2 Bridge on the overland supply route from Combat Base C-2 to Con Thien.

The Marine Corps rotated battalions in and out of Con Thien every thirty days[15]. The constant shelling and the threat of an NVA assault took a psychological toll on the Marines, the base was nicknamed "Our Turn in the Barrel" and "the Meat Grinder", while the DMZ was said to stand for "Dead Marine Zone."

More than 1400 Marines were killed and nearly 9300 wounded in the fighting in and around Con Thien. NVA losses were put at nearly 9600 killed in action and over 160 prisoners of war.

The Siege in the media

Con Thien was in the news during the time it was under artillery attack. TIME featured the story on the cover of its 6 October 1967, issue which was instrumental in bringing the reality of Vietnam combat to American readers.[16].David Douglas Duncan's photos of the Marines at Con Thien were featured in the 27 October 1967 issue of Life Magazine and in his book War Without Heroes.

1968

2nd Battalion, 1st Marines took over the defense of Con Thien in mid-December. During the Christmas truce period the Battalion added 11 bunkers and dug a new trench along the forward slope. The troops then sandbagged existing bunkers with a "burster layer" in the roofs, usually consisting of airfield matting to burst delayed fuse rounds. They then covered the positions with rubberized tarps to keep the water out. By the end of the year, all of the new bunkers had been sandbagged and wired in with the new razor wire[17]. During January the NVA kept up sporadic fire on the base firing for 22 of 31 days with each barrage averaging about 30 rounds[18]. The artillery fire gradually destroyed the minefield and bunkers protecting the northwest of the base causing regular casualties[19].

The 803d NVA Regiment had relieved the 90th NVA Regiment in the positions facing Con Thien and began to launch regular small scale probes of the Marine defences. On the night of 14 January, the NVA tripped a mine and one soldier was left in the minefield, the NVA made 2 attemptes to rescue their wounded man, eventually succeeding under cover of small arms, recoilless rifles and mortars[19].

Notes

  1. ^ Shulimson, Jack (1997). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: 1968 The Defining Year (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series). Marine Corps Association. ISBN 0-16-049125-8. {{cite book}}: Text "p. 18" ignored (help)
  2. ^ Kelley (2002), p.5-116.
  3. ^ Telfer, Gary (1984). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series). Marine Corps Association. {{cite book}}: Text "p. 10" ignored (help)
  4. ^ Telfer, p. 17
  5. ^ a b Telfer, p. 18
  6. ^ Telfer, p. 21
  7. ^ a b c Telfer, p. 23
  8. ^ Telfer, p. 25
  9. ^ Telfer, p. 25-26
  10. ^ Telfer, p. 26
  11. ^ Telfer, p. 27
  12. ^ Telfer, p. 28
  13. ^ Telfer, p. 29
  14. ^ a b c d e Telfer, p. 30
  15. ^ a b c Jack T. Hartzel, Con Thien http://www.vietvet.org/jhconthn.htm
  16. ^ Time Magazine, 06/10/67
  17. ^ Shulimson, p. 41
  18. ^ Shulimson, p. 43
  19. ^ a b Shulimson, p. 44

References

Bibliography
  • Coan, James P. (2004). Con Thien - Hill of Angels. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0-81731-414-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Kelley, Michael (2002). Where We Were in Vietnam - A Comprehensive Guide to the Firebases, Military Installations and Naval Vessels of the Vietnam War, 1945-1975. Central Point, Oregon: Hellgate Press. ISBN 1-55571-625-3. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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