Operation Kentucky

Operation Kentucky
Part of the Vietnam War
Date November 1, 1967 – February 28, 1969 Standort Con Thien, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam Result U.S. tactical victory
Belligerents
Vereinigte Staaten	North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
Col Richard B. Smith, 9th Marines Commander	General Giap
Strength
5 Marine Battalions	elements of 320 NVA Div, 324B NVA Div
Casualties and losses
520 killed, 2,698 wounded (USMC account)	3,839 killed, 117 POW, unknown number wounded (USMC account)

Operation Kentucky was a multi-Battalion operation conducted by the United States Marine Corps in the area south of the DMZ in Quang Tri Province. This was another operation to secure the Con Thien area from the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). The operation ran from November 1, 1967 until February 28, 1969.

Order of Battle

United States Marine Corps

• 2nd Battalion 1st Marines
• 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines
• 1st Battalion 4th Marines
• Two Companies of BLT 2nd Battalion 4th Marines (from 27 January 1968)
• 3rd Battalion 4th Marines (until 23 January 1968)
• 2nd Battalion 9th Marines
• 2nd Battalion 12th Marines

North Vietnamese Army (NVA)

• 320 Division
• 803d Regiment, 324B Division

Prelude

Following the conclusion of Operation Kingfisher, 3rd Marine Division split the Kingfisher tactical area of responsibility (TAOR) in two. The new Kentucky TAOR which included Gio Linh, Con Thien, Cam Lo and Dong Ha (the area known to Marines as Leatherneck Square) was under the control of the 9th Marines, while to the west the Lancaster TAOR covered Camp Carroll, the Rockpile and Ca Lu was under the control of 3rd Marines.

November 1967

During November 9th Marines continued construction of the strongpoint obstacle system and engaged platoon and company-sized NVA units often in bunkers trying to ambush the Marines and hinder construction, the Marines killed 65 NVA during these encounters. On 29 November 3 Marine Battalions and 2 Battalions from the ARVN 1st Division conducted a clearing operation between Con Thien and Gio Linh. On 30 November 2/9 Marines found and overran an NVA bunker system killing 41 NVA for the loss of 15 Marines killed and 53 wounded.

December 1967

This period saw relatively little NVA activity other than harassment fire on the Con Thien base and the Marines used this relative quiet to continue to improve the strongpoints along the Trace line. On 31 December, Company I of 3/4 Marines on a patrol north from Strongpoint A-3 spotted NVA soldiers in the southern DMZ, engaging the NVA they soon realised that the NVA occuppied a line of bunkers in front of them. Marine mortars and artillery and two UH-1E Huey gunships from VMO-6 provided supporting fire and Company I was able to withdraw sustaining only 4 wounded, while the NVA had lost at least 35 dead.

January 1968

On the morning of 7 January while attempting to neutralise an NVA sniper, two fire teams from Company L 3/4 Marines were ambushed. The remainder of Company L and Company K were sent in to help the fire teams break contact and were drawn into a daylong battle. By the end of the day the Marines had lost 6 killed, 36 wounded and 1 missing.

On 11 January a 3-Company operation was mounted to recover the body of the Marine missing in the 7 January operation, the NVA had dragged the body into the DMZ and were using it as bait to trap US forces. The Marines supported by artillery and air strikes outflanked the NVA positions, destroyed 25 bunkers and killed 15 NVA for the loss of 2 Marines wounded.

On 18 January Company L 3/4 Marines launched a patrol 3.2km northeast of Con Thien into an area nicknamed the Meat Market by Marines. The patrol was ambushed by NVA in well-camouflaged bunkers and the lead squad was cut off from the rest of the Company and was used by the NVA as bait for the other Marines. Under the cover of Marine gunships and artillery fire, the survivors and dead of the isolated squad were brought back into the Company perimeter. Company M then moved forward to relieve Company L and the combined force overran several NVA bunkers. Marine losses were 9 dead and 22 wounded, while the NVA were estimated to have suffered 100 casualties.

Due to the uncertainty of NVA intentions in the DMZ, on 20 January COMUSMACV, General Westmoreland agreed to a request from III MAF to suspend construction on the strongpoint obstacle system.

February 1968

At 02:15 on 2 February the NVA attacked the Combined Action Company P headquarters at Cam Lo. The Marines, supported by a detachment of US Army M42 Dusters held off the NVA attack until relieved by a quick reaction force from 2/9 Marines. The NVA lost 111 killed and 23 captured while the Marines lost 2 dead and 18 wounded and the US Army lost 1 killed.

Aftermath

During the course of the fighting Marine casualties were 520 killed and 2,698 wounded while the NVA suffered 3,839 killed and 117 taken as prisoner of war (USMC account).

References

• Shulimson, Jack (1997). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: 1968 The Defining Year. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. ISBN 0-16-049125-8.
• Telfer, Gary I. (1984). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. ISBN 978-1482538878.