Operation Mameluke Thrust
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Operation Mameluke Thrust was a
US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
operation that took place in Happy Valley southwest of
Danang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
, lasting from 19 May to 23 October 1968.


Background

On 9 May the 1st Marine Division commander MG Donn J. Robertson was ordered to conduct a spoiling attack into the valleys west of Danang and around Thường Ðức Camp. The loss of Kham Duc on 12 May raised the concern that the
People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the ...
(PAVN) would next seek to overrun Thường Ðức. PAVN units in the area were believed to include the 31st Regiment, 341st Division and the 368B Rocket Regiment.


Operation

On 19 May the
1st Battalion 7th Marines The 1st Battalion, 7th Marines (1/7) is an infantry battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment of the United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force se ...
attacked west from Danang along the Song Vu Gia towards Thường Ðức, while the 3rd Battalion 26th Marines attacked into Happy Valley. By the end of May both units had discovered PAVN base areas but had minimal contact. On 3 June the area of operations was expanded east into the "Arizona Territory" near the
An Hoa Combat Base An Hòa Combat Base (also known as Đức Dục) is a former U.S. Marine Corps and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base west of Hội An in Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. History The base was located approximately 28 km west of Hội ...
and the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines was added to the operation. At 07:30 on 7 June while moving south of the Liberty Bridge () Company B 1/26 Marine came under fire from a PAVN force dug in on a low hill, the battle continued for 9 hours until the PAVN retreated. Marine losses were 17 dead and 46 wounded while PAVN losses were 64 dead. On 9 June Company L 3/26 Marines discovered a recently abandoned 125 bed PAVN field hospital. On 11 June Company I 3/26 Marines discovered the headquarters of the PAVN 368B Rocket Regiment and large quantities of rockets and targeting equipment. On 13 June near the village of Ky Chau 1/26 Marines cornered a PAVN force against the Song Ky Lam and a Republic of Korea Marines force. The 9 hours long battle resulted in 3 Marines killed and 24 wounded while the PAVN lost 44 killed. That night Company B 1/26 Marines ambushed a retreating PAVN unit killing 13 for no Marine losses. On 14 June
3rd Battalion 5th Marines 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5, nicknamed Dark Horse) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps. The battalion is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and consists of approximately 1,000 Marines and Fleet Marine ...
deployed from the An Hoa Combat Base into the Arizona Territory. As Company I advanced it was hit by PAVN mortar fire which killed most of the command, the Company Executive Officer 1LT Joseph Campbell though seriously wounded himself took command and arranged for defensive fire and medevac helicopters before dying of his wounds. On 15 June southeast of Hill 55 1/26 Marines located and overran a PAVN bunker system killing 84 PAVN for the loss of 7 Marines. The operation continued throughout June and July with minimal contact and it appeared that the PAVN had abandoned the area. On 28 July a Marine ''Stingray'' patrol spotted 4
PT-76 The PT-76 is a Soviet amphibious light tank that was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armed forces. It was widely exported to other friendly states, like ...
light tanks 3.5 km northwest of An Hoa Combat Base, artillery and airstrikes were called in and 4 secondary explosions were seen. An agent reported that 2 PT-76s had been destroyed but no wreckage was located. At 04:00 on 1 August a PAVN force attacked a Marine ''Stingray'' patrol in the Arizona Territory killing 5 Marines and wounding 11 for the loss of 3 PAVN. From 1–2 August A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry under the operational control of the 5th Marine Regiment killed 96 PAVN in the Arizona Territory. On 6 June Companies E and F 5th Marines engaged a PAVN Company near the village of Cu Ban overrunning the position and killing 23 PAVN for the loss of 1 Marine. On the morning of 17 August 3/5 Marines and BLT
2nd Battalion 7th Marines The 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines (2/7) is a light infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms and consist of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. The battali ...
attacked a suspected PAVN base near Chau Phong southeast of the Liberty Bridge killing 53 PAVN for no losses. The following morning the Marines engaged more PAVN units near Chau Phong resulting in 13 Marines killed and 49 PAVN killed. On 29 August a PAVN Platoon ambushed Company D
1st Battalion 5th Marines 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 800 Marines and sailors. Nicknamed ''Geronimo'', it falls under the ...
killing 12 Marines and wounding 18 while the PAVN lost 25 dead. On 14 September Company L,
3rd Battalion 7th Marines The 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment (3/7) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms and consist of approximately 800 Marines. The battalion falls u ...
was ambushed 4 km south of Hill 55 resulting in 1 dead and 4 missing. The following day the bodies of the missing Marines were recovered and 72 bunkers were destroyed in the ambush area. On 18 September BLT 2/7 Marines were deployed onto Route 4. The following morning as the Marines patrolled west they were hit by fire from entrenched PAVN positions. The battle continued all day and 2 Companies from 3/7 Marine were helicoptered in to support the assault. Marine losses for the day were 14 dead and 54 wounded. On the morning of 20 September the Marines overran the position finding only 3 dead PAVN from the 2nd Battalion, 36th Regiment. Company G 2/7 Marines then encountered a PAVN force near Nong Son (2) losing 5 dead and 19 wounded before withdrawing to allow supporting fire to engage the PAVN. On 21 September the Marines overran the PAVN bunkers which turn out to be the command post of the 36th Regiment, PAVN losses were 69 killed.


Aftermath

Operation Mameluke Thrust concluded on 23 October, the Marines had suffered 269 dead and 1730 wounded while the PAVN had 2728 killed and 47 captured.
Operation Henderson Hill Operation Henderson Hill was a US Marine Corps operation that took place in Happy Valley southwest of Danang, lasting from 23 October to 6 December 1968. Background On 23 October Marine intelligence detected that the People’s Army of Vietnam ...
began immediately in the same area of operations.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MamelukeThrust, Operation Conflicts in 1968 1968 in Vietnam Battles involving the United States Battles involving Vietnam Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1968 United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War History of Quảng Nam province