Operation Prairie III
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Operation Prairie III was a U.S. Marine Corps operation in Quảng Trị Province,
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
that sought to eliminate
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) forces south of the
Demilitarized Zone A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...
(DMZ) that took place from 19 March to 19 April 1967.


Background

Operation Prairie III was essentially a continuation of the just-concluded
Operation Prairie II Operation Prairie II was a U.S. military operation in Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam that sought to eliminate People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that took place from 1 February to 18 March 1967. ...
in the same tactical area of operations (TAOR).
3rd Marine Division The 3rd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry divisions in the Marine Corps and together with th ...
had five infantry battalions and four artillery battalions in the TAOR.


Operation

On 20 March the PAVN hit
Firebase Gio Linh Firebase Gio Linh (also known as FSB A-2, Alpha 2, Camp Hill, The Alamo or simply Gio Linh) is a former U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) firebase north of Đông Hà in Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam ...
with mortars, rockets and artillery fire and they continued to hit Gio Linh and
Con Thien Con Thien (Vietnamese: Cồn Tiên, meaning the "Hill of Angels") was a military base that started out as a U.S. Army Special Forces camp before transitioning to a United States Marine Corps combat base. It was located near the Vietnamese Demi ...
almost daily for the next two weeks. On 21 March the PAVN ambushed a supply convoy 300m south of Gio Linh destroying six trucks but they were driven off by the convoy's security escort and Company I, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines which was providing base security at Gio Linh. That same day
3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, abbreviated as (3/3), is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps, based out of Kaneohe, Hawaii. Known as either "Trinity" or "America's Battalion", the unit falls under the command of the 3rd Marine ...
and
1st Battalion, 9th Marines The 1st Battalion 9th Marines (1/9) was an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I, it served until the mid-2000s when it was deactivated to make room for one of three light armor reconnaissance battalions ...
completed a seven-day sweep north of
Camp Carroll Camp Carroll (also known as Artillery Plateau, Firebase Tan Lam and Hill 241) was a United States Marine Corps and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) artillery base during the Vietnam War. It was located 8 km southwest of Cam Lộ, Qu ...
finding 125 rockets and numerous rocket and mortar sites. From 20–28 March
BLT A BLT is a type of sandwich, named for the initials of its primary ingredients, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. It can be made with varying recipes according to personal preference. Simple variants include using different types of lettuce, toastin ...
1st Battalion, 4th Marines 1st Battalion, 4th Marines (1/4) 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. They fall under the command of the 1st M ...
conducted Operation Beacon Hill around Firebase Gio Linh, killing 334 PAVN for the loss of 29 Marines killed. On 22 March 3/3 Marines and 1/9 Marines began a patrol from
Đông Hà Combat Base Đông Hà Combat Base (also known as Camp Spillman, Camp Red Devil or simply Đông Hà) is a former U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army base northwest of Quảng Trị in central Vietnam. The base was first used by the 4th Marines in late April 1 ...
north towards Con Thien. On 24 March the 1/9 Marines engaged an entrenched PAVN force southeast of Con Thien and after two hours of fighting the PAVN withdrew leaving 33 dead. Meanwhile, 3/3 Marines engaged an entrenched PAVN company forcing them to withdraw leaving 28 dead. The two Marine battalions pursued the retreating PAVN losing contact with them on 26 March as they crossed the DMZ. On 28 March the 3/3 Marines and 1/9 Marines were replaced by the
3rd Battalion, 9th Marines The 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines (3/9) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I it served until the early 1990s when it was redesignated as 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines (3/4) during a realignment and ren ...
which conducted patrols and night ambushes north of
Cam Lộ Combat Base Cam Lộ Combat Base (also known as Hill 37 or simply Cam Lộ) is a former U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base northwest of Quảng Trị in central Vietnam. History 1966–67 The base was established i ...
. On 30 March Company I, 3/9 Marines had established ambush positions northwest of Cam Lộ when the company command post and the 2nd platoon's position was attacked by the PAVN. The PAVN walked mortar fire across the position twice before launching a ground assault which was repulsed by artillery fire, attempts by the other platoons to provide support were driven back by machine gun fire. The PAVN then attacked the position again overrunning it, killing 16 Marines. The PAVN were then forced to retreat by helicopter gunship fire, leaving 67 dead and two captured.
Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
John P. Bobo : ''For the former Arkansas State University football coach, see John Bobo.'' John Paul Bobo (February 14, 1943 – March 30, 1967) was a United States Marine Corps second lieutenant who Posthumous recognition, posthumously received the Medal of ...
would be posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
for his actions during this battle.


Aftermath

Operation Prairie III concluded on 19 April, the Marines had lost 56 killed and claiming that the PAVN suffered 252 killed and 4 captured.


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prairie, Operation, III Prairie III United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1967 History of Quảng Trị province