The 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines (3/26) is an inactive
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
battalion of the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
. They were part of the
26th Marine Regiment
The 26th Marine Regiment (26th Marines) is an inactivated infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. The 26th Marines were activated in 1944 and fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II and were activated again on 1 March 1 ...
and
5th Marine Division
The 5th Marine Division was a United States Marine Corps ground combat division which was activated on 11 November 1943 (officially activated on 21 January 1944) at Camp Pendleton, California during World War II. The 5th Division saw its first ...
and fought during the
Battle of Iwo Jima
The was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, desi ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. They were activated again for the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
but were deactivated after the war and remain inactive today.
History
Vietnam War
On 1 March 1966 the 26th Marine Regiment was activated at
Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by ...
initiating the formation of the 5th Marine Division.
The battalion was deployed from the United States to
Okinawa
most commonly refers to:
* Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture
* Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture
* Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself
* Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
in October 1966.
[ From 4 October until 10 December the battalion formed the battalion landing team (BLT) of the ]Special Landing Force
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 Marines and ...
.[ On 11 December the battalion arrived in ]South Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
.[ On 17 December the battalion moved by road from ]Dong Ha Combat Base
Dong or DONG may refer to:
Places
* Dong Lake, or East Lake, a lake in China
* Dong, Arunachal Pradesh, a village in India
* Dong (administrative division)
A ''dong'' () or neighborhood is a submunicipal level administrative unit of a city ...
into the Co Bi-Thanh Tan corridor where they initiated Operation Chinook.[
In mid-May 1967, following the conclusion of ]The Hill Fights
The Hill Fights (also known as the First Battle of Khe Sanh) took place during the Vietnam War between the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 325C Division and United States Marines on several hill masses north of the Khe Sanh Combat Base in northw ...
, the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines
The 1st Battalion, 26th Marines (1/26) is an inactive infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. They were part of the 26th Marine Regiment (United States), 26th Marine Regiment and 5th Marine Division (United States), 5th Marine Divisi ...
took over responsibility for the area around Khe Sanh Combat Base
Khe Sanh Combat Base (also known as Ta Con) was a United States Marine Corps outpost south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) used during the Vietnam War.
History
US Army Special Forces (Detachment A-101, Company C, 5th Special Forces Gr ...
from the 3rd Marines
The 3d Marine Littoral Regiment (3d MLR) is a regiment of the United States Marine Corps that is optimized for littoral maneuver in the Indo-Pacific Theater. Based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, the regiment falls under the command of the 3rd Marin ...
as Operation Crockett
Operation Crockett was an operation during the Vietnam War conducted by the United States Marine Corps against People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces around Khe Sanh Combat Base in northwest Quảng Trị Province that took place from 13 May to ...
and the battalion was subsequently deployed to support them on 13 June. The 26th Marines conducted Operation Ardmore a search and destroy
Seek and destroy (also known as search and destroy, or S&D) is a military strategy which consists of inserting infantry forces into hostile territory and directing them to search and then attack enemy targets before immediately withdrawing. Fi ...
mission in the Khe Sanh area from 17 July-31 October 1967. At the conclusion of Operation Ardmore the Marines commenced Operation Scotland, the defense of Khe Sanh Combat Base
Khe Sanh Combat Base (also known as Ta Con) was a United States Marine Corps outpost south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) used during the Vietnam War.
History
US Army Special Forces (Detachment A-101, Company C, 5th Special Forces Gr ...
and search and destroy missions against People's Army of Vietnam
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...
(PAVN) infiltration.[ The battalion participated in ]Operation Kingfisher
Operation Kingfisher was a U.S. Marine Corps operation that took place during the Vietnam War. The operation was carried out in the western part of " Leatherneck Square" near Con Thien, lasting from 16 July to 31 October 1967.
Prelude
Followi ...
around 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 De ...
from 7–11 September 1967.[ In early November the battalion provided security at Camp Evans.][ They were relieved by the ]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 ...
on 22 November and then conducted small-unit patrols and company-size sweeps with Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...
(ARVN) forces in the CoBi-Thanh Tan area.[ On 13 December the battalion redeployed by air to Khe Sanh, they conducted a four-day sweep of a ridge line west of the combat base, then settled into new positions. Companies I and K occupied Hills 881 South and 861, respectively and Company L joined the 1/26th at the combat base proper.][
From 21 January 1968 the 26th Marines were under siege at Khe Sanh until the conclusion of ]Operation Pegasus
Operation Pegasus was a military operation carried out on the Lower Rhine near the village of Renkum, close to Arnhem in the Netherlands. Overnight on 22–23 October 1944, Allied military forces, Britain's MI9 intelligence organisation, an ...
on 14 April 1968 and were replaced by the 1st Marines
The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The ...
on 15 April 1968 with the battalion flying to Quang Tri Combat Base.[ The 26th Marines was transferred from the operational control of the ]3rd Marine Division
The 3rd Marine Division is a division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry division ...
to the 1st Marine Division
The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine (military), Marine Division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine E ...
on 18 May 1968.[ The battalion and 1/26th Marines participated in ]Operation Mameluke Thrust
Operation Mameluke Thrust was a US Marine Corps operation that took place in Happy Valley southwest of Danang, lasting from 19 May to 23 October 1968.
Background
On 9 May the 1st Marine Division commander MG Donn J. Robertson was ordered to ...
from 18 May until 20 July 1968 when they went Phu Bai Combat Base
Phu Bai Combat Base (also known as Phu Bai Airfield and Camp Hochmuth) is a former U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps base south of Huế, in central Vietnam.
History
1962–1965
The Army Security Agency, operating under cover of the 3rd Radio ...
to relieve the 5th Marine Regiment
The 5th Marine Regiment (also referred to as "5th Marines") is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the most highly decorated regiment in the Marine Corps and falls ...
conducting Operation Houston.[ On the conclusion of Operation Houston on 12 September the 26th Marines were moved south to the Da Nang TAOR.][ The battalion participated in Operation Meade River from 20 November to 9 December 1968.][
From 12 January to 7 February 1969 the battalion operating as BLT 3/26 conducted Operation Bold Mariner with BLT 2/26.] BLT 3/26 then joined Operation Taylor Common
Operation Taylor Common was a search and destroy operation conducted by ''Task Force Yankee'', a task force of the 1st Marine Division supported by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), southwest of Hội An from 6 December 1968 to 8 Marc ...
on 10 February until they were relieved on 20 March and went to 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 ...
for rehabilitation.[ The battalion fought in ]Operation Oklahoma Hills
Operation Oklahoma Hills was a clear and search operation during the Vietnam War mounted by the 1st Marine Division and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 51st Regiment from 31 March to 29 May 1969.
Background
The objective was to clear ...
from 31 March to 29 May 1969.[ From 4 May until 10 June they returned to sea for BLT duty.][ On 21 September the 5th Marine Division was deactivated however the 26th Marines were assigned to the 1st Marine Division.][
At the beginning of 1970 the 26th Marines were responsible for the defense of the northern and western approaches to ]Da Nang
Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important p ...
. Battalion companies protected the Nam O Bridge, where Route 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbered S ...
crosses the Cu De River and held positions on Hills 190 and 124 and Outpost Reno.[ As part of Operation Keystone Bluejay the regiment stood down for deactivation in late February to early March with the 1st Marines taking over most of their tactical area of responsibility.][ On 1 March, the ]3rd Battalion, 1st Marines
3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (3/1) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Horno on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Nicknamed the "Thundering Third", the battalion consists of approximately 1,200 ...
relieved the battalion.[ From 11 to 19 March 1970 the 26th Marine Regiment redeployed from South Vietnam and was inactivated.][
]
See also
* History of the United States Marine Corps
The military history, history of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) begins with the founding of the Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, provide shipboard security and discipline enforcement, and assist ...
* List of United States Marine Corps battalions
This is a list of current United States Marine Corps battalions, sorted by the mission they perform.
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Active units
Ground Combat Element battalions
The ground combat element (GCE) consists of those combat and combat support units whose ...
References
{{US Marine Corps navbox
Infantry battalions of the United States Marine Corps
Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps