operation meade riveroperation meade river

Operation Meade River was one of the bloodiest battles in Vietnam. Units were returned to their parent organizations after 20 days of vicious, intense fighting. More than 360 well-dug entrenched log, railroad-tie, and cement bunkers were destroyed, and many more caved in by bombings. Op Meade River - 1968's final battle - LinkedIn The cordon remained intact, but the final, most furious battle had yet to be fought. Taylor was awarded the Medal of Honor. While participating in Operation Meade River on the night of December 8, 1968, Taylor along with another Marine, crawled forward to assist a platoon under . Captain David A. Dawson researched and wrote Chapter 27. Of the 1,325 confirmed casualties, 1,025 were killed and 300 wounded. Suddenly the Marines were hit by enemy automatic weapons and sniper fire. At 4:30 p.m. on the 20th, a recon team was inserted 1,000 meters south of the La Tho from the base on Hill 55 and immediately west of the cordon near Liberty Road to look for fleeing bands of the enemy. This page is not available in other languages. November 20, 1968. Then he charged forward with his grenade launcher in full view of the enemy, firing as he advanced. The probes were one-half-inch round and 36 to 48 inches long, with a T-shaped handle and forged points. On December 3, even after the 11th Marine Artillery had spent most of the previous day and night conducting heavy, precision destruction missions into the Hook, the 3/5 continued taking casualties from well-entrenched enemy fire. Dabney was awarded the Silver Star for his actions on January 20, 1968, on Hill 881 South. Interviewer- Claude "Chris" VargoInterviewee- Randy RobertsTopic- Operation Meade River My radio operator, Pfc. According to Marine sources, the immediate, tangible results of . Take care of this Marine, he said, Hes like a beaverhe slaps his tail yelling Incoming as a warning and dives for cover. The nickname stuck. On November 27, elements of the 2/5 and 2/26 started a simultaneous coordinated move westward from Highway 1, probing and searching every foot of the way. More than 14,000 South Vietnamese men, women, and children also died.. Almost half of the company was either WIA or KIA. The Marines destroyed more than 360 bunkers during the operation. I suspect that the enemy spotted his radio antennae. Eight-inch howitzers fired precision destruction missionssome called in as close as 200 meters from friendly forcesthroughout the cordon. Numerous fresh enemy graves were uncovered as well as a considerable amount of supplies, and the 2/26 found one cache of 180 anti-personnel :Bouncing Betty: mines ready to be emplaced within the area. An unaltered photocopy of your DD-214 displaying your service during the Operation period. Colonel Michael F. Monigan, Acting Director, gave the impetus for final completion of the project. Company H, 2/7 Marines overran several enemy positions and recovered the bodies of the 6 Marines lost on 20 November. The 1st Marine Division staff planned Operation Meade River in support of the South Vietnamese governments Accelerated Pacification Program called Le Loi. He was my Weapons Platoon leader. The evening news featured images of the beleaguered Marines hunkered down as they drove back wave after wave of enemy troops similar to the battles with the Chinese in Korea in the 1950s. As night fell Company I's lead Platoon was cut off and Sergeant Karl Taylor led a mission to rescue the wounded Marines, in addition to rescuing several wounded he silenced a PAVN machine gun position before being mortally wounded. The zone of operation for the Division included the southern two provinces of I Corps, Quang Tin and Quang Ngai. Williams. Taylor warned us to hold our breath as the fiery napalm rolled in close to us. Only six enemy troops chose to surrender. New Jersey, and continuous artillery barragesthe enemy was determined to fight their way out of the cordon or die fighting. Just before noon on November 20, BLT 2/7 began Phase 2 of the operation by sweeping east toward the railroad berm. These include the official unit command chronologies, after-action reports, message and journal files, various staff studies, oral histories, personal papers, and reference collections. Operation Meade River, 1968. Vietnam War operation MEADE RIVER - VHPA The first time I saw him was at Khe Sanh, recalled Cpl. Torres was awarded the Silver Star. The large hole was filled, the damaged truck removed, and the remainder of the convoy continued on into the area with little delay. While the troops were moving eastward and attempting to close in on the railroad berm, they encountered a sizable enemy force in well-deployed and fortified positions in the bend of a small river in an area known as :the Horseshoe.: A large-scale VC and NVA force had been caught in the cordon. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. The last combat patrol of the war (in August 1972, by the Armys 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry; see the February 1991 Vietnam) would include Dodge City. There were many casualties. While originally designed to be two volumes, it was decided that unity and cohesion required one book. We had just gone through the most hellish night of my ten months in Vietnam. Mr. William S. Hill provided technical direction for both the maps and insertion of the photographs. On November 20, 1968, at 4 a.m., Operation Meade River commenced. In the end, however, the authors alone assume sole responsibility for the content of the text, including opinions expressed and any errors in fact. The last I saw was him kneeling in the dark. Hoover explained that there were three machine-gun nests. THE WALL OF FACES - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Operation MEADE RIVER Quang Nam Province, I Corps, South Vietnam Location, Dodge City area Description: The 1st Marine Division planned MEADE RIVER to support the Le Loi or "accelerated pacification campaign" since 141 of its targeted hamlets were in I Corps. The Communist forces remained a formidable foe and a limit had been drawn on the level of American participation in the war. In any project this large and that involved so many people, the authors are in debt to several of their associates, past and present, in the History and Museums Division. The 1st Marines Command Chronology reported that intelligence estimated that there were 100-150 Viet Cong and up to 900 regular NVA or VC regular forces. Both Mrs. Kerns and Ms. Renfrow painstakingly inserted the multitudinous entries for the index, carefully checking the index against the text. None of it good. As the sun broke through the clouds from the South China Sea, the half-lit shadows of 3,500 Leathernecks could be seen jockeying into position as they filed onboard for the short flight into pre-designated hot landing zones in the Dien Ban area, thirteen miles southwest of Da Nang. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. Covered by darkness, Cpl. In February 1968, he returned to the 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam, this time for duty as Platoon Sergeant and Company Gunnery Sergeant of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment. Operation Meade River . This book, however, documents that 1968 was more than just the Tet Offensive. Operation Meade River: Marine Search-and-Destroy Cordon of - HistoryNet 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 One or two wounded Marines were able to feign death so they were not shot, Torres said. On the first day of the operation, more than 75 helicopters of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing lifted 3,500 Marines into pre-designated zones . The battalion is on southeast portion of a 15-mile cricle which . Enemy activity was rare prior to January18, 1968. Mr. Smith is a senior historian in the Division and served in Vietnam as an artilleryman and then as a historian with the U.S. Army. inspired all who observed him and contributed significantly to the accomplishment of his units mission.. "Chieu Hoi: A Viet Cong lieutenant, center, turned himself over to the Leathernecks of the 3d Battalion, 26th Marines [3/26] during Operation Meade River, south of Da Nang. As enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire hit around him, Torres moved to pinpoint the enemy positions and direct the fire of his men. Bell Huey helicopter gunships flew 884 firing sorties during the 20-day operation. One significant and tragic event occurred on 28 July, 1968, "K" Company who had been recently relieved from duty at An Hoa began a Company sweep of the southwest portion of "Dodge City", they were ambushed by the NVA as they approached a tree line suffering . The VVA Veteran, a publication of Vietnam Veterans of America Route 4, also called Route 14, bisected the area from east to west. A separate functional series complements the operational histories. Media in category "Operation Meade River" The following 50 files are in this category, out of 50 total. It was about five miles wide and three miles long. Many of the vehicles came under fire from small, frantic enemy units trying to break the perimeter. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. A Marine shares his radio with a civilian. That left just myself and my FO, Larry Gore.. 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 Dr. Jack Shulimson researched and wrote the remaining chapters, edited and revised the entire text, and incorporated the comments of the various reviewers. From 6 to 7 a.m. on the 28th, the enemy was offered an opportunity to surrender, the offer broadcast clearly and repeatedly for one hour throughout the cordon. The battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) fired 153 of its monstrous 16-inch, 1,900-pound high-capacity and 2,700-pound armor-piercing rounds against enemy bunkers throughout the cordon. Meanwhile, Delta, 1/1, which was providing security in the Horseshoe for the engineers, continued to find scores of freshly dug graves and more equipment in that area. Six infantry battalions participated, including 3/5. Company E was hit by close-range fire as it crossed a small stream losing 7 killed and 23 wounded in 10 minutes before it could withdraw. But this successful operation was not without cost to the U.S. military. Marine Sergeant Neil A. Peterson, a student at the Citadel, sketched over half of the draft maps used in this volume. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. The conditions were miserable, and the rains, averaging one inch daily, added to the misery. Finally, Ms. Renfrow patiently and ably made the numerous revisions in the organization of the index. 2d Lt. Chris Tibbs recalls: All our Marines were on line, 3rd Platoon on the left flank under Lt. Webber, then weapons platoon led by Gunny T Taylor. Throughout the area of the cordon, dozens of freshly dug enemy :spider holes: were found. But they were stopped by heavy enemy fire, so Taylor told the other Marines to return to the command post. Johnson Jr. of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, relieved of their wet and muddy boots eat their C rations while in a blocking position 10 miles south of Da Nang. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in history from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York and a master's degree in history from Kansas State University, Lawrence, Kansas. The Reference Section under Danny J. Crawford was always most cooperative, especially Ms. Lena M. Kaljot, who assisted in the duplication of most of the photographs. 3/5 Marines attacked again on 2 December, but made no progress. On the 6th, because of other commitments and after much heavy fighting, the 3/5 ceased to participate in Operation Meade River. The company CP group was followed by 2nd Platoon with 1st Platoon under Staff Sgt. Operation Meade River Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 Time was critical because the enemy also moved forward during the night; any Marine they found wounded and alive was shot in the head. Going northward through Dodge City were two major enemy infiltration routes used by the NVA to supply and assist the VC in the rocket belt, whose main objective had been, and continued to be, the destruction of the Da Nang airstrip. Company E of the 2/26 was relieved of its blocking position at first light on the 7th and crossed the La Tho to join the 1/1, assigned for this assault. [2]:429, On 24 November air and artillery strikes were directed against the Horseshoe and then in the afternoon 2/7 Marines reinforced by Company K, 3/26 Marines attacked again. The authors also appreciate the efforts of Mr. Nicholas M. Freda and Mr. Lee Nance of the Typography and Design Division, Mr. Freda for his careful layout of text and Mr. Nance for the final preparation of all maps and charts. Reid R. Ross, with a Weapons Platoon attached to India/3/26, swept across a flat, open rice paddy on December 4 to locate enemy forces. India 6 supplemented the lines with his Weapons Platoon and Command Post attached personnel. During this post-Meade River period, the 1/1 found additional bodies and killed some 50 NVA who had remained in the bunkers, refusing to surrender. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. Immediately, prepositioned dump trucks unloaded gravel and matting. At 15:30 the assault was stopped by strong enemy fire and by 18:30 the Marines withdrew again having lost 5 dead and 31 wounded. Often, drivers were instrumental in stopping bands of enemy soldiers who were trying to escape. The technique was refined and used often by the 9th Marine Regiment, which operated off Hill 55 in early 1966. Company L engaged a PAVN platoon killing 15 PAVN for the loss of 5 Marines. 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 These probes facilitated in the discovery of numerous holes and caches. Many bodies were found in the bunkers in addition to a great deal of equipment and field gear and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The Marines were fortunate to have trapped many more of the enemy than anticipated. I told Beaver to go with him, Hoover said, and dont let him do anything stupid., I heard the blooper going off, then the machine gun. This same unit would participate in Operation Meade River eleven months later. NVA troops, dug into heavily fortified emplacements, responded with heavy small arms and automatic weapons. Only this time it would be the NVA and VC who would be under siege. At one point, late in the day on December 8, Company I of the 3/26 moved to within 20 meters of what was thought to be the last in the series of in-depth bunker positions. Operation Meade River: 425 : Operation Taylor Common: 437 : Chapter 22 The 3d Division's Labors Bear Fruit: 443 : Elimination of the Infrastructure: 443 : Rough Soldiering: 450 : Thua Thien and the End of the Year: . That day they killed a 15-man NVA unit that was making a desperate attempt to flee the cordon. This article is an excerpt from his book Heart of the Third Sector. [2]:436, A Marine signals a CH-46 into position for a resupply hook-up at Hill 55. The Marines knew this day was the end of Meade River. My platoon sergeant (replacing Lt. West who was badly wounded by an NVA claymore) and most of the company were on my right while I was guiding on the river. Historians point to 1968 as a year of change precipitated by the Vietnam War, which was inflaming protests in the United States and around the globe. On 3 December 3/26 Marines joined the attack on the Hook and after an extensive air and artillery bombardment succeeded in penetrating the defensive positions by the evening of 4 December. While in Vietnam, HMM-164 supported U.S. forces in all the major operations, most notably in Operation MEADE RIVER and Operation HASTINGS. One of our Marines, who was part Native American and was an excellent tracker and observer, thought he smelled something and had seen movement in a nearby bush, Torres said. The Marines were very familiar with Dodge City, a 14-square-mile area where they had fought many ambushes and firefights. Just south of Go Noi island was the Vietcong and NVAs stronghold and base area. The Marines withdrew into night defensive positions to allow for air and artillery strikes. :It was low ground,: says the official Marine Corps history, :criss-crossed with rivers and streams, honeycombed with caves and tunnels; each hamlet, with its bamboo and thorn hedges and its drainage ditches indistinguishable from fighting trenches, was a potential fortified position.: Dodge City had been the site of enemy engagements since the Ky Lam campaign of 1966. Marine Medium Helicopter Training Squadron-164 [HMMT-164] The operation, called Meade River, was set to commence on November 20th. He then moved out, in true drill-instructor fashion, inviting his Marines to move back and he would cover them. I was unable to see anyone to my left until Gunny T came back and asked what we should do. This book could never have been published at this time without his specific assistance and that of the other interns. MEADE RIVER OPERATION VIETNAM 1968 - 8 photos from Tom Bartlett Operation Meade River: Marine Search-and-Destroy Cordon of the Vietnam War Operation Meade River in 'Dodge City' was the largest and most successful Marine search-and-destroy cordon of the Vietnam War. The snipers kept a number of the enemy from escaping. Cpl. India 6 (Hoover) ordered everyone back to the earlier position. Only six enemy troops chose to surrender. Field Style Shower, 1968 - Flickr La Hoa village (a village consisted of several hamlets designated by numbers) appeared to be a site where the enemy consolidated its forces and equipment before moving on to better defensive positions. On 4 December 1968, Company I was participating in Operation MEADE RIVER south of DaNang when the Second Platoon came under a heavy volume of machine gun fire from a hostile bunker complex approximately twenty meters to their front and sustained numerous casualties. Chief Historian Benis M. Frank, and his predecessor, Henry I. Shaw, Jr., furnished editorial guidance and encouragement. Hoover said that it was at this point that Taylor grabbed an M79. The enemy hunkered down during the barrages and then repeatedly repelled the Marine assaults. With enemy rounds hitting near him, he fired two rockets into a bunker, killing two NVA soldiers. John Gartrell, Tunnel Rat, 1968 | "Tunnel Rat: Marine Lance | Flickr By George A. Hill, Historynet.com Called "Dodge City" by the troops because of its shoot-em-up characteristics, the area 10 miles south of Da Nang was familiar ground for the Marines. Rigdon is with the 5th Marine Regiment." From the Jonathan F. Abel Collection (COLL/3611), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections . The north and south boundaries of the cordon continued to be covered by various units, which accounted for many of the kills. The Archives staff (under the direction of Fred J. Graboske and his predecessor, Ms. Joyce Bonnett), especially Ms. Joyce M. Hudson and Ms. Amy C. Cohen, cheerfully made their resources available, as did Art Curator John T Dyer, Jr. Watch US Marines in Vietnam Season 1 Episode 9 Hell in the Hills Free Online. As the chopper lifted off, I was hurled into a trench by a huge Marine, he said. Operation Meade River Display Recognition - amervets.com Subscribe to Stars and Stripes . He is a member of the . Jack, those were CH-46's, which I proudly flew over the beautiful skies over SE Dump, er, Asia. More than 300 enemy bodies were found on the battlefield, more than one third of the total enemy killed during Meade River. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Vietnam Magazine today! U.S. forces began "Operation Meade River" on November 20, 1968. (0 members and 1 guests). Tarrance covered the wounded Marine with his body, and was then hit with three bullets in his neck. The enemy fire came from well-entrenched, reinforced bunkers, and the 3/5s advance was temporarily halted. The VC who reported this information were apprehended when villagers throughout the cordon were screened and sent to the refugee relocation center at the base of Hill 55. The man who leaked the Pentagon Papers revealing that four successive U.S. presidents misled the public died on June 16. We lost many Marines that night. By December, enemy-initiated attacks had fallen to their lowest level in two years. Page 437 | eHISTORY Operation Meade River | Military Wiki | Fandom Morale was picking up. Later that day, when a final assault secured the Hook, more than 100 enemy dead were counted. Home - Battlesight Zero But from those final hidden positions, deep within the northern bunker complexan area that had been heavily carpet-bombedcame unexpectedly accurate and deadly heavy automatic-weapons fire. Although seriously wounded during the initial moments of the fierce firefight, Wirick began directing the evacuation of other casualties. Participating in Operation MEADE RIVER, a combined operation in support of the Government of Vietnam's Accelerated Pacification Campaign, the First Marine Regiment (Reinforced) skillfully utilized foot and motor transportation, along with the largest assault helicopter lift in Marine Corps history, to successfully emplace a cordon around an . This tactic, however, was seldom successful, since the Marines would probe foot by foot. There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. Then he spotted two wounded men exposed to enemy fire. In their eagerness to get ready in the morning, they had overlooked one bunker with occupants. Found in the objective area was a sizable, well-organized and well-trained enemy force that chose to fight, utilizing solid fortifications throughout the area of operations. Operation Maui Peak from 6 to 19 October was for the relief of the Thoung Duc Special Forces Camp. Taylor dove into the trench a second later. 1st Marine Division1st Battalion, 1st Marines2nd Battalion, 5th Marines3rd Battalion, 5th Marines1st Battalion, 7th Marines2nd Battalion, 7th Marines2nd Battalion, 26th Marines3rd Battalion, 26th MarinesB Co 1st Battalion 5th Marines. 51st ARVN Regiment; objective was a cordon, clear and search operation) The final assault was executed the next day, December 9. Intelligence had determined that remaining elements of the decimated VC Doc Lap Battalion, which had operated in the area against the Marines for more than three years, along with other understrength VC units and several hundred NVA (North Vietnamese Army) troops, were again massing in the area. Ross manned an M-60 machine gun and began providing protective fire for an evacuation team until he was mortally wounded. The task of relocating 2,600 civilians to a camp near Hill 55 fell to the ARVN forces. Meade River would last for nineteen days and would be the final majorand arguably the biggest and most volatilebattle of 1968. They were issued to all battalions, and usually one man in the fire team had a probe. The helicopters scheduled to transport us to the rear were circling overhead, Torres recalled. Landing on my back looking at the sky, I suddenly see this huge figure flying in on top of me. From the empty bags it was evident that the cement was part of the civic action supplies issued to area hamlets by U.S. military forces for building and self-improvement projects. [2]:433, On 6 December Company E, 2/26 Marines encountered a PAVN bunker complex nicknamed the "Northern Bunker Complex" just south of the La Tho River (1555N 10812E / 15.91N 108.2E / 15.91; 108.2). Hill 55 was in the northwest corner; the Dien Ban district headquarters bordered its southeast corner. Meade River AO, 20 November-9 December 1968: 425: Operation Taylor Common, December 1968: 438: Ross raced forward despite heavy enemy fire, rallying his men and making sure that they had ammunition. In enumerating enemy casualties, the authors are not making any statement upon the reliability or accuracy of these numbers. A few miles to the north, a major operation, Meade River, began shortly thereafter. Sergeant Taylor would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. It was like a bad dream you couldnt wake up from. [2]:4356, Operation Meade River concluded on 9 December 1968; the Marines had suffered 108 dead and 510 wounded, and claimed that the PAVN/Vietcong lost 1,023 killed and 123 captured. [2]:428 Company D 1/1 Marines attacked from the north losing 2 dead and 17 wounded before disengaging. It took seven or eight to transport us in, he said. They are listed by name in a separate appendix. Finally our thanks to those who contributed comments on the draft and to our colleagues in the other Defense historical offices, who assisted with their advice and comments. Mr. Robert J. Destatte, Defense Prisoner of War and Missing Personnel Office, U.S. Department of Defense, provided a translation of several published Vietnamese documents. Operation Meade River was the largest Marine air mobile op of the war. He is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and received his masters degree in history from San Diego State University. Operation Meade River: Marine Search-and-Destroy Cordon of the Vietnam War HistoryNet, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Meade_River&oldid=1146760085, This page was last edited on 26 March 2023, at 20:08. To a large extent, the measurement of this war relied not upon territory occupied, but upon casualties inflicted upon the enemy. (USMC Photo by Bob Bowen) Op Meade River - 1968's final battle War in the Eastern DMZ in Early and Mid-January, Khe Sanh: Building Up 1968: The Definitive Year, 3d Division War in Southern Quang Tri and Northern Thua Thien, Operations Osceola and Neosho, Heavy Fighting and Redeployment: The War in Central and Southern I Corps, January 1968, The Enemy Offensive in the DMZand Southern Quang Tri, 20 January-8 February, The Struggle for Hue-Stalemate in the Old City, The Struggle for Hue-The Taking of the Citadel and Aftermath, Khe Sanh: Final Operations and Evacuation, Mini-Tet and Its Aftermath in Southern I Corps, Counteroffensive Operations in Southern ICTZ, Marine Air at the Beginning of the Year and Air Support of Khe Sanh, A Matter of Doctrine: Marine Air and Single Manager, Artillery and Reconnaissance Support in III MAF, Chapter 2 The 3d Marine Division and the Barrier, Chapter 3 The War in the Eastern DMZ in Early and Mid-January, Operation Lancaster and Heavy Fighting in Mid-January, Chapter 5 The 3d Division War in Southern Quang Tri, and Northern Thua Thien, Operations Osceola and Neosho, Protecting the Quang Tri Base, Operation Osceola, 1-20 January 1968. The offer was ignored. Operation Dawson River: 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines and 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines clear and search operation: vicinity of Khe Sanh, Qung Tr Province: Dec 68 - Jan 14 1969: Operation Blackhawk: After the Horseshoe was secured by the 2/7, Delta Company, 1/1, was attached to the 2/7 to provide security for the engineers who were lifted in to blow the numerous bunkers and level the fortified positions. Of the 1,325 confirmed casualties, 1,025 were killed and 300 wounded. Heavily armed deuce-and-a-half trucks were used to patrol Ambush Row and Route 4 day and night. More than 2,100 helicopter sorties moved personnel, cargo, casualties and equipment. They formed the cordon clockwise, with two observation towers positioned strategically on the flat open terrain to observe and engage enemy troops. Operation Meade River in 'Dodge City' was the largest and most successful Marine search-and-destroy cordon of the war.