Operation Virginia Ridge
Col. Wilbur F. Simlik
36th Regiment
33rd Sapper Battalion
17 captured
141 individual and 34 crew-served weapons recovered[1]
- v
- t
- e
- Laos
- Biên Hòa
- Đồng Khởi
- Chopper
- Palace Bombing
- Sunrise
- Shufly
- Ấp Bắc
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- 34A
- Long Dinh
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- USNS Card
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- Camp Holloway
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- An Ninh
- Plei Me
- Hump
- 1st Bau Bang
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1966
- Marauder
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- Prairie
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- Duc Co
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- SS Baton Rouge Victory
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- Seward
- Thayer, Irving and Thayer II
- Attleboro
- Deckhouse IV
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- Atlanta
- Paul Revere IV
- Geronimo
- Tan Son Nhut airbase
- Fairfax
- Firebase Bird
1967
- Deckhouse V
- Cedar Falls
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- Gadsden
- Sam Houston
- Pershing
- Enterprise
- Tra Binh Dong
- Bribie
- Junction City (1st Prek Klok
- 2nd Prek Klok
- Ap Gu
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- 2nd Bàu Bàng)
- Francis Marion
- Lejeune
- Union
- Baker
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- The Hill Fights
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- Dragnet
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- The Slopes
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- Diamond Head
- Coronado
- Coronado II
- Hood River
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- Benton
- Coronado IV
- Swift
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- Wheeler/Wallowa
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- Kunia
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- Medina
- Shenandoah II
- MacArthur
- Dak To
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- Lancaster
- Coronado IX
- Neosho
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- Essex
- Kien Giang 9-1
- Napoleon
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- Auburn
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- McLain
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- Walker
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- Robin
- Binh An
- Thor
- Pocahontas Forest
- Quyet Chien
- Somerset Plain
- Phase III Offensive
- Champaign Grove
- Vinh Loc
- Thượng Đức
- Maui Peak
- Henderson Hill
- Sheridan Sabre
- Meade River
- Hat Dich
- Speedy Express
- Taylor Common
- Fayette Canyon
- DMZ Campaign (1969–1971)
- Bold Mariner
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- 2nd Tet
- Iron Mountain
- Massachusetts Striker
- Wayne Grey
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- Ben Het
- Maine Crag
- Atlas Wedge
- Frederick Hill
- Geneva Park
- Montana Mauler
- Oklahoma Hills
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- Virginia Ridge
- Apache Snow
- Hamburger Hill
- Lamar Plain
- Pipestone Canyon
- Binh Ba
- Montgomery Rendezvous
- Utah Mesa
- Campbell Streamer
- Idaho Canyon
- Nantucket Beach
- Fulton Square
- LZ Kate
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- Randolph Glen
- Green River
- Texas Star
- Cambodian campaign
- Pennsylvania Square
- Clinch Valley
- Elk Canyon
- Pickens Forest
- Wolfe Mountain
- Chicago Peak
- Firebase O'Reilly
- Chenla I
- Imperial Lake
- Jefferson Glenn
- Tailwind
- Son Tay Raid
- Cuu Long 44-02
- Toan Thang 1/71
- Lam Son 719
- Finney Hill
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- Caroline Hill
- Long Khánh
- Chenla II
- Nui Le
1972
Post-Paris Peace Accords (1973–1974)
- War of the flags
- Cửa Việt
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- Tong Le Chon
- Trung Nghia
- Ap Da Bien
- Quang Duc
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- Ban Me Thuot
- Hue–Da Nang
- Phan Rang
- Xuân Lộc
- Fall of Phnom Penh
- Fall of Saigon
- Mayaguez incident
- Farm Gate
- Chopper
- Ranch Hand
- Pierce Arrow
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- Pony Express
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- Combat Skyspot
- Tiger Hound
- Shed Light
- Thanh Hoa
- Bolo
- Popeye
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- Giant Lance
- Menu
- Patio
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- Linebacker I
- Enhance Plus
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- Homecoming
- Tan Son Nhut Air Base
- Babylift
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- Yankee & Dixie stations
- Gulf of Tonkin
- Market Time
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- Game Warden
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- PIRAZ
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- Bo De River, Nha Trang, Tha Cau River
- Sealords
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- Pocket Money
- Custom Tailor
- End Sweep
- Paracel Islands
- East Sea
- 1964
- 1965
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- 1969
- 1970
- 1971
- 1972
- 1973–74
- 1975
Operation Virginia Ridge was a US Marine Corps operation that took place in northwest Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam, from 2 May to 16 July 1969.
Background
In early May 1969, U.S. reconnaissance detected that two People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) Regiments, the 27th and 36th, were infiltrating through the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into the central section of Quảng Trị Province. The 3rd Marine Regiment under Colonel Paul D. Lafond was given the mission of engaging both regiments, preventing any threat to Route 9 and protecting the rice harvest.[2]: 73
Operation
The operation began on 2 May 1969 with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines landed by helicopter at Landing Zone Sparrow (16°52′05″N 106°55′59″E / 16.868°N 106.933°E / 16.868; 106.933),[3]: 479 8 km northwest of Cam Lộ Combat Base meeting light resistance. The 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines secured Firebase Fuller and Firebase Pete (16°48′04″N 106°51′18″E / 16.801°N 106.855°E / 16.801; 106.855) north of Elliot Combat Base and then swept towards the DMZ.[3]: 390 The 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines secured Con Thien and the surrounding area. By 6 May, 1/3 Marines had swept 3 km west of LZ Sparrow along Mutter's Ridge. On the early morning of 10 May an estimated PAVN platoon attacked Company D, 1/4 Marines' night defensive position, killing eight Marines and wounding ten in just ten minutes.[2]: 73
On 16 May, Company M encountered a small entrenched PAVN force killing four and capturing one. For the remainder of May, the 1/3 and 3/3 Marines swept east towards the A-4 Strongpoint (16°54′24″N 106°59′02″E / 16.9067°N 106.984°E / 16.9067; 106.984) meeting limited resistance.[3]: 1 On 20 May, an estimated force of 20 PAVN attacked Company C's night defensive position losing 15 killed for the loss of three Marine dead and eight wounded. On 22 May Company B ambushed a 30-man PAVN force killing 19 and capturing two.[2]: 74 , On 6–7 June, several B-52 Arclight strikes were made against Mutter's Ridge, Foxtrot Ridge and Helicopter Valley with 2/3 Marines deployed soon after by helicopter to conduct bomb damage assessment. The marines found numerous destroyed bunkers but few enemy dead.[2]: 74
In mid-June, the 3rd Marines received intelligence that a PAVN force was infiltrating from the DMZ near Gio Linh District. On 16 June, the 3/3 Marines loaded onto trucks and were driven up Route 1 towards the DMZ at night. As they did so, they encountered the PAVN 27th Regiment and 33rd Sapper Battalion moving south along the roadside. The marines engaged the PAVN force, pushing them into the defenses at the Charlie-1 (16°52′37″N 107°04′37″E / 16.877°N 107.077°E / 16.877; 107.077) position, where 56 PAVN dead were found the following morning.[3]: 5–78 3/3 Marines swept south from Gio Linh towards Con Thien killing 20 PAVN in two separate engagements before midday on 17 June.[2]: 74–5 At 14:00, an estimated PAVN company attacked the 3/3 Marines' command position but were forced back with the loss of 37 dead and three captured. Company L moving to support the command group engaged an entrenched PAVN position killing eight. Aerial observers called in artillery and airstrikes against PAVN forces throughout the day with the final tally being 193 PAVN killed and nine captured for the loss of 19 Marines killed and 28 wounded.[2]: 75
Lafond was relieved as commanding officer, 3rd Marine Regiment by Colonel Wilbur F. Simlik on 28 June 1969.[2]
Aftermath
Operation Virginia Ridge concluded on 16 July and was followed by Operation Idaho Canyon.[2]: 75 U.S. losses were 106 killed while the PAVN lost 560 killed and 17 captured and 141 individual and 34 crew-served weapons captured.[4]
Notes
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
- ^ "Headquarters MACV Monthly Summary July 1969" (PDF). Headquarters United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. 28 October 1969. p. 33. Retrieved 23 February 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Smith, Charles (1988). U.S. Marines In Vietnam: High Mobility And Standdown, 1969. History and Museums Division, Headquarters US Marine Corps. ISBN 9781494287627. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. ISBN 978-1555716257.
- ^ "Headquarters MACV Monthly Summary July 1969" (PDF). Headquarters United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. 28 October 1969. p. 33. Retrieved 23 February 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.