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| Operation Prairie III | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theVietnam War | |||||||
 Marines of Company A, 1st Battalion 9th Marines move through a stream during Operation Prairie III | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |  North Vietnam | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| MGWood B. Kyle BGMichael P. Ryan | |||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines 1st Battalion, 9th Marines 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines | 324B Division | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 56 killed | USbody count: 252 killed 4 captured | ||||||
Operation Prairie III was aU.S. Marine Corps operation inQuảng Trị Province,South Vietnam that sought to eliminatePeople's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces south of theDemilitarized Zone (DMZ) that took place from 19 March to 19 April 1967.
Operation Prairie III was essentially a continuation of the just-concludedOperation Prairie II in the same tactical area of operations (TAOR).3rd Marine Division had five infantry battalions and four artillery battalions in the TAOR.[1]: 16
On 20 March the PAVN hitFirebase Gio Linh with mortars, rockets and artillery fire and they continued to hit Gio Linh andCon Thien 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 day3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines and1st Battalion, 9th Marines completed a seven-day sweep 6 km (3.7 mi) north ofCamp Carroll finding 125 rockets and numerous rocket and mortar sites.[1]: 17
From 20 to 28 MarchBLT1st Battalion, 4th Marines conductedOperation Beacon Hill around Firebase Gio Linh, killing 334 PAVN for the loss of 29 Marines killed.[1]: 17
On 22 March 3/3 Marines and 1/9 Marines began a patrol fromĐông Hà Combat Base 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.[1]: 18
On 28 March the 3/3 Marines and 1/9 Marines were replaced by the3rd Battalion, 9th Marines which conducted patrols and night ambushes north ofCam Lộ Combat Base. On 30 March Company I, 3/9 Marines had established ambush positions 9.5 km (5.9 mi) 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.[1]: 18–9 Second lieutenantJohn P. Bobo would be posthumously awarded theMedal of Honor for his actions during this battle.[1]: 19, 299
Operation Prairie III concluded on 19 April, the Marines had lost 56 killed and claiming that the PAVN suffered 252 killed and 4 captured.[1]: 19
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Marine Corps.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.