| Operation Thor | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theVietnam War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |  North Vietnam | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| GeneralCreighton Abrams LGRichard G. Stilwell MGRaymond G. Davis | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 killed 3 aircraft shot down | USbody count: 125 killed 63 infantry weapons destroyed 19 artillery guns destroyed 2 SAM launchers destroyed | ||||||
Operation Thor was a U.S. combined arms operation againstPeople's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) positions around,Mũi Lay,North Vietnam from 1–8 July 1968.
On 24 March 19683rd Marine Division commander MGRathvon M. Tompkins proposed a combined arms operation against the area around Mũi Lay to reduce PAVN infiltration and destroy artillery that had been targeting theCửa Việt andĐông Hà bases and supporting PAVN infantry operations south of theVietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The operational area would extend from the southern edge of the DMZ 14km north to Mũi Lay and 25km inland from the coast. The plan was submitted toIII Amphibious Force (III MAF) and then to LGRichard G. Stilwell's Provisional Corps and thenMACV for approval. On 21 June, after consulting with representatives from III MAF,7th Fleet and7th Air Force,COMUSMACV GeneralCreighton Abrams approved the plan with a start date of 1 July.[1]: 359–60
On 28 June reconnaissance aircraft fromVMCJ-1 and the 7th Fleet began photo-reconnaissance of the target area and these were then used by Provisional Corps to develop the target lists. Five Marine artillery batteries moved east alongRoute 9 to new firing positions south of the DMZ, while large quantities of ammunition were brought in to support the artillery.[1]: 546
On 1 July the 7th Air Force controlled bombing campaign began and 114B-52 sorties and 664 Air Force,Marine and Navy attack aircraft sorties delivered over 4000 tons of bombs on the target area over two days.[1]: 360
On 3 July, 61 guns from 13 Marine and Army artillery batteries and two Navy cruisers and six destroyers began the artillery bombardment of the target area together with the ongoing airstrikes, delivering over 12,000 rounds on the first day.[1]: 360 The North Vietnamese appeared to be unprepared for the assault with Navy ships able to approach to within 10km of the coast without provoking PAVN shore batteries.[1]: 546
By 5 July antiaircraft fire had been so reduced in the target area thatO-1 artillery observation aircraft were able to operate over the area without sustaining any hits.[1]: 547–8
By 6–7 July the Marine/Army artillery was firing approximately 4000 rounds into the target area, while the Navy was firing approximately 3000 rounds and the air elements were dropping over 2000 tons of bombs.[1]: 548
On 8 July the artillery began to return to their pre-operation positions and control over the target sector returned to the 7th Air Force. The operation was regarded as a success due as it was followed by a sharp decline in artillery fire across the DMZ and reduced antiaircraft fire from the target area.[1]: 36–1
179 artillery positions containing 19 guns, 789 anti-aircraft sites containing 63 weapons, 143 bunkers and storage areas were destroyed, including twoSAM-2 sites. 352 secondary explosions and 236 secondary fires were observed. PAVN personnel losses were estimated at 125 dead.[1]: 361 [1]: 548
In over 2000 sorties B-52s had dropped a total of 5156 tons of bombs while Air Force, Marine and Navy attack aircraft dropped a total of 3207 tons with three aircraft shot down and one crewman killed. Marine/Army units fired 23,187 rounds of 155mm, 175mm and 8in artillery. Navy ships fired 19,022 rounds of 5in, 6in and 8in artillery.[1]: 548
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.17°02′53″N107°03′40″E / 17.048°N 107.061°E /17.048; 107.061