Operation Dewey Canyon

Operation Dewey Canyon

Part of: Vietnam War

Map of the operational area in the northern provinces and in the border area with Laos

date	January 22 to March 18, 1969
place	A Shau Valley , Thừa Thiên Province
output	American tactical victory

Parties to the conflict
United States	North Vietnam
Commander
Colonel Robert H. Barrow	N / A
Troop strength
2,200	+5,000
losses
130 killed, 932 wounded	US figures: 1,335-1,644 dead

The Operation Dewey Canyon was the last major offensive of the US Marine Corps during the Vietnam War . The operation lasted from January 22 to March 18, 1969. A large area in the A-Sầu Valley region , which was firmly in the hands of the Viet Cong , was the scene of the fighting. On the American side, the 9th Marine Regiment and parts of the 3rd Marine Regiment were involved. After 56 days of fighting, the US achieved a tactical victory, but had failed to stop the importation of men and weapons from North Vietnam to the south.

background

Before the mission, the Marines had mostly only stayed in their bases and monitored the surrounding region. The so-called "McNamara Line" was supposed to secure the border to the north and interrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail . After a new commander was in charge of the command area, he changed this tactic, which seemed to contradict the aggressive aggressive spirit of the Marines. From then on, many offensive operations were also carried out in the area. In the spring of 1969, the military reconnaissance reported a large concentration of troops in the A-Shau valley. The valley was only nine kilometers from the border with Laos and is about 21 kilometers long. Based on this information, Colonel Robert Barrow and his 9th Marine Regiment were given orders to attack the region and drive out the Viet Cong. The starting point of the operation was the Vandegrift Combat Base, which was about 50 kilometers from the valley.

The operation

A wounded marine is supported by his comrades

The mission was divided into three phases. First the required helicopters were brought into position and troops were drawn together. Then the 9th Marine Regiment marched south towards the valley. The third part consisted of combing the A Shau valley. Many outposts were set up on their way south to support the Marines with artillery fire. You should also monitor the main supply route. These camps had to be supplied by helicopter, as the region was dangerous and supply by land was made difficult by the monsoon rain.

The Viet Cong offered heavy resistance throughout the operation. Most of the fighting took place in the dense jungle , always within range of the Vietnamese artillery stationed in Laos. 130 Marines were killed and 932 wounded.

In return, the marines counted 1617 martyrs of the Viet Cong who had fallen, and an additional 500 tons of weapons and ammunition were captured. From now on the valley was no longer used for actions by the Vietnamese side.

Attack on Laotian territory

In the third phase of Operation Dewey Canyon, parts of the American units also advanced into Laotian territory. These consisted of the 2nd Battalion 9th Marines. The phase began on February 11, 1969, and on February 20, two companies of the battalion were on the border with Laos. From their positions they could watch enemy convoys and troops moving on Road 922. An officer later reported:

The company, of course, was talking about let's get down on the road and do some ambushing. I don't think they really thought that they were going to let us go over into Laos […] I knew if the military had their way we'd be over there in Laos and the company was all up for it. […] With the Paris Peace Talks going on, I wasn't sure what route was going to be taken.

There had been requests to move into this area before, but it was mostly turned down. This time, however, some special forces had already entered the country and carried out the reconnaissance. When the American unit continued to spot enemy columns, permission was asked for an ambush on February 20. Surprisingly, this was granted and the 2nd Battalion was supposed to attack the street with some groups. Given the circumstances, the soldiers asked for a postponement, which was refused. Thus, on the evening of February 21st, two groups advanced to Laos.

At one o'clock in the morning the soldiers had prepared the ambush with booby traps . A truck passed the target area first, but it was not attacked to wait for a better target. At 2:30 a.m. a column of eight trucks approached. The mines were detonated and the Marines began firing at the trucks. However, a Vietnamese artillery observer soon directed fire to their position. After checking that all opponents were dead, the Marines withdrew to a gathering point 600 meters away and waited for the day. Then the units withdrew to South Vietnam . In the days that followed, Laos was invaded several times. The operation was largely received positively by the generals. Much more important than the successful ambush, however, was the fact that more operations in Laos have now been approved.

US helicopters during Operation Dewey Canyon

So the units were sent to the street again on February 24. This time, however, the Americans were to suffer losses. Three companies advanced. The soldiers' morale was very low after days of patrol , especially since the soldiers also had to leave food and beer behind. The ambush was again successfully carried out. When soldiers stormed an enemy artillery position, two were killed and seven wounded. A little later, a group was ambushed by the Viet Cong who attacked the Americans from well-developed positions. Men were killed again. During the battle in Laos, 48 ​​NVA soldiers were killed and several tons of weapons and ammunition were captured. On March 3, the soldiers were brought back to the Vandegrift Combat Base by helicopter. The eight people who fell in Laos were killed in Vietnam , according to the mission report, so as not to attract attention for political reasons. The soldiers involved were ordered to maintain secrecy.

literature

• Charles Smith: US Marines in Vietnam High Mobility and Standown 1969 . USMC, 1988, pp. 38-50 (English).

Web links

• Dewey Canyon . F / 2/9 website. Retrieved July 6, 2006.
• Richardson Herb: Dewey Canyon, Trek Into Former Battlefield Revives Memories and Creates New Friendships . In: Leatherneck . 2001. Retrieved July 6, 2006.
• C. Douglas Sterner: Operation Dewey Canyon (PDF; 180 kB) Wesley Fox. 2001. Retrieved July 6, 2006. (Posted on the Official website of the 1st Battalion 9th Marines Network, Inc.)