Operation Lincoln (Vietnam)
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (November 2017) |
Operation Lincoln | |
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Part of Gia Lai Province, South Vietnam 13°58′59″N 108°00′00″E / 13.983°N 108°E | |
Result | U.S. claims operational success |
Col John J. Hennessey
Company B, 1st Battalion, 69th Armored
Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment
3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division
232 estimated killed
Operation Lincoln was an operation conducted by the 1st Cavalry Division west of Pleiku, lasting from 25 March to 8 April 1966, with the goal of locating suspected North Vietnamese and Viet Cong bases to disrupt any planned offensives during the monsoon season.[1]
Following multiple inconclusive skirmishes from 25–29 March, American scout helicopters landed in the middle of a North Vietnamese way-station in the immediate vicinity of 1000 soldiers. American forces lost two helicopters to North Vietnamese fire, but ultimately secured the area and declared the operation success as North Vietnamese soldiers withdrew toward the Cambodian border.
Prelude
Operation Lincoln was planned as an operation to search out suspected
Operation
On 25 March
From 26 to 29 March 1/8 Cavalry and 1/12 Cavalry swept the area west to the Cambodian border and as far south as the northern
On the afternoon of 30 March scout helicopters from
While the Troop was being extracted, Company A 1/12 Cavalry was landed unopposed at Landing Zone Eagle (13°28′05″N 107°41′13″E / 13.468°N 107.687°E) 500m southwest of the initial sighting and moved northwest until they were engaged by concealed PAVN machine guns wounding the Company commander and killing the executive officer. The Company pulled back to LZ Eagle covered by gunship fire. A CH-47 sent in to extract the Company was hit by PAVN fire and crashed. The Company then formed a defensive perimeter around the crashed CH-47. At 01:30 2 supply drops were made, one of which was recovered by the Cavalrymen. Company A 1/8 Cavalry and Battery A 2/19 Artillery established a firebase 9 km to the east and this artillery fire and air support around the position deterred any PAVN attack overnight. The PAVN slipped away during the night and in the morning the Cavalry found 197 PAVN bodies around the position.[1]: 240–1
The action at LZ Eagle caused the entire 1st Brigade to move to the south of the Chu Pong Massif on 31 March where they policed the battlefield and pursued PAVN stragglers.[1]: 241
On 31 March General Kinnard added the
Aftermath
Operation Lincoln officially concluded on 8 April, PAVN losses were 477 killed and a further 232 estimated killed, U.S. losses were 43 killed. The operation was regarded as a success in that it disrupted PAVN plans for a monsoon season offensive.[1]: 243
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
- ^ ISBN 9780160873102.