Operation Oregon

Operation Oregon
	Part of Thừa Thiên Province, South Vietnam16°40′06″N 107°23′40″E / 16.66833°N 107.39444°E
Result	U.S. claims victory

Belligerents

United States

Viet CongCommanders and leaders

BG Lowell English

LCOL Ralph Sullivan
Units involved

1st Marine Division

1st Battalion 4th Marines
2nd Battalion 1st Marines

802nd BattalionCasualties and losses 11 killed US body count: 48 killed
8 captured

Operation Oregon was a

US Marine Corps operation that took place on the Street Without Joy approximately 36 km northwest of Huế

, lasting from 19 to 23 March 1966.

Prelude

On 17 March the

2nd Battalion 1st Marines would reinforce if enemy was engaged. The operation was supposed to be launched on 19 March but bad weather forced a postponement to 20 March.^[1]

^: 65

Operation

20 March

The landing of the 1/4 Marines was delayed for 4 hours due to fog, by 10:15 the helicopters of

HMM-163 were over the landing zones but were met with anti-aircraft fire. Due to low cloud air support was unavailable, but artillery fire from the 4th Battalion, 12th Marines at Phong Điền softened up the landing zones and the Marines started landing by 12:55. As the Marines began to move out from Landing Zone Robin Company B moved into a minefield around the hamlet of Ap Chinh An 800 km from Landing Zone Robin wounding 1 Marine. The Marines attempted to take the hamlet but found that the Viet Cong had fortified the entire hamlet with bunkers and barbed wire. The Marines withdrew to allow air, artillery and naval gunfire support to hit the Viet Cong positions. At 16:49 Company E was landed to reinforce the Marines but by the evening the attack was halted, the Marines had suffered 9 dead and 41 wounded.^[1]

^: 67

21 March

Marine artillery bombarded the Viet Cong positions while dense fog delayed planned airstrikes. The 1/4 Marines captured Ap Chinh An with minimal opposition as the Viet Cong had abandoned their positions during the night. 2/1 Marines was landed at Landing Zone Duck 3 km west of LZ Robin at 11:15 encountering no resistance. The operation continued for the next 2 days with no further engagements.[1]^: 67

Aftermath

Operation Oregon concluded on 23 March, the Marines had suffered 11 dead and 45 wounded and claiming that the Vietcong 48 killed and 8 captured.^[1]^: 69

Notes

^
ISBN 978-1494285159. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain
.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

[Shulimson-1] 
ISBN 978-1494285159. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain
.

[1]