Con Thien

Battle of Con Thien
Part of the Vietnam War
Date February 27, 1967 - February 28, 1969 Location Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone Result U.S. victory
Belligerents
United States	North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
Lew Walt Robert E. Cushman, Jr.	General Vo Nguyen Giap
Strength
3rd Marine Division 9,000 Marines	8,000 to 12,000 NVA Soldiers
Casualties and losses
1,419 killed, 9,265 wounded	7,563 killed, 168 captured

Con Thien (Vietnamese: căn cứ Cồn Tiên, meaning the "Hill of Angels") was a United States Marine Corps combat base located near the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone about 3 km from North Vietnam in Gio Linh District, Quảng Trị Province. It was the site of fierce fighting from February 1967 through February 1968.

Con Thien is located at 16°54′35″N 106°58′48″E / 16.90972°N 106.98000°E / 16.90972; 106.98000 (MGRS 48QYD113703) and was originally established as a Special Forces/CIDG camp before being taken over by the Marines in December 1966. Together with Marine bases at Gio Linh, Đông Hà and Cam Lộ, Con Thien enclosed the area known to the Marines as Leatherneck Square. Con Thien was intended to be used as a base for the McNamara Line to prevent NVA infiltration across the DMZ. The firebase was strategically important because it offered unfettered views for 15 km east to the coast and north into North Vietnam. It was also very vulnerable because it was within range of NVA artillery north of the DMZ which was largely immune to counter-battery fire.

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