Operation Buffalo (1967)
| Operation Buffalo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Vietnam War | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States
|
 North Vietnam
|
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Col. George E. Jerue, 9th Marines Commander Lt.Col Richard J. Schening 1/9 Commander Capt. Albert C. Slater, Jr. A Company Capt. Sterling K. Coates B Company † Lt.Col Peter A. Wickmire 1/3 Commander Maj. Wendell O. Beard 2/3 Commander |
Võ Nguyên Giáp | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 4 Marine Battalions ~3,000 |
90th Regiment, 324B NVA Division ~ 1,500 |
||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 159 killed 845 wounded 1 missing |
U.S reported 1,290 killed (plus 513 probably killed) and 1 POW | ||||||
Operation Buffalo (2–14 July 1967) was an operation of the Vietnam War that took place in the southern half of the Demilitarized Zone, around Con Thien.
On the morning of 2 July, Alpha and Bravo Companies, 1st Battalion 9th Marines made their way up north on Highway 561 and secured a crossroad as their first objective. As they went further north between Gia Binh and An Kha, near a place called "The Market Place", they made contact with the elements of the NVA 90th Regiment when sniper fire began to break out, enemy fire intensified as efforts were made by the 3rd Platoon to suppress it. The NVA used flamethrowers in combat for the first time setting fire to hedgerows along Highway 561 forcing the Marines out into the open, exposing them to artillery, mortar and small arms fire, causing heavy casualties on A and B Companies and prevented them from linking up. B Company Headquarters was wiped out when a single NVA artillery round exploded within the command group. The company commander, Capt. Sterling K. Coates, two platoon leaders, the radio operator, forward observer and several others were killed.
Airstrikes disrupted NVA attempts to "hug" the 1st Platoon, eventually allowing the 1st Platoon and the battered 2nd Platoon to link up. 1/9's commander, LtCol Richard Schening, sent out a small rescue force involving C and D Companies supported by four tanks. Using helicopter and tank fire to disperse enemy troops, D Company was able to secure a helicopter landing zone for the evacuation of casualties. C Company then continued to move north under heavy fire to rescue what was left of the two Companies.
Out of nearly 400 Marines, the two Companies suffered 84 killed, 190 wounded and 9 missing making this the worst one-day loss for the Marines in Vietnam. Only 27 Marines from B/1/9 and about 90 from A/1/9 were fit for duty after the first day. U.S forces reported that the NVA suffered 55 KIA (confirmed) with another 88 believed to have been killed, but unaccounted for.
On 3 July a USAF observer spotted more than 100 NVA soldiers moving south from positions north of Con Thien, Battery E, 3/12 Marines fired on them killing 75 men.
On the morning of 4 July, following 12 hours of preparatory airstrikes, 3/9 Marines supported by Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 1/3 Marines attacked towards the Marketplace ambush site to recover the bodies of those killed on 2 July. 3/9 Marines met heavy resistance from the NVA southwest of the Marketplace and by the end of the day had suffered 15 dead and 33 wounded, while BLT 1/3 suffered 11 wounded.
...
Wikipedia