Operation Desoto
| Operation Desoto | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Vietnam War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States
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 Viet Cong
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| Strength | |||||||
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3rd Battalion 7th Marines 12th Marines |
38th Battalion 95th Battalion |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 76 killed, 573 wounded | 383 killed | ||||||
Operation Desoto was a US Marine Corps operation that took place in Đức Phổ District, lasting from 27 January to 7 April 1967.
As part of the US-Vietnamese combined action plan for 1967, the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines was scheduled to assume the defense of Đức Phổ District from the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 4th Battalion, 4th Regiment 2nd Division which would concentrate on pacification.
On 27 January, Company L 3/7 Marines and Battery I 12th Marines were deployed by helicopter to Núi Đàng. The following morning Companies I and M 3/7 Marines were landed by helicopter north of Núi Đàng and moved west and east to secure the adjacent villages of Vinh Binh (1) and Truong Sanh (14°49′05″N 108°58′30″E / 14.818°N 108.975°E).
On occupying Truong Sanh villagers informed the Marines that a large Vietcong force had abandoned the village and moved north to Tan Tu (2)(14°49′23″N 108°58′23″E / 14.823°N 108.973°E). As Company M advanced on Tan Tu (2) they were hit first by sniper fire and the automatic weapons fire from entrenched Vietcong in the village, the Marines withdrew, called in artillery and airstrikes and attacked again, but were again driven back by heavy fire and so withdrew to a night defensive position. On the morning of 29 January Companies I and M assaulted Tan Tu (2), despite suffering casualties from long-range sniper fire the village was barely defended and the Marines secured it by 13:30.
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