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| |combatant1={{flag|United States}} | |combatant1={{flag|United States}} | ||
| |combatant2={{flag|North Vietnam}} | |combatant2={{flag|North Vietnam}} | ||
| |commander1=COL Lo Prete | |commander1=COL Joseph Lo Prete | ||
| |commander2= | |commander2= | ||
| |strength1=] | |strength1=] | ||
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| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
| The Lancaster Tactical Area of Operations (TAOR) bordered the ] (DMZ) to the north, the ] to the west and the ] and ] to the east and contained the Marines bases of ], ] and ].<ref name=Shulimson>{{cite book|last=Shulimson|first=Jack|title=US Marines in Vietnam: 1968 The Defining Year|publisher=History and Museums Division Headquarters United States Marine Corps|year=1988|isbn=0160491258|page=18}}</ref> Despite the closure of ] by the ] (PAVN) west of Ca Lu, it remained the obvious route for any attempt to relieve the ]. The terrain in the Lancaster TAOR consisted of rolling hills climbing up to jungle-covered mountains.<ref name=Shulimson/>{{rp|57}} | The Lancaster Tactical Area of Operations (TAOR) was created from splitting the ] in two creating the Lancaster TAOR and the ] in November 1967.<ref name=Telfer>{{cite book|last=Telfer|first=Gary|title=U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967|url=https://archive.org/details/FightingTheNorthVietnamese|publisher=History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps|year=1984|isbn=978-1494285449|page=142}}</ref> The new Lancaster TAOR bordered the ] (DMZ) to the north, the ] to the west and the ] and ] to the east and contained the Marines bases of ], ] and ] and was under the control of COL Joseph Lo Prete's ].<ref name=Shulimson>{{cite book|last=Shulimson|first=Jack|title=US Marines in Vietnam: 1968 The Defining Year|publisher=History and Museums Division Headquarters United States Marine Corps|year=1988|isbn=0160491258|page=18}}</ref> Despite the closure of ] by the ] (PAVN) west of Ca Lu, it remained the obvious route for any attempt to relieve the ]. The terrain in the Lancaster TAOR consisted of rolling hills climbing up to jungle-covered mountains.<ref name=Shulimson/>{{rp|57}} | ||
| ==Operation== | ==Operation== | ||
Revision as of 09:15, 8 July 2015
| Operation Lancaster | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Vietnam War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
 North Vietnam | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| COL Joseph Lo Prete | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3rd Marine Regiment | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 22 killed | 46 killed | ||||||
Operation Lancaster was a U.S. Marine Corps operation that took place in northern Quảng Trị Province from November 1967 to 20 January 1968.
Background
The Lancaster Tactical Area of Operations (TAOR) was created from splitting the Kingfisher TAOR in two creating the Lancaster TAOR and the Kentucky TAOR in November 1967. The new Lancaster TAOR bordered the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to the north, the Scotland TAOR to the west and the Kentucky TAOR and Osceola TAOR to the east and contained the Marines bases of Camp Carroll, The Rockpile and Ca Lu Combat Base and was under the control of COL Joseph Lo Prete's 3rd Marine Regiment. Despite the closure of Route 9 by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) west of Ca Lu, it remained the obvious route for any attempt to relieve the Khe Sanh Combat Base. The terrain in the Lancaster TAOR consisted of rolling hills climbing up to jungle-covered mountains.
Operation
The Marines task was to prevent PAVN infiltration from across the DMZ and from the west and to provide artillery and logistical support to the Marines at Khe Sanh.
Aftermath
Operation Lancaster concluded on 20 January, PAVN losses were 46 killed for the loss of 22 Marines killed and 140 wounded. The operation was immediately continued as Operation Lancaster II in the same tactical area of operations.
References
- Telfer, Gary (1984). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. p. 142. ISBN 978-1494285449.
- ^ Shulimson, Jack (1988). US Marines in Vietnam: 1968 The Defining Year. History and Museums Division Headquarters United States Marine Corps. p. 18. ISBN 0160491258.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.