Chapter XVI: Appendix: C

CHRONOLOGY

1962

Aug U. S. Army Special Forces establish CIDG camp at
Khe Sanh.

1966

Apr 1/1 sweeps Khe Sanh plateau during Operation
VIRGINIA.

Oct 1/3 occupies KSCB; CIDG displaces to Lang Vei.

1967

Feb 1/3 replaced by single company, E/2/9.

15 Mar Company B, 1/9, replaces E/2/9 as resident defense
company.

20 Apr Combat assets at KSCB pass to operational control
of Col Lanigan's 3d Marines which commences Operation
PRAIRIE IV.

24 Apr B/1/9 patrol engages large enemy force north of
Hill 861 and prematurely triggers attack on Khe
Sanh; "Hill Fights" begin.

25 Apr 2/3 and 3/3 airlifted to KSCB to counter enemy drive.

28 Apr After heavy prep fires, LtCol DeLong's 2/3 assaults
and seizes first objective--Hill 861.

2 May LtCol Wilder's 3/3 seizes Hill 881S after four days
of heavy fighting.

3 May 2/3 repulses strong enemy counterattack south of
881N.

5 May 2/3 secures final objective--Hill 881N.

11-13 "Hill Fights" terminate with 940 NVA and 155 Marine
May KIA. 3d Marines shuttled to Dong Ha as 26th Marines
(FWD) and 1/26 move into Khe Sanh.

13 May Col Padley, CO 26th Marines (FWD), relieves Col
Lanigan as Senior Officer Present at Khe Sanh.
Elements of 1/26 occupy combat base, Hills 881S,
861, and 950. Operation CROCKETT commences.

13 Jun Due to increasing enemy contacts, LtCol Hoch's
3/26 airlifted to KSCB.

16 Jul Operation CROCKETT terminates with 204 NVA and 52
Marines KIA.

17 Jul Operation ARDMORE begins.

12 Aug Col Lownds relieves Col Padley as CO, 26th Marines.

13 Aug Due to lack of significant contact around Khe Sanh,
Company K and L, 3/26, transferred to 9th Marines
and Operation KINGFISHER.

17 Aug Khe Sanh airfield closed to normal traffic for
repair of runway.

3 Sep Remainder of 3/26 withdrawn to eastern Quang Tri
Province.

27 Oct Air strip reopened to C-123 aircraft.

31 Oct Operation ARDMORE terminated with 113 NVA and 10
Marines KIA.

1 Nov Operation SCOTLAND I begins.

28 Nov MajGen Tompkins assumes command of 3d MarDiv.

13 Dec LtCol Alderman's 3/26 returns to Khe Sanh because
of increased enemy activity in Khe Sanh TAOR.

21 Dec 3/26 conducts five-day sweep west of base and uncovers
evidence of enemy buildup around KSCB.

1968

2 Jan Five NVA officers killed near western edge of main
perimeter.

Intelligence reports indicate influx of two NVA
divisions, and possibly a third, into Khe Sanh TAOR.

16-17 LtCol Heath's 2/26 transferred to operational control
Jan of 26th Marines and arrive KSCB; 2/26 occupies Hill
558 north of base.

ASRT-B of MASS-3 displaces from Chu Lai to Khe Sanh
to handle ground controlled radar bombing missions.

17 Jan Team from Company B, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion
ambushed near Hill 881N.

19 Jan While searching ambush site, patrol from I/3/26 comes
under fire from estimated 25 NVA troops and withdraws
under cover of supporting arms. Two platoons
from M/3/26 helilifted to Hill 881S as reinforcements
for I/3/26 which prepares for sweep toward
881N the next day.

20 Jan Capt Dabney's I/3/26 attacks and, with the aid of
air and artillery, badly mauls NVA battalion entrenched
on southern slopes of 881N; 7 Marines and
103 North Vietnamese KIA.

On strength of testimony of captured NVA lieutenant
that enemy attack is imminent, I/3/26 is withdrawn
to 881S and base placed on Red Alert.

DASC of MASS-3 displaces to Khe Sanh.

20-21 Estimated NVA battalion attacks K/3/26 on Hill 861.
Jan After penetrating southwestern portion of Marines'
perimeter, the enemy is repulsed leaving 47 dead; NVA
reserves are hit by heavy air strikes and artillery
fire.

21 Jan KSCB comes under heavy mortar, artillery, and rocket
attack which destroys main ammunition dump. NVA
battalion attacks and partially overruns Khe Sanh
village before CAC and RF companies drive off enemy.
After second attack, Col Lownds withdraws defenders
to confines of combat base.

22 Jan ComUSMACV initiates Operation NIAGARA to provide
massive air support for Khe Sanh.

LtCol Mitchell's 1/9 arrives KSCB and takes up positions
which encompass rock quarry southwest of
combat base.

E/2/26 is relocated from Hill 558 to prominent ridgeline
northeast of 861 as covering force for flank of
2/26; E/2/26 passes to operational control of 3d
Battalion. New position is called 861A.

23-28 Large number of tribesmen and families are evacuated
Jan from Khe Sanh area to avoid hostile fire.

27 Jan 37th ARVN Ranger Battalion arrives KSCB and takes up
positions in eastern sector of combat base.

30 Jan Communists launch nation-wide TET Offensive.

5 Feb NVA battalion attacks E/2/26 on Hill 861A in concert
with heavy shelling of KSCB. Enemy gains foothold
in northern sector of Company E perimeter but is
driven out by savage counterattack; 109 NVA and 7
Marines KIA.

7 Feb Special Forces camp at Lang Vei overrun by enemy
battalion supported by PT-76 Soviet-built tanks;
first use of NVA tanks in South Vietnam.

8 Feb Some 3,000 indigenous personnel, both military and
civilian, from Lang Vei move overland to Khe Sanh.
After being searched and processed, several hundred
refugees are air evacuated.

8 Feb A/1/9 combat outpost 500 meters west of 1/9 perimeter
hit and partially overrun by reinforced NVA battalion.
During three-hour battle, reinforcements drive NVA
from Marine position and with aid of supporting arms
kill 150 North Vietnamese; Col Lownds decides to
abandon outpost and units withdraw to 1/9 perimeter.

10 Feb Marine C-130 of VMGR-152, hit by enemy fire during
approach, crashes after landing at Khe Sanh and six
are killed.

Feb-Apr Paradrops, low-altitude extraction systems, and
helicopters are primary means of resupplying 26th
Marines due to bad weather and heavy enemy fire.

21 Feb After heavy mortar and artillery barrage, NVA company
probes 37th ARVN Ranger lines but withdraws after
distant fire fight. It is estimated that 25-30 NVA
were killed.

23 Feb KSCB receives record number of incoming rounds for
a single day--1,307.

First appearance of enemy trench system around KSCB.

25 Feb B/1/26 patrol ambushed south of KSCB; 23 Marines KIA.

29 Feb-1 Estimated NVA regiment maneuvers to attack 37th ARVN
Mar Ranger positions but fail to reach defensive wire.

6 Mar USAF C-123 shot down east of runway; 43 USMC, 4 USAF,
and 1 USN personnel killed.

7 Mar Large groups of refugees begin to filter into
the combat base and are evacuated.

8 Mar ARVN patrols attack enemy trenchline east of runway
and kill 26 North Vietnamese.

15 Mar American intelligence notes withdrawal of major NVA
units from Khe Sanh area.

23 Mar KSCB receives heaviest saturation of enemy rounds for
the month of March--1,109.

24 Mar A/1/9 patrol kills 31 NVA west of 1/9 perimeter.

25 Mar 1/9 CavSqd, 1st ACD begins reconnaissance in force
operations east of Khe Sanh in preparation for
Operation PEGASUS.

30 Mar B/1/26 attacks enemy fortified position south of combat
base and kills 115 North Vietnamese; 9 Marines are KIA.

Operation SCOTLAND I terminates with 1,602 confirmed
NVA and 205 Marines KIA; estimates place probable
enemy dead between 10,000 and 15,000.

Task Force KILO launches diversionary attack along
Gio Linh coastal plain to divert attention away from
Ca Lu where 1st ACD, and 1st Marines are staging for
Operation PEGASUS.

1 Apr Operation PEGASUS begins; 2/1 and 2/3 (1st Marines)
attack west from Ca Lu along Route 9. Elements of
3d Bde, 1st ACD conduct helo assaults into LZ Mike
and Cates. Joint engineer task force begins repair
of Route 9 from Ca Lu to Khe Sanh.

3 Apr 2d Bde, 1st ACD assaults LZs Tom and Wharton.

4 Apr 1/5 CavSqd moves northwest from LZ Wharton and attacks
enemy units near old French fort; 1st Battalion, 9th
Marines moves southeast from rock quarry and assaults
Hill 471.

5 Apr 1/9 repulses enemy counterattack on Hill 471 and
kills 122 North Vietnamese.

1st Bde, 1st ACD departs Ca Lu and assaults LZ Snapper.

6 Apr One company of 3d ARVN Airborne Task Force airlifted
to KSCB for the initial link up with defenders.

Elements of 2d Bde, 1st ACD relieve 1st Battalion, 9th
Marines on Hill 471; 1/9 commences sweep to northwest
toward Hill 689.

6 Apr 1st Bde, 1st ACD helilifted north of KSCB. 2/26 and
3/26 push north of combat base; Company G, 2/26 engages
enemy force and kills 48 NVA.

8 Apr 2/7 CavSqd links up with 26th Marines and conducts
official relief of combat base. 1/26 attacks to
the west.

3d ARVN Airborne Task Force air assaults into LZ Snake
west of Khe Sanh and kills 78 North Vietnamese.

10 Apr LtGen Rosson arrives Khe Sanh and directs LtGen Tolson
to disengage and prepare for Operation DELAWARE in
A Shau Valley.

11 Apr Engineers complete renovation of Route 9 and road is
officially opened.

Elements of 1st ACD begin withdrawal to Quang Tri City
in preparation for Operation DELAWARE; 37th ARVN
Ranger Battalion airlifted to Da Nang.

12 Apr Col Meyers relieves Col Lownds as CO, 26th Marines.

14 Apr 3/26 attacks Hill 881N and kills 106 NVA; 6 Marines
are KIA.

15 Apr Operation PEGASUS terminated; Operation SCOTLAND II
begins.

18 Apr 26th Marines withdrawn to Dong Ha and Camp Carroll.

23 May President Johnson presents the Presidential Unit
Citation to 26th Marines and supporting units during
White House ceremony.

23 Jun Although forward fire support bases are maintained in
Khe Sanh area, the KSCB is dismantled and abandoned.
LZ Stud at Ca Lu is selected as base for air mobile
operations in western DMZ area.