Operation Essex was an operation by the

2nd Battalion, 5th Marines 2d Battalion 5th Marines (2/5 or "Two Five") is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and fall under the comm ...

in "Antenna Valley",

Hiệp Đức District HI or Hi may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' Hello Internet'', a podcast hosted by CGP Grey and Brady Haran * ''Hi'' (magazine), teen-lifestyle publication * "Hi" (Ofra Haza song), a song by Ofra Haza, Israel's entry in the 1983 Eurovisi ...

south of

An Hoa Combat Base An Hòa Combat Base (also known as Đức Dục) is a former U.S. Marine Corps and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base west of Hội An in Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. History The base was located approximately 28 km west of Hội ...

from 6 to 17 November 1967.

Background

Essex was planned as a continuation of

Operation Swift Operation Swift was a military operation in the Vietnam War, launched by units of the U.S. 1st Marine Division to rescue two Marine companies which had been ambushed by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). The operation took place in the Quế S ...

designed to push

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the ...

(PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) units operating in the area into US Army units conducting

Operation Wheeler/Wallowa Operation Wheeler/Wallowa was a U.S. offensive operation during the Vietnam War, launched on 11 September 1967 as two separate operations and concluding in November 1968. Initially named as Operation Wheeler and Wallowa, this was merged in Novemb ...

in the Hiệp Đức District- Quế Sơn Valley.

Operation

On the morning of 6 November 2/5 Marines was landed by helicopter in Antenna Valley. Company H was proceeding towards its objective, the village of Ap Bon 2 in the northeast of the valley when it was ambushed by an entrenched PAVN unit. The Company commander ordered his 2nd platoon to outflank the PAVN ambush but they were also ambushed west of the village losing 2 Marines killed and withdrew back to the Company position. Air and artillery strikes were called in and then the 1st and 3rd platoons assaulted the village however they made little progress against the well-entrenched PAVN. At 16:00 Company F arrived to reinforce Company H and launched a fresh attack on Ap Bon (2) but was also repulsed. At dusk both Marine companies withdrew and established a night defensive position which the PAVN hit with mortar and machine gun fire until 04:30 on 7 November when they withdrew. At dawn the Marines attacked Ap Bon (2), but found it deserted with most of the bunkers and fighting positions destroyed by airstrikes and artillery fire. The Marines had lost 16 killed in the fighting. On 10 November 2/5 Marines captured a PAVN officer cadet who had been at Ap Bon (2) who revealed that the village had contained a battalion headquarters which had been destroyed by bombing killing the battalion commander and over 60 soldiers with many more wounded.

Aftermath

The operation concluded on 17 November.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Essex, Operation 1967 in Vietnam

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

Battles of the Vietnam War involving the United States United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1967 History of Quảng Nam province