Operation Lancaster was a U.S. Marine Corps operation that took place in northern
Quảng Trị Province from November 1967 to January 20, 1968.
Background
In November 1967, the
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
Tactical Area of Operations (TAOR) was split in two creating the Lancaster TAOR and the
Kentucky TAOR.
The new Lancaster TAOR bordered the
Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone
The Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone was a demilitarized zone established as a dividing line between North and South Vietnam from July 1954 to 1976 as a result of the First Indochina War. During the Vietnam War (1955-1975) it became important as t ...
(DMZ) to the north, the
Scotland TAOR to the west and the Kentucky and Operationa Osceola to the east and contained the Marines bases of
Camp Carroll
Camp Carroll (also known as Artillery Plateau, Firebase Tan Lam and Hill 241) was a United States Marine Corps and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) artillery base during the Vietnam War. It was located 8 km southwest of Cam Lộ, Qu ...
,
The Rockpile
The Rockpile (also known as Elliot Combat Base) and known in Vietnamese as Thon Khe Tri, is a solitary karst rock outcropping north of Route 9 and south of the former Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Its relatively inaccessible location, re ...
and
Ca Lu Combat Base
Ca Lu Combat Base (Vietnamese: ''Cà Lu'') was an Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and United States Marine Corps base located on Highway or Route 9, near Krông Klang, Đa Krông District, western Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam. ...
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
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) west of Ca Lu, it remained the obvious route for any attempt to relieve the
Khe Sanh Combat Base
Khe Sanh Combat Base (also known as Ta Con) was a United States Marine Corps outpost south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) used during the Vietnam War.
History
US Army Special Forces (Detachment A-101, Company C, 5th Special Forces Gr ...
. 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 1968, PAVN losses were 46 killed for the loss of 22 Marines killed and 140 wounded. The operation was immediately continued as Operation Lancaster II
Operation Lancaster II was a U.S. Marine Corps security operation that took place in northern Quảng Trị Province from 20 January to 23 November 1968 during the Vietnam War. The operation followed on directly from Operation Lancaster. The Mar ...
in the same tactical area of operations.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lancaster, Operation
1967 in Vietnam
1968 in Vietnam
Battles involving the United States
Battles involving Vietnam
Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1967
Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1968
Battles and operations of the Vietnam War
United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War
History of Quảng Trị province