The 2nd Marine Infantry Division ( ko, 제2해병사단;

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 第2海兵師團), also known as Blue Dragon Division ( ko, 청룡부대;

: 青龍部隊), is an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

Republic of Korea Marine Corps The Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC; ko, 대한민국 해병대, Daehanminguk Haebyeongdae), also known as the ROK Marine Corps or ROK Marines, is the marine corps of South Korea. The ROKMC is a branch of the Republic of Korea Navy respo ...

History

On June 1, 1965, Prime Minister of South Vietnam

Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (; 8 September 1930 – 23 July 2011) was a South Vietnamese military officer and politician who served as the chief of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force in the 1960s, before leading the nation as the prime minister of South V ...

requested military aid from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. To support South Vietnam from communist

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

, Korea State Council agreed to send a Division and its supporting units on July 2, and

National Assembly of South Korea The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, often shortened to the National Assembly in domestic English-language media, is the unicameral national legislature of South Korea. Elections to the National Assembly are held every four years. T ...

made final decision to send troops on August 13. On August 17, the

attached various battalions, companies, and platoons to the 2nd Marine Regiment to increase its size to a brigade. The Marine Corps originally planned battalion to regiment size unit, but reports from Vietnam said that separating army and Marines was more appropriate to operate. With President Park Chung-hee in attendance, the 2nd Marine Brigade was formally activated at the ROK Marine Corps training camp at

Pohang Pohang () is a city in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River. The city is divided into two ...

on September 20, 1965. The 2nd Marine Brigade was a mostly volunteer group that included many of South Korea’s early Chaebols (

Lee Kun-Hee Lee Kun-hee (, ; 9 January 194225 October 2020) was a South Korean business magnate who served as the chairman of Samsung Group from 1987 to 2008 and from 2010 to 2020, and is credited with the transformation of Samsung to one of the world's la ...

Ohn Jee-won Ohn is a Burmese name, used by people from Myanmar. Notable people with the name include: * Daw Ohn (1913–2003), Burmese professor in Pali * Ohn Gyaw (born 1932), Burmese Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to 1998 * Ohn Kyaing (born 1944), Bur ...

Chung Mong-koo Chung Mong-koo (born March 19, 1938, in Kangwon Province) is a South Korean businessman. He is the honorary chairman and former CEO of Hyundai Motor Group, Korea's second largest chaebol that manages 54 subsidiaries including Hyundai Motor, Kia ...

), intellectuals and staunch anti-communists. Drafting only took place from November 4, 1967 following the heavy casualties of Operation Dragon Fire.

Vietnam War

Fire Mission, 10 July 1968 (21876480254)

The Blue Dragons were initially deployed to

Cam Ranh Bay Cam Ranh Bay ( vi, Vịnh Cam Ranh) is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in Khánh Hòa Province. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kil ...

in September 1965, but in December moved to

Tuy Hòa Tuy Hòa () is the capital city of Phú Yên Province in south-central Vietnam. The city has a total area of and a population of 202,030 (in 2012). The city is located approximately midway between Nha Trang and Qui Nhơn. The city is formulate ...

to provide security against the NVA 95th Regiment. In August 1966, the Blue Dragons moved to

Chu Lai Chu Lai is a seaport, urban and industrial area in Núi Thành District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai International Airport. It is also the site of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone (Vietnamese: ''Với Khu Kinh T� ...

and was placed under the operational control of the

III Marine Amphibious Force III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and ...

(III MAF). Under an arrangement with the USMC, air assets would be provided to the brigade and assigned the same priority for available aircraft as American units. A team from Subunit One, 1st ANGLICO was dispatched and charged with the mission of keeping an air umbrella over the Blue Dragon Brigade in and out of the field. A two-man fire control team was assigned to each ROKMC infantry company at all times. Initially, the

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms d ...

-equipped

Vietcong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

(VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) had somewhat superior small-arms to South Korean soldiers, since they were armed with World War II-era weaponry (

M1 Garand The M1 Garand or M1 rifleOfficially designated as U.S. rifle, caliber .30, M1, later simply called Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, also called US Rifle, Cal. .30, M1 is a semi-automatic rifle that was the service rifle of the U.S Army during World War ...

and

M1 carbine The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine that was a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The M1 carbine was produced ...

), although ROK forces like others relied on overwhelming use of heavy artillery and air support against small-arms and mortar units. They later received more modern weapons from the United States military such as the

M16 rifle The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-ro ...

. Significant operations and actions involving the Brigade include: * Operation Lightning in Khánh Hòa Province from 8 to 14 November 1965 * Operation Flying Tiger in early January 1966, joint operation with U.S./ Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Forces. * Operation Van Buren, a rice harvest security operation with the 101st Airborne Division and ARVN in Phú Yên Province from 19 January to 21 February 1966 results in US claims of 346 VC killed for the loss of 45 ROK and 55 U.S. * Operation Longstreet, an engineering security operation in Bình Định and Phú Yên Provinces * Operation Lee, with the ARVN 4th Regiment in Quảng Ngãi Province from 3 to 10 October 1966 * Battle of Tra Binh Dong - on 15 February 1967, 11th Company of the Blue Dragons was dug in near the village of Tra Binh Dong in Quảng Nam Province when they were attacked by an estimated three VC Battalions supported by heavy mortar and recoilless rifle fire. The VC launched secondary attacks on each flank of the company before attacking with one Battalion against the Company center, breaching the perimeter and using flamethrowers and bangalore torpedoes against the Company's bunkers. The Company counterattacked and with the aid of a South Korean Marine quick reaction company helidropped into the position succeeded in driving back the VC with ROK forces claiming to have killed 243. * Operation Giant Dragon in Quảng Ngãi Province from 17 to 22 February results in ROK claims of 16 VC killed and 61 weapons captured * Operation Dragon Fire in Quảng Ngãi Province from 5 September to 30 October 1967 claims that 541 VC were killed. * The recapture of Hội An during the

Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the force ...

* Operation Daring Rebel, a search and destroy operation with the ARVN 2nd Division and American forces on Barrier Island 24 km south of

Danang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is o ...

, Bình Định Province from 5 to 20 May 1969 results in claims of 4 VC killed * Operation Victory Dragon on Go Noi Island, Quảng Nam Province from October 1968 to December 1970. * Operation Pipestone Canyon on Go Noi Island, Quảng Nam Province from 26 May to 7 November 1969. * Operation Defiant Stand, an amphibious assault with the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines on 7 September 1969. This was the first amphibious assault ever conducted by the Republic of Korea Marine Corps * Operation Hoang Dieu 101 with III MAF and the ARVN 51st Regiment in Quảng Nam Province from 17 December 1970 to 19 January 1971, unknown casualties * Operation Golden Dragon II, a clear and search operation in Quảng Nam Province from 4 to 21 January 1971 * Operation Hoang Dieu 103 with III MAF and the ARVN 51st Regiment in Quảng Nam Province from 3 February to 10 March 1971 The conduct of ROK forces is praised by some South Korean participation in Vietnam states that "the Koreans were thorough in their planning and deliberate in their execution of a plan. They usually surrounded an area by stealth and quick movement. While the count of enemy killed was probably no greater proportionately than that of similar American combat units, the thoroughness with which the Koreans searched any area they fought in was attested to by the fact that the Koreans usually came out with a much higher weaponry count than American forces engaged in similar actions." A total of 320,000 South Koreans served in the Vietnam War, with a peak strength (of any given time) at around 48,000. About 4,000 were killed.

Commanders during Vietnam War

*Sep 1965-1967 :

Brig. Gen. Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Kim Yun-sang *Oct 1967 : Brig. Gen. Yi Bong-chool *1970 : Brig. Gen. Lee Dong-yong

Order of battle during Vietnam War

2nd Marine Brigade : Direct Control Company :1st Marine Battalion :2nd Marine Battalion :3rd Marine Battalion :5th Marine Battalion :2nd Field Artillery Battalion :628th Field Artillery A Unit (Army)

Unit statistics for the Vietnam War

After the Vietnam War

After returning from the Vietnam War, the 2nd Marine Brigade was expanded and restructured as 2nd Marine Division.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2nd Marine Brigade (Republic Of Korea) 1965 establishments in South Korea Republic of Korea Marine Corps Military units and formations of South Korea Military units and formations of South Korea in the Vietnam War Military units and formations established in 1965