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 May "Hill Fights" terminate with 940 NVA and 155 Marine 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Operation KINGFISHER. 17 Aug Khe Sanh airfield closed to normal traffic for repair of runway. 3 Sep Remainder of 3/26 withdrawn to eastern Quang Tri Province. 27 Oct Air strip reopened to C-123 aircraft. 31 Oct Operation ARDMORE terminated with 113 NVA and 10 Marines KIA. 1 Nov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 Jan LtCol Heath's 2/26 transferred to operational control 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 1/3/26 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 1'/3/26 which prepares for sweep toward 881N the next day. 20 Jan Capt Dabney's 1/3/26 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 Jan Estimated NVA battalion attacks K/3/26 on Hill 861. 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 RE 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 Jan Large number of tribesmen and families are evacuated 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- Paradrops, low-altitude extraction systems, and Apr 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 Mar Estimated NVA regiment maneuvers to attack 37th ARVN 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--l,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. Back to Table of Contents -- US Marines: Khe Sanh Back to Vietnam Military History List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Coalition Web, Inc. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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