Operation Starlite

Operation Starlite
Part of the Vietnam War

Vietcong prisoners (or civilians) await transport during Operation Starlite
DateAugust 18–24, 1965
Location
Van Tuong, South Vietnam
15°17′56″N 108°50′24″E / 15.299°N 108.84°E / 15.299; 108.84
Result Both sides claim victory[1]
Territorial
changes
15 miles south of Chu Lai on the border of Quảng Tín and Quảng Ngãi Provinces
Belligerents
 United States Viet Cong
Commanders and leaders
LG Lewis W. Walt
Col. Oscar F. Peatross
Lê Hữu Trữ (commanding officer)
Nguyễn Đình Trọng (commissar)
Units involved
3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines
2nd Battalion, 4th Marines
1st Battalion, 7th Marines
3rd Battalion, 7th Marines
3rd Battalion, 12th Marines
1st Regiment
52nd Company
One company of the 45th Weapons Battalion
Strength
5,500 ~1,500
Casualties and losses
45 killed
Viet Cong claim:
919 killed and wounded
U.S body count:
614 killed
9 captured
42 suspects detained
109 weapons recovered
Viet Cong report:
~200 killed, wounded or captured[2] (including 50 killed[3])

Operation Starlite (also known in Vietnam as Battle of Van Tuong) was the first major offensive action conducted by a purely U.S. military unit during the Vietnam War from 18 to 24 August 1965. The operation was launched based on intelligence provided by Major general Nguyen Chanh Thi, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) I Corps commander. III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) commander Lieutenant General Lewis W. Walt devised a plan to launch a pre-emptive strike against the Viet Cong (VC) 1st Regiment to nullify their threat to the vital Chu Lai Air Base and Base Area and ensure that its powerful communication tower remained intact.

The operation was conducted as a combined arms assault involving ground, air and naval units. U.S. Marines were deployed by helicopter insertion while an amphibious landing was used to deploy other Marines. The VC used a variety of tactics to counter the Marine assault, fighting from prepared positions and then withdrawing as the Marines gained local superiority and ambushing a lost supply column. The VC were unable to withstand the weight of the Marine assault and U.S. firepower.

  1. ^ Wilkins, Warren (2011). Grab Their Belts To Fight Them: The Viet Cong's Big-Unit War Against the U.S., 1965–1966. Naval Institute Press. p. 76. ISBN 9781591149613.
  2. ^ "TRẬN ĐÁNH VẠN TƯỜNG" [The Battle of Wanxiang / The Battle of the Thousand Walls] (in Vietnamese). quangngai.gov.vn. August 17, 2004. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009.
  3. ^ "Cách mạng tiến công (*)". 6 January 2008.