Intelligence

A.                 During the month of July contact with the enemy was light throughout the Battalion’s AO.  During the period the Battalion was assigned the defense of VCB and the road sweeps inherent in this mission, an anti-tank mine was discovered on Route #9 and one Friendly KIA resulted from a booby trap emplaced on the road near an unmanned road block set by the enemy.  VCB received 12 rounds of mixed 107mm and 122mm incoming rockets during the month.

While the Battalion was employed on operation ‘William’s Glade’ one NVA was KIA by Company during a daylight ambush.  There were also two sightings of enemy personnel consisting of one NVA each.  Company B received 8 to 10 60mm hostile mortar rounds and heard a small volume of small arms fire 700 to 800 meters from their position.  There were also a few old bunker complexes and a trench line with fighting holes discovered.

                                       KIA      POW     Detained

                  NVA               1           0               0

                  VC                 0           0                0

B.                 Weather.

The weather during the first 20 days of the month consisted generally of very hot and humid days with a few days of intense rain.  The last part of the month produced cool days with a moderate amount of rain throughout the day and night with very gusty winds.

C.                Terrain.

The terrain during the operation “William’s Glade’ ranged from zero elevation to sharply rising small hills with crests to 222 meters.  Between these elevations were numerous small rolling hills and valleys criss-crossed mostly with dry stream-beds and covered with savannah grass, ranging in height from a few inches to six feet.  There were a few patches of dense underbrush scattered throughout the AO.  The terrain around VCB consists of a large valley broken by numerous streams with sharply rising mountains, with crests to 552 meters.

D.                Operations.

The Battalion participated in three operations during the month.  From 2 through 8 July, the defense of VCB was considered part of the 4^th Marines operation ‘Herkimer Mountain’.  During the period 12-22 July the Battalion was OPCON to the 1^st Brigade, 5^th Infantry Division (Mechanized), US Army, and participated in operation ‘William’s Glade’.  From 23 July until the end of the month, the Battalion once again assumed responsibility for defending VCB, thus participating in operation ‘Georgia Tar’.

All of the operations were characterized by unusually light contact.  The few incidents of contact are included in the Sequential Listing of Significant Events portion of this chronology.

E.                 Results of Operations

a.      Enemy Equipment Captured/Destroyed

1.         Mines, Demolitions, Explosives, Ammunitions

Anti-Tank mines                                            5

                                                Anti-Personnel Mines (claymores)           10

                                                82mm Mortar Rounds                                  3

                        2.         Miscellaneous

                        NVA helmet                                                   1

                        NVA utilities (set)                                          2

                        782 gear                                                        Small Amount

                        Rice                                                                50 pounds

                        Corn                                                                25 pounds

                        Pack                                                               1 

This page last corrected 5 September 2011