DECLASSIFIED HEADQUARTERS 3d Antitank Battalion 3d Marine Division, (Rein) FMF FPO, San Francisco 96602 3 5750 Ser: 0266-66 10 Nov 1966 CONFIDENTIAL From: Commanding Officer To: Commanding General, 3d Marine Division (Rein), FMF (Attn: SC-3) Subj: Command Chronology, October 1966; submission of (U) Ref: (a) MCO 5750.2 (b) DivO 5750.1 Encl: (1) Command Chronology (2) Staff Journals (3) SITREPS 1. In compliance with the references, enclosures (1) through (3) are submitted. C. R. STIFFLER CONFIDENTIAL DECLASSIFIED |
DECLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 3 5750 PART II 1. Reporting unit - 3d Antitank Battalion, 3d Marine Division , FMF 2. Period covered - 1 - 31 October 1966 3. Date of submission - 10 Nov 1966 4. Commanding Officer - Maj. Charles R. STIFFLER, USMC 5. Command Post - Republic of South Vietnam (AT987711) Map AMS Series L 701, Sheet No. 6659 III. CONFIDENTIAL 1 ENCLOSURE (1) DECLASSIFIED |
DECLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 3 5750 PART II 1. Operational Data, including attachments: a. Designation/Location (1) Headquarters and Service Company (DANANG TAOR) (2) Company "A" (PHU BAI TAOR) (3) Company "B" (PHU BAI TAOR) (4) Company "C" (DANANG TAOR) (5) Company "A" (-) (Rein) 1st ATBn (OPCON 3d ATBn) CHOP OPCON 24 Oct66 b. Period covered by report: 1 -31 October 1966 c. Name/Rank of Commanding Officer and Staff, and principle subordinates, including T/O billet assignment. BATTALION HEADQUARTERS Commanding Officer.......................................................................LtCol D. E. NEWTON (1 - 22 Oct) Maj C. R. STIFFLER (23 - 31 Oct) Executive Officer............................................................................Capt. D. C. SATCHER S-1/Adj.............................................................................................2ndLt F. A. GUILE S-2....................................................................................................WO C. C. HARRIS S-3....................................................................................................WO C. C. HARRIS (1 -7 Oct) 1stLt J. C. DEBILIO (8 - 31 Oct) S-3A.................................................................................................Unassigned (1 - 7 Oct) WO C. C. HARRIS (8 - 31 Oct) Liaison Officer................................................................................Unassigned S-4...................................................................................................Capt. D. C. SATCHER Supply Officer.................................................................................2ndLt R. U. BOKELMAN Motor Transport Officer................................................................2ndLt R. H. SOKOLOWSKI Ordnance Maintenance Officer.....................................................2ndLt C. P. WAGER (1 - 19 Oct) WO L. C. SCHOLPP (20 - 31 Oct) Communications Officer.................................................................1stLt J. L. WEIS Medical Officer...............................................................................HM-1 A. D. McDOLE, USN CONFIDENTIAL 2 ENCLOSURE (1) DECLASSIFIED |
DECLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 3 5750 Headquarters and Service Company Commanding Officer.......................................................................1stLt D. K CASWELL Executive Officer............................................................................Unassigned (1 - 19 Oct) 2ndLt C. P. WAGER (20 - 31 Oct) Company "A" Commanding Officer.......................................................................Capt. A. A. COMPTON Executive Officer............................................................................Unassigned 1st Plt Commander..........................................................................2ndLt W. M. HAYES 2nd Plt Commander.........................................................................2ndLt E. B. O'NEIL 3d Plt Commander...........................................................................2ndLt R. L. GIBSON Company "B" Commanding Officer.......................................................................Capt. S. L. CAMBY Executive Officer............................................................................1stLt R. F. PINION (1 - 7 Oct) Unassigned (8 - 31 Oct) 1st Plt Commander.........................................................................2ndLt J. B. BROCK 2nd Plt Commander........................................................................2ndLt J. G. RICHARDSON 3d Plt Commander..........................................................................2ndLt M. L. BAILEY Company "C" (-) (Redesignated as Co "C" after 24 Oct66) Commanding Officer.......................................................................Capt. S. T. FLYNN Executive Officer............................................................................Unassigned (1 - 7 Oct) 1stLt R. F. PINION (8 - 31 Oct) 1st Plt Commander.........................................................................OPCON Co "A" (-) (Rein) 1st ATBn (OPCON 3d ATBn) (This OPCON CHOPPED 24 Oct66) 2nd Plt Commander........................................................................2ndLt E. H. SAUER 3d Plt Commander..........................................................................1stLt J. C. DEBILIO (1 - 7 Oct) SSgt T. M. BURKE (8 - 31 Oct) Company "A" (-), 1st ATBn (OPCON 3d ATBn) (This OPCON CHOPPED 24 Oct) Commanding Officer......................................................................Capt. D. M. HUTSON CONFIDENTIAL 3 ENCLOSURE (1) DECLASSIFIED |
DECLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 3 5750 Executive Director.........................................................................Capt. G. J. FORBES (1 - 11 Oct) 1stLt F. S. ROE (12 - 31 Oct) 1st Plt Commander.........................................................................2ndLt B. H. BAILEY 3d Plt Commander..........................................................................2ndLt C. W. SOOTER 1st Plt Co "C" (-). 3d ATBn...........................................................2ndLt F. E. RIVERA (After 24 Oct this Plt redesignated as 1st Plt Co "C" 3d ATBn) d. Average monthly strenght during the period: Officers Enlisted USN-Enl 3d Antitank Battalion 23 286 07 (a) H&S Company 11 91 04 (b) Company "A" 04 72 01 (c) Company "B" 04 52 01 (d) Company "C" 04 72 01 (e) Company "A", 1st ATBn (ADCON 1st MarDiv) 2. Sequential Listing of Significant Events. a. Personnel & Administration. During the month one Major was appointed to LtCol, on 1stLt appointed to Captain, and two 2ndLt's were appointed to 1stLt. One Sgt was promoted to Staff Sergeant, one Corporal was promoted to Sergeant, 18 LCpl's were promoted to Corporal, 58 Privates First Class were promoted to LCpl, and one Private was promoted to Private First Class. Out of the above list one Lance Corporal made Corporal under the Meritorious Combat promotion and one Private First Class made Lance Corporal under the Meritorious Combat Promotion system. The Battalion sent 31 men on R&R. There was one Article 15 punishment awarded by the Company Commander. There were two Special Court Martials and one General Court Martial and one man was confined to the III MAF Brig serving sentence on a General Court Mar- tial. One PFC and one Staff Sergeant were sent to sick (bay?), at "A" Company, 3d Medical Battalion. This Battalion sent one 2ndLt to Embarkation School in Camp Hansen, Okinawa. Two Lance Corporals extended for a period of 3 months. Two Good Conduct Medals were awarded. Two Officers and 71 enlisted Marines were dropped during this period. Four officers and 45 enlisted Marines were joined as replacements this period. b. Battalion Command Post Activities. (1) The Battalion Commander established an alternate Command Post. (2) Major C. R. STIFFLER relieved LtCol D. E. NEWTON as Battalion Commander. CONFIDENTIAL 4 ENCLOSURE (1) DECLASSIFIED |
DECLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 3 5750 c. Intelligence. Information concerning the enemy and terrain was received from USMACV, III MAF, 1st and 3d Marine Division, HOA VANG district headquarters, HOA CAM Regional Forces Training Center and 3d Tank Bn INTSUMS. d. Training. Battalion level training was accomplished using the contact team method. Formal Schooling was held at the Company level on such subjects as Map Reading, Troop indoctrination, Code of Conduct and NBC. The various familiarization firing activites conducted in October included the 106MM recoilless rifle, Cal 30 machinegun, M-60 machinegun, M-14 rifle, Cal 45 pistol, Cal 50 spotter rifle and the M-26 fragmentation grenade. The Gun Companies, where the greater percent are armed with Cal 45 pistols, used "field firing" for familiarization due to operational committments. 3. Company Activities. (a) H&S Company. During the month of October the company continued the normal functions of providing administrative and logistical support for the ONTOS companies. The reaction force continued to conduct ambushes and patrols within the Battalion's Patrol area of responsibility. Work on the improvement of the CP defensive perimeter continued. (b) Company "A" continued in direct support of the 3d Marine Division. On 100800H this Company started displacement from DANANG to DONG HA. The First Platoon continued in support of the 2nd Bn, 3d Marines. The heavy section was located on Hill 65 in support of F/2/3. The light section was located in support of G/2/3. On 8 Oct the light section accompanied a Company size sweep west of Hill 65 with no enemy contact. The Plt expended 13 major rounds (106MM Recoilless Rifle HEP-T) on H&I fire missions with unknown results. On 111300H the 1st Plt embarked aboard an LCU at DANANG and arrived at DONG HA at 1211300H. On 16 Oct they were assigned the mission of supporting K, L, and M/3/4 in defense of Camp J. J. CARROL. The Second Platoon continued in direct support of D/1/3 at positions near LE MY. On 4 Oct this Plt fired 12 major rounds at 12 VCS with unknown results. On 6 Oct the 173d Airborne assumed responsibility for the 1/3 TAOR. This Plt fired a total of 579 major rounds on H&I fire missions in support of 1/3. On 111300H the 2nd Plt embarked aboard an LCU at DANANG and arrived at DONG HA on 121300H. On 17 Oct the light section moved to (YD026561) in support of I/3/4. The heavy section remained at Camp CARROL in support of H&S 3/4. This Plt fired a total of 187 major rounds on H&I fire missions in support of 3/4. The Third Platoon continued in support of 2/26. The light section was located on Hill 20 (AT255691) in support of G/2/26 on Hills 22 and 41 with a single ONTOS on each hill. The 3d ONTOS from the heavy section remained at the Plt CP in support of H/2/26. On 7 Oct the light section accompanied a Company size sweep with no enemy contact. This platoon fired a total of 106 major rounds on H&I fire missions in support of 2/26. On 101300H the 3d Plt embarked aboard an LCU at DANANG and arrived at DONG HA on 111300H. From 12 to 15 Oct this platoon supported 3/4 in defense of Camp J. J. CARROL. CONFIDENTIAL 5 ENCLOSURE (1) DECLASSIFIED |
DECLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 3 5750 On 16 Oct the 3d Plt moved to the ROCK PILE (XD977567) in support of 2/9. On 24 Oct 3/4 relieved 2/9 and the 3d Plt continued in support of K/3/4 and M/3/4. On 22 Oct the 3d Plt fired 12 major rounds at a squal of NVA with unknown results. This Plt fired 1,137 major rounds on H&I fire missions in support of 2/9 and 3/4. (c) Company "B" continued in direct support of the 3d Marine Division with the Co CP at HUE PHU BAI. The First Platoon began this period in direct support of 2/4. It was employed as security for mine sweeps and security for a medical infirmary at JA LAY. One section remained in defensive pos- itions along Route 14. On 7 Oct one VC grenade was thrown into this pos- ition. There were no USMC casualties. One major round was fired at VC with undetermined results. On 8 Oct this platoon returned to HUE PHU BAI and occupied defensive positions in support of 2/4. The Second Platoon continued in direct support of the Fourth Marine Regiment. The light section remained in direct support of 2/9 at the ROCK PILE (XD979568). On 13 Oct the light section prticipated in a Company size sweep with no enemy contact. On 20 Oct the light section was relieved by the 3d Plt Co "A" 3d ATBn. On 21 Oct the light section joined the heavy section in defense of DONG HA Air Strip in support of 2/4 with no further enemy contact. The Third Platoon continued to support the Co CP at PHU BAI. On 8 Oct the platoon relieved the 1st Plt and assumed support of 2/4. The heavy section provided security for the JA LAY medical Facilities in the morning and occupied defensive positions at the Co CP at night. This section fired 350 Cal 30 MG rounds at VC snipers with negative results. On 8 Oct the light section maintained defensive positions at the artillery position on Route 14 and remained there through the reporting period. (d) Company "C" continued in direct support of the 9th Marines. The First Platoon continued OPCON of the 1st Antitank Bn until Oct 24 when the Platoon returned to Parent Organizational Control. O 28 Oct the First Plt moved one section to (AT914597) in support of G/2/3 and one section to (AT878576) in support of F/2/3. This Plt expended 10 major rounds on H&I fire missions with unknown results. The Second Platoon continued in support of the 3d Bn 9th Marines. The light section in support of L/3/9 provided security for mine sweeps of Highway 14 for the entire period with no enemy contact. The heavy section in support of H&S/3/9 was deployed in defensive positions along the AN HOA Airstrip for the entire reporting period with no enemy contact. The Third Platoon continued in support of 1/26. The light section was located at (AT968575) in support of A/1/26. The heavy section (minus) was located at the ferry crossing at (AT925535) in support of B/1/26. One ONTOS remained at the Co CP (AT967617) as an element of a reacion force. On 4 Oct the heavy section observed 12 VC crossing the river in boats. Ten major rounds were expended resulting in 2 VC KIA confirmed. On 14 Oct the light section received sniper fire and returned 2 major rounds with unde- termined results. On 17 Oct the light section in support o A/1/26 expended 6 major rounds at a VC tunnel complex with undetermined results. On the 24th of Oct the heavy section (minus) moved to Hill 37 to support F/2/3 (AT878576) and the light section moved to (AT914597) to support G/2/3. CONFIDENTIAL 6 ENCLOSURE (1) DECLASSIFIED |
DECLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 3 5750 The light section in support of G/2/3 fired 29 major rounds on H&I fire missions. On 30 Oct the 3d Plt returned to the Company CP. (e) Company "A" (-) 1st ATBn (OPCON 3d ATBn) did not participate in any major operations but continued to support hte 1st Marine Regiment on squad and platoon size patrols and provided a mechanized reaction force for units of the 1st Marines. The 1st Platoon in direct support of K/3/1 on 7 Oct expended five major rounds at VC positions with undetermined results. On the 13th, 14th and 16th of Oct the Plt expended eight major rounds, 780 Cal 30 machnegun and 50 spotting rifle rounds at VC snipers with unknown results. On the 17th of Oct 2 major rounds were fired at VC snipers with results of three VN civilians wounded. During this period the Plt fired 34 major rounds on H&I fire missions. The Third Platoon in support of 1/1 took part in a blocking force and a sweeping operation with no VC contact. The First Platoon Co "C" 3d ATBn (OPCON Co "A" (-) 1st ATBn) in direct support of 2/1 expended 10 major, 110 spotter, and 800 Cal 30 machinegun rounds with unknown results. There was no further contact. On 24 Oct OPCON was dropped to Co "C" 3d ATBn. Company "A" (-) 1st ATBn OPCON was dropped on 232400H Oct66. (f) Communication and Electronics. In additon to the normal Command Post Communications functions, the following events took place: On 1 Oct new "shackle sheets" were issued to the gun Companies and new anchors were installed for antenna's in preparation for the Monsoons. On 21 Oct the section established two metallic land lines to "Isherwood" and "Isherwood Switch". The section also established reliable voice/radio communications to DONG HA, using MRC-110's & 109's, with PRC-47's and MRC-38's as "back up". On 24 Oct the primary Elect/Tech shop was moved to PHU BAI. On 26 Oct new frequencies were obtained for Co's "A" and "C". The Communications section continued in support of the Gun Companies. (g) Logistics. (1) One ONTOS M50A1 was coded X due to mine damage. (2) The average fill rate for all priorities of requisitions for the month was 86%. (3) The Motor transport section dispatched a total of 1,293 trips for a total of 14,672 miles. (4) The Maintenance section sent nine contact teams to the gun Companies. The most important was the checking and instruc- tion on worn firing pins, sears and cocking cams for the 106MM recoilless rifle. (h) Civic Action. (1) Medical Assistance. The Medical Contact Team dispensed a total of 42 treatments to the inhabitants of YEN BAC (AT985708) and CAM CONFIDENTIAL 7 ENCLOSURE (1) DECLASSIFIED |
DECLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 3 5750 HOA (AT970704). Upper respiratory infections and disease of the skin accounted for 95% of the treatments dispensed. (2) Community Development. Approximately 20 gallon of paint was furnished to YEN BAC and CAM HOA for use in painting school door, desks, and chairs. 6000 board feet of lumber was furnished CAM HOA sub hamlets #8 and #9 for use in repairing their shcool and strengthening its structure. (3) Commodity Distribution. One hundred and forty two plastic rain coats were furnished the school children of YEN BAC and CAM HOA. The raincoats were purchased from funds donated by a womens organization from GOLDSBORO, N. C. Other commodities furnished included 10 lbs of soap and a large barrel of clothing. CONFIDENTIAL 8 ENCLOSURE (1) DECLASSIFIED |
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