Operation Comanche Warrior — War Zone D (May–Jun 1969)

Operation Comanche Warrior — War Zone D, 14 May – 1 June 1969

Context page — division level (DTIC AD0506273). This was a 3rd Brigade operation; 2/8 Cav (1st Brigade) was not in it. It is documented here only to bound the quarter's operations and to prevent the May 25 D Co losses from being mis-attributed to it on the basis of date overlap.

Comanche Warrior and the overlapping Creek II were conducted by the 3rd Brigade, roughly in the same geographic location, both targeted against the 5th VC Division; the ORLL discusses them together. The 3rd Brigade's mission was to interdict the southerly movement of the 5th VC Division out of War Zone D toward the heavily populated areas near the Long Binh–Bien Hoa complex, to interdict known crossing points on the Dong Nai River, and to locate the 174th and 275th Regiments of the 5th VC Division.

Operations were characterized by small-unit patrols and ambushes along enemy lines of communication. Although few sharp contacts were initiated, the period saw very large cache discoveries — large enough that, even without decisively engaging the 174th and 275th Regiments, intelligence indicated those and other 5th VC Division units withdrew north into War Zone D base areas, partly due to food shortages.

Combined results (Comanche Warrior + Creek II): 132 enemy killed, 5 prisoners of war, plus substantial weapons and foodstuff captures.

Relevance to the cluster: none directly — this is a different brigade in a different area of operations (War Zone D). It matters only as a caution: the 25 May 1969 D Co losses fall in the 1st Brigade's War Zone C operation (Montana Scout), not Comanche Warrior, despite the dates overlapping.