Operation Montana Raider — War Zone C (Apr–May 1969)
Operation Montana Raider — War Zone C, 13 April – 13 May 1969
Context page — division level (DTIC AD0506273). It shows the 1st Brigade — 2/8 Cav's brigade — fighting in War Zone C through 13 May 1969, but does not document D Company's actions. Treat as highly likely context, not fact.
Mission and form. Montana Raider was a three-brigade effort, reinforced with an armored cavalry regiment (the 11th ACR), conducted 13 April through 13 May 1969 throughout War Zone C. It was a three-phased operation targeted against one regiment of the 1st NVA Division and two regiments of the 7th NVA Division, with each brigade buttressed by the 11th ACR as needed to exploit massed B-52 strikes within designated areas.
Brigade areas of operation:
- 1st Brigade (2/8 Cav's brigade), with the 11th ACR — AO RED, in the vicinity of "the Crescent," against elements of the 95C Regiment, 1st NVA Division. The initial phase saw numerous anti-tank mines but otherwise light contact; the latter phase was characterized by heavy contact with massed enemy troops in fortified base areas.
- 3rd Brigade, with the 11th ACR — AO BLUE, against the 209th Regiment, 7th NVA Division.
- 2nd Brigade, with the 11th ACR — AO WHITE, against the 165th Regiment, 7th NVA Division.
Results. 353 enemy killed, 8 prisoners of war (plus large weapons/ammunition captures); U.S.: 39 killed, 151 wounded, 1 aircraft destroyed.
Why it matters here. This is the 1st Brigade's War Zone C operation that brackets the early-May 1969 D Co deaths — Neil Brown (2 May) and George Brown and Dunkle (12–13 May), the latter pair recorded in Tay Ninh Province. The operation terminated 13 May. Whether those men fell within the AO RED / Crescent fighting is not stated in this division-level report and must be confirmed against the 2/8 Cav daily staff journal.