Quảng Trị Combat Base
| Quảng Trị Combat Base | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 16°46′30″N 107°09′40″E / 16.775°N 107.161°E |
| Type | Marines/Army |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1967 |
| In use | 1967–1975 |
| Battles/wars |
 Vietnam War Battle of Quang Tri First Battle of Quảng Trị Second Battle of Quảng Trị |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants |
3rd Marine Division ARVN 1st Division ARVN 3rd Division |
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 36 ft / 11 m | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Quảng Trị Combat Base (also known as Ái Tử Combat Base or simply Quảng Trị) is a former U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base northwest of Quảng Trị in central Vietnam.
The base was located on Highway 1 approximately 8 km northwest of Quảng Trị and 8 km southeast of Đông Hà beside the Thạch Hãn River.
Following a series of artillery and rocket attacks on Đông Hà Combat Base, the Marines' major logistics and aviation support base in northern Quảng Trị Province, throughout the year, the Marines decided that Đông Hà was too vulnerable to PAVN artillery and rockets located north of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and decided to establish a new logistics base out of range closer to Quảng Trị City. In September 1967 the Seabees began construction of an airfield and new base area and the first aircraft landed at the airfield on 23 October.
In October the 1st Marines was moved from Danang to Quảng Trị. The Marines then launched Operation Osceola to provide security around the Quảng Trị base, the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines and 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines supporting by artillery from the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines conducted a pacification and anti-mining campaign around the base.
In December Marine Aircraft Group 36 (MAG-36) forward was established at Quảng Trị, comprising:
Operation Osceola ended on 20 January, total casualties were 17 Marines and 76 PAVN killed. Also on 20 January the 3rd Marines replaced the 1st Marines at Quảng Trị.Operation Osceola II was launched on 20 January with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines responsible for protecting the base supported by artillery from 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines. On 24 and 31 January the base was hit by 122mm rockets and mortar fire causing minimal damage.
...
Wikipedia