| Mai Loc Camp | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 16°43′59″N 106°57′40″E / 16.733°N 106.961°E |
| Type | Army |
| Site information | |
| Condition | abandoned |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1968 |
| In use | 1968-72 |
| Battles/wars |
 Vietnam War |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | 5th Special Forces Group |
| Mai Loc Airfield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: none – ICAO: none | |||
| Summary | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 348 ft / 106 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 3,200 | 975 | laterite | |
Mai Loc Camp (also known as Firebase Mai Loc) was a U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base located west of Quảng Trị in central Vietnam.
History[]
Mai Loc was located approximately 8 km southwest of Ca Lu Combat Base and 25 km west of Quảng Trị.[1]
The 5th Special Forces Group first established the base here in early 1968.[2]
The 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division comprising:
supported by 2nd Battalion, 319th Artillery was based here in October–November 1969.
On 9/10 April 1970 a Company-sized People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) sapper unit attacked Mai Loc resulting in 6 U.S. (including 4 members of the 14th Engineer Battalion), 14 CIDG and 19 PAVN killed.[4] U.S Special Forces left Mai Loc in late August 1970.[2]:316
Other units based at Mai Loc included:
On 2 April 1972 the Vietnamese Marines abandoned Mai Loc in the face of the PAVN assault on Quảng Trị.[5]
Current use[]
The base has been turned over to farmland.
References[]
- ↑ Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. pp. 5–323. ISBN 978-1555716257.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stanton, Shelby (2008). Special Forces at War: An Illustrated History, Southeast Asia 1957-1975. Zenith Press. p. 168. ISBN 9780760334492.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Stanton, Shelby (2003). Vietnam Order of Battle. Stackpole Books. p. 159. ISBN 9780811700719.
- ↑ "Viet Reds overrun U.S. camp". Chicago Tribune. 10 April 1970. http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1970/04/10/#page/44/article/viet-reds-overrun-u-s-camp. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
- ↑ Stoffey, Robert (2008). Fighting to Leave: The Final Years of America's War in Vietnam, 1972-1973. Zenith Press. pp. 38–42, 51. ISBN 9780760333105.
The original article can be found at Mai Loc Camp and the edit history here.