Contents.History In January 1966 the (PAVN) attacked the base with 120mm mortars and intelligence indicated that a PAVN buildup was taking place around the base. In March instructed the (III MAF) to plan a 1 battalion security operation around the base. On 27 March commander MG ordered the at to deploy the and supporting artillery and mortar batteries to Khe Sanh. 1/1 Marines commander Lt. Bell flew into Khe Sanh to plan his deployment and found the Special Forces there to be nervous and leaving all patrolling outside the perimeter to forces. On 3 April the operational order for Operation Virginia was issued, with the operation to begin on 5 April. On 4 April an advance unit was landed at Khe Sanh, but the arrival of the rest of the force was delayed by bad weather and the effects of the and it wasn't until 18 April that were able to complete the deployment.
The plan called for sequential sweeps to the northeast, northwest and then southwest of the base. On 19 April helicopters landed the headquarters unit and Company C in a blocking position 6km north of the base and then landed Companies A and B 9km further east, Companies A and B then swept west meeting no PAVN and joined up with Company C on 21 April and the force then returned to the base. Reconnaissance patrols of the northwest sector indicated no PAVN presence and so the 2nd phase of the operation was cancelled. III MAF then ordered 1/1 Marines to march east along which had been closed for several years to determine if there was any PAVN buildup south of the DMZ. The artillery unit was moved to to cover Route 9 and on 1 May the 1/1 Marines completed the 30 miles (48 km) march from the base to encountering no PAVN.Fighting began there in late April 1967 with the, which later expanded into the 1968. Commanders hoped that the PAVN would attempt to repeat their famous victory at the, which would permit the U.S.
To wield enormous air power. Alone dropped more than 75,000 tons of bombs on the PAVN and encroaching the combat base in trenches.On April 1, 1968, the U.S. Army's launched Operation Niagara to break the siege of the base. All three brigades from the 1st Cavalry participated in this vast airmobile operation, along with a Marine armor thrust.The defense of Khe Sanh commanded international attention and was considered the climactic phase of the. On July 5, 1968, the combat base was abandoned, the U.S. Army citing the vulnerability of the base to dug-in enemy artillery positions in neutral Laos and the arrival of significant airmobile forces in I Corps (1st Cavalry and ). However, the closure permitted the 3rd Marine Division to conduct mobile operations along the DMZ.In 1971, Khe Sanh was reactivated by the U.S.
Home of the Veterans who served at Khe Sanh Combat Base, Hill 950, Hill 881, Hill 861, Hill 861-A, Hill 558 Khe Sanh Village, Lang-Vei and Surrounding Area. Home: Khe Sanh Tactical Area Of Operations (TAOR) Interactive Topo Map. Map Sheet XD 6342-3 Series: L7014 Huong Hoa District. Home of the Veterans who served at Khe Sanh Combat Base, Hill 950, Hill 881, Hill 861, Hill 861-A, Hill 558 Khe Sanh Village, Lang-Vei and Surrounding Area.
Khe Sanh Combat Base Maps
Army (Operation Dewey Canyon II) to support, the South Vietnamese invasion of Laos. It was abandoned again in early April 1971. On the night of 23 March a PAVN sapper attack on Khe Sanh resulted in 3 Americans killed and several aircraft and 2 ammunition dumps destroyed, PAVN losses were 14 killed and 1 captured.On 27 January 1972 a U.S. Air Force gunship was shot down by a PAVN over the base. In March 1973, American intelligence reported that the PAVN had rebuilt the airstrip at Khe Sanh and were using it for courier flights into the South.Tourism Khe Sanh Combat Base can be visited daily as part of tours starting in.
Most of the base is now overgrown by wilderness or coffee and banana plants. In a small museum on base historical pictures and weapons are shown. Additionally a C-130, artillery and armor, restored bunkers and portions of the airstrip are visible.Gallery. The airstripFiction The first person shooter features a level (titled SOG) where the player (fictional CIA operative Alex Mason) fights to defend Khe Sanh from the North Vietnamese Army.The Electronic Arts/DICE game, (2004) features a level where the Khe Sanh base is the main base for US troops. The level incorporates other historical sites like Khe Sanh Village, the junction of National Route 9 and, and the bridge over the Rao Quan River, though all of the interceding distances are compressed to work within the game's playable area.The book by mentions a at Kesanh (sic), several times throughout the story.See also.References. Shulimson, Jack (1982). History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S.
Marine Corps. Pp. 140–3. Lurps: A Ranger's Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri, revised ed., Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Lanham, MD (2009). Fulghum, David; Maitland, Terrence (1984).
The Vietnam Experience South Vietnam on Trial: Mid-1970–1972. Boston Publishing Company. P. 96. Melson, Charles (1991). Marines In Vietnam: The War That Would Not End, 1971-1973. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.