| Firebase Fuller | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 16°48′40″N106°53′24″E / 16.811°N 106.890°E |
| Type | Army |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1969 |
| In use | 1969–1972 |
| Battles/wars |  Vietnam War Easter Offensive |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | 3rd Battalion 9th Marines 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines |
Firebase Fuller (also known as Dong Ha Mountain or Hill 549) is a former U.S. Marine Corps, Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) firebase in central Vietnam.
The base was established on Dong Ha Mountain northeast of The Rockpile north of Highway 9 during Operation Lancaster II. [1] [2]
The 3rd Battalion 9th Marines secured Fuller as part of Operation Virginia Ridge on 2 May 1969. [3] : 73 By July the 1st Battalion 9th Marines had assumed responsibility of the area around Fuller. [3] : 138 Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion 12th Marines]] provided artillery support at Fuller from May 1969 until September 1969 when the battery was withdrawn to Okinawa.
In late September 1969 as part of Operation Keystone Cardinal the 3rd Marine Regiment began its withdrawal from South Vietnam handing over control of Fuller to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. [3] : 151 The 4th Marines in turn handed over Fuller to elements of the 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) on 5 November 1969. [3] : 166
On 30 April 1970 at 00:55 a unit of the 1st Brigade at Fuller received mortar fire followed by an attack by People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) sappers. The defenders returned fire supported by artillery and helicopter gunships and the PAVN withdrew leaving 16 dead. [4]
On 16 August 1970 a unit of the ARVN 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment at Fuller was hit by 70 120mm mortar rounds killing 14 ARVN and destroying 20 bunkers. [5]
On 3 June PAVN mortars hit South Vietnamese Marines at the base killing six while the Marines claimed nine PAVN killed. [6] On 24 June the PAVN overran the base and were then subjected to an intense aerial bombardment before three ARVN battalions were flown in by helicopters of the U.S. 101st Airborne to recapture the area around the base. [7] On 28 June ARVN troops reoccupied the base, but it was soon abandoned due to the damage sustained in the fighting. The South Vietnamese claimed that 496 PAVN had been killed at Fuller for the loss of 29 Marines/ARVN. [8] The ARVN with U.S. assistance then rebuilt the base with concrete bunkers by mid-July and it easily withstood a new PAVN mortar attack on 19 July. [9]
By January 1972 the ARVN 3rd Division had assumed responsibility for the area north of Highway 9. [10] : 32 Fuller was occupied by the 1st Battalion, 2nd ARVN Regiment. [10] : 36 From January the ARVN on Fuller together with the Vietnamese Marines on Firebase Sarge reported a buildup on PAVN forces in the surrounding area. [10] : 32
The PAVN launched their Easter Offensive on 30 March 1972 and PAVN artillery fire hit Fuller along with all other ARVN and Marine positions along the DMZ. [10] : 38 Units of the PAVN 308th Division assaulted Fuller and by midday on 31 March the PAVN had overrun Fuller. [10] : 45
The base has reverted to jungle.
The First Battle of Quảng Trị resulted in the first major victory for the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) during the Easter Offensive of 1972. Quảng Trị Province was a major battleground for the opposing forces during the Vietnam War. As South Vietnamese soldiers were gradually replacing their American counterparts, North Vietnam's General Văn Tiến Dũng was preparing to engage three of his divisions in the province. Just months before the battle, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) deployed its newly formed 3rd Division to the areas along the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to take over former US bases. North Vietnamese forces deployed against the inexperienced ARVN 3rd Division included the PAVN 304th, 308th and 324B Divisions.
The Vietnamese Rangers, commonly known as the ARVN Rangers, were the light infantry of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Trained and assisted by American Special Forces and Ranger advisers, the Vietnamese Rangers infiltrated beyond enemy lines in search and destroy missions. Initially trained as a counter-insurgency light infantry force by removing the fourth company each of the existing infantry battalions, they later expanded into a swing force capable of conventional as well as counter-insurgency operations, and were relied on to retake captured regions. Later during Vietnamization the Civilian Irregular Defense Group program was transferred from MACV and integrated as Border Battalions responsible for manning remote outposts in the Central Highlands.
Charlie 2 is a former U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) firebase north of Đông Hà in central Vietnam.
The 1st Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)—the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975—was part of the I Corps that oversaw the northernmost region of South Vietnam, the centre of Vietnam.
The 3rd Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)—the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975—was part of the I Corps that oversaw the northernmost region of South Vietnam, the centre of Vietnam.
The Vietnamese Airborne Division was one of the earliest components of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces. The Vietnamese Airborne Division began as companies organized in 1948, prior to any agreement over armed forces in Vietnam. After the partition of Vietnam, it became a part of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. This division had its distinct origins in French-trained paratrooper battalions, with predecessor battalions participating in major battles including Dien Bien Phu and retained distinct uniforms and regalia. With the formation of an independent republic, the colonial paratroopers were dissolved, however regalia and aesthetics alongside the nickname "Bawouans" would be retained.
Operation Taylor Common was a search and destroy operation conducted by Task Force Yankee, a task force of the 1st Marine Division supported by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), southwest of Hội An from 6 December 1968 to 8 March 1969.
Operation Hickory was a search and destroy operation conducted by the 3rd Marine Division in the area around Con Thien, Quảng Trị Province known as Leatherneck Square from 18 to 28 May 1967. Operation Hickory was the first authorized incursion into the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
The inauguration of Richard Nixon in January led to a reevaluation of the U.S. role in the war. U.S. forces peaked at 543,000 in April. U.S. military strategy remained relatively unchanged from the offensive strategy of 1968 until the Battle of Hamburger Hill in May which led to a change a more reactive approach. The U.S. and South Vietnam agreed on a policy of Vietnamization with South Vietnamese forces being expanded and equipped to take over more of the ground combat from the departing Americans which began to withdraw in late June without any reciprocal commitment by the North Vietnamese. The morale of U.S. ground forces began to fray with increasing racial tensions and the first instances of fragging and combat refusal. The antiwar movement in the U.S. continued to grow and public opinion turned increasingly antiwar when the Mỹ Lai massacre was revealed in November.
An Hòa Combat Base is a former U.S. Marine Corps and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base west of Hội An in Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam.
Firebase Ross was a U.S. Marine Corps, Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) fire support base located in the Quế Sơn Valley southwest of Hội An, Quảng Nam Province in central Vietnam.
Đông Hà Combat Base is a former U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army base northwest of Quảng Trị in central Vietnam. The base was first used by the 4th Marines in late April 1966. In mid-July Đông Hà was used by the Marines as a helicopter base and logistics area. Numerous US marine and army units rotated through the base, and several artillery units were based there.
Firebase Gio Linh is a former U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) firebase north of Đông Hà in Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam.
Quảng Trị Combat Base is a former United States Marine Corps, United States Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base northwest of Quảng Trị in central Vietnam.
Cửa Việt Base is a former U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base north of Quảng Trị in central Vietnam.
Firebase Khe Gio is a former U.S. Marines and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) firebase west of Cam Lộ in central Vietnam.
Operation Montana Mauler was a United States Army and US Marine Corps operation that took place north of Firebase Fuller, Quảng Trị Province, lasting from 23 March to 3 April 1969.
Operation Purple Martin was a US Marine Corps operation that took place in northwest Quảng Trị Province, lasting from 1 March – 2 May 1969.
Operation Fulton Square was a joint U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) military operation during the Vietnam War to engage People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) units in the lowlands of Quảng Trị Province.
The DMZ Campaign (1969–71) was a military campaign by the United States Army, United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) against the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) along the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in northern Quảng Trị Province from 1969 to 1971 during the Vietnam War.
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