An Hòa Combat Base (also known as Đức Dục) 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 Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

History

The base was located approximately 28 km west of Hội An and 4 km west northwest of the

Mỹ Sơn Mỹ Sơn () is a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples in central Vietnam, constructed between the 4th and the 14th century by the Kings of Champa, an Indianized kingdom of the Cham people. The temples are dedicated to the wo ...

temple complex, near to the Tỉnh Yên River (

Thu Bồn River The Thu Bồn River ( vi, Sông Thu Bồn) is a river in central Vietnam, located in Quảng Nam Province. From its source near the border of Quảng Nam and Quảng Ngãi provinces, it flows northwest through Bắc Trà My, Phú Ninh, Hiệp Đ ...

) and the An Hòa industrial complex. An Hòa was located southeast of a major Vietcong (VC)/

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the ...

(PAVN) base area known as the

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...

across the Vu Gia River. The base was first used by the Marines in January 1966 during

Operation Mallard Operation Mallard was the codename for an airborne forces operation, which was conducted by the British Army on 6 June 1944, as part of the Normandy landings during the Second World War. The objective was to airlift glider infantry of th ...

when the

1st Battalion, 12th Marines 1st Battalion 12th Marines (1/12) is an artillery battalion comprising three firing batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The battalion is stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii and falls under the 12th Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division ...

established a firebase there while the

1st Battalion, 3rd Marines 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines (1/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Nicknamed the "Lava Dogs", the battalion consists of approximately 800 Marines and sailors and falls under the comm ...

and a Company from the

2nd Battalion, 9th Marines 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines (2/9) was an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I, the unit played an instrumental role in the defeat of the Japanese forces in the Battles of Guam and Iwo Jima during World ...

swept the surrounding area. On 20 April 1966 the Marines returned to An Hòa on Operation Georgia, the 12th Marines reestablished a firebase while the

3rd Battalion 9th Marines The 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines (3/9) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I it served until the early 1990s when it was redesignated as 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines (3/4) during a realignment and renu ...

provided security, the base would become permanent at this time as the Marines sought to pacify the area. On 6 July 5 Marine Battalions launched

Operation Macon Operation Macon was a US Marine Corps search and destroy operation in western Quảng Nam Province, lasting from 4 July to 28 October 1966. Prelude Following the conclusion of Operation Georgia on 10 May, the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines#Vietnam Wa ...

around the An Hòa area, the operation continued into October resulting in 24 Marines and 380 VC killed. An Hoa Base, 1968, 5th Marine Regiment

In August 1966 the Marines completed the construction of the MSR (main supply route) between

Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...

and An Hòa, naming it the "Liberty Road". It was decided that a bridge would be built to shorten the route. From April to September 1967

Seabees United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

of Mobile Construction Battalion 4 built a "Liberty bridge" (Tự Do bridge, now the Giao Thủy bridge) over the Thu Bồn river. The airfield was capable of handling C-7,

C-123 The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and then built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Rese ...

and

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desig ...

aircraft. On the night of 21 November 1968, a PAVN/VC battalion attacked the base. Supported by fire from 82mm and 60mm mortars, 57mm recoilless rifles and B-44 rockets, PAVN and VC troops advanced against the base's eastern perimeter. When the attack began at 22:00, Marine tank and artillery crews on the perimeter began direct fire against the advancing PAVN/VC, using Beehive anti-personnel rounds. Amphibian tractors arrived and added the weight of their machine guns to the battle. Combined Action Platoon (CAP) 2-9-1, positioned in the hamlet of Mau Chanh (2), about a kilometer east of the base, lay in the path of the attack. The CAP Marines and their

South Vietnamese Popular Force The South Vietnamese Popular Force ( vi, nghĩa quân, PF) (originally the Self-Defense Corps) was a part-time local militia of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) during the Vietnam War. The South Vietnamese Popular Force mainly protected ...

(PF) counterparts took the PAVN/VC flanks and rear under fire, calling for air and artillery support. At 23:30, the PAVN/VC troops fell on CAP 2-9-1.

AC-47 The Douglas AC-47 Spooky (also nicknamed "Puff, the Magic Dragon") was the first in a series of fixed-wing gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and medi ...

gunships held back the PAVN/VC while a platoon of Marines mounted in amphibian tractors, with tanks and helicopter gunships escorting, attacked east from An Hoa to reinforce the hamlet and bring an ammunition resupply. The battle raged for five hours, during which the Marines threw back four attack waves. At 03:30 the shooting died down. Despite the heavy fighting, friendly casualties numbered only three Marines and a PF with minor wounds. Marine sources listed 21 dead PAVN/VC in the area. Marine PFC

Dan Bullock Dan Bullock (December 21, 1953 – June 7, 1969) was a United States Marine and the youngest U.S. serviceman killed in action during the Vietnam War, dying at the age of 15. Early life and education Bullock was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. ...

, the youngest American serviceman killed in action in the Vietnam War died at An Hòa on 7 June 1969. The

2nd Battalion, 5th Marines 2d Battalion 5th Marines (2/5 or "Two Five") is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and fall under the comm ...

handed over the base to the ARVN 1st Battalion, 51st Regiment on 15 October 1970.

Current use

The base is abandoned and has reverted to jungle. Remains of the runway can still be seen.

References

* {{Marine Corps Military installations of the United States Marine Corps in South Vietnam Installations of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Military installations closed in the 1970s Buildings and structures in Quảng Nam province