Mai Loc Camp (also known as Firebase Mai Loc and Firebase Victory) 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 Ca Lu Combat Base (Vietnamese: ''Cà Lu'') was an Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the South Vietnamese military from its ...

and 25 km west of Quảng Trị. The

5th Special Forces Group The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (5th SFG (A)) is one of the most decorated active duty United States Army Special Forces groups in the U.S. armed forces. The 5th SFG (A) saw extensive action in the Vietnam War and played a pivotal role ...

first established the base here in early 1968. The 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division comprising: * 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry * 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry * 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry supported by 2nd Battalion, 319th Artillery was based here in October–November 1969. On 9 April 1970 at 23:00 a

Tripflare A tripflare is a device used by military forces to secure an area and to guard against infiltration. It consists of tripwire around the area, linked to one or more flares. When the tripwire is triggered, as by someone unsuspectingly disturbing it, ...

was activated on the perimeter of the camp alerting the defenders. At 02:35 on 10 April the camp was hit by 75-100 82mm mortar and Rocket-propelled grenade rounds followed by a sapper attack. The Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) forces, their Special Forces advisers and artillerymen with

M42 Duster The M42 40 mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun, or "Duster," is an American armored light air-defense gun built for the United States Army from 1952 until December 1960, in service until 1988. Production of this vehicle was performed by the ...

s defended the camp. The sappers penetrated the perimeter but were unable to reach the inner perimeter and tactical operations center. At 03:40 a unit from the 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) reinforced the camp and helicopter gunships and a

Republic of Vietnam Air Force The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; vi, Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa, KLVNCH; french: Force aérienne vietnamienne, FAVN) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF) was the aer ...

(RVNAF) AC-47 ''Spooky'' gunship provided fire support. The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces withdrew by 04:55 leaving 19 dead; U.S. losses were six killed (including four members of the 14th Engineer Battalion) and 14 CIDG killed. U.S Special Forces left Mai Loc in late August 1970. Other units based at Mai Loc included: * 8th Battalion, 4th Artillery On 2 April 1972 the 147th Marine Brigade abandoned Mai Loc in the face of the PAVN assault on Quảng Trị.

Current use

The base has been turned over to farmland.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Quảng Trị province Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam Installations of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Military installations closed in the 1970s