A Lưới Camp (also known as A Lưới Special Forces Camp, LZ Stallion or Ta Bat Airfield) is a former U.S. Army and
Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base in the
A Sầu Valley
The A Shau Valley (Vietnamese: ''thung lũng A Sầu'') is a valley in Vietnam's Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, west of the coastal city of Huế, along the border of Laos. The valley runs north and south for 40 kilometers and is a 1.5-kilometer- ...
southwest of
Huế
Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...
in the
Central Highlands of
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
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 a base here in 1962 to monitor communist infiltration into the A Sầu Valley. The base was located along
Route 548, 40 km southwest of Huế.
The base was abandoned in 1966 due to increased pressure from the
People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces and the A Sầu Valley became a major PAVN base area supporting operations throughout the Central Highlands.
In April 1968 during
Operation Delaware
Operation Delaware/Operation Lam Son 216 was a joint military operation launched during the Vietnam War. It began on 19 April 1968, with troops from the United States and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) moving into the A Sầu Valley. ...
the
1st Cavalry Division briefly reoccupied A Lưới.
[ The 8th Engineer Battalion rebuilt the airfield to handle ]Fairchild C-123 Provider
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 Re ...
and Lockheed C-130 Hercules
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 26 April 1968 C-130B
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 desi ...
#60-0298 was hit by enemy fire while on approach to the camp airfield, the aircraft crashed and burnt on the airfield, the remains of 5 of the 8 crewmen were recovered
In August 1968 the 101st Airborne Division briefly reoccupied A Lưới during Operation Somerset Plain
Operation Somerset Plain was a joint military operation conducted by the United States and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in the A Sầu Valley from 4–20 August 1968.
Background
The A Sầu Valley was a vital corridor for moving mi ...
.[
]
Current use
The base has been turned over to housing/farmland and sits adjacent to the Ho Chi Minh Highway
Ho Chi Minh Road or Ho Chi Minh Highway ( vi, Đường Hồ Chí Minh, links=no) is a highway in Vietnam. It runs from the north to the south of Vietnam, west of National Route 1. The highway was named after Hồ Chí Minh.
History
The route ro ...
.
References
External links
Photos and video of the area in October 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:A Luoi Camp
Installations of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam
Buildings and structures in Thừa Thiên Huế province