Quản Lợi Base Camp (also known as LZ Andy or Rocket City) is a former U.S. Army and
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...
(ARVN) base east of
An Lộc,
Binh Phuoc Province, in southern
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
.
History
1967-71
The base appears to have been initially used to support
Operation Junction City in February–May 1967.
The base was established in 1967 on the site of a former French rubber plantation and was located approximately 6 km east of An Lộc in
Bình Long Province.
The
1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division comprising:
*
1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment
*
1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment[
* 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment][
was based at Quản Lợi from March 1968 until August 1969.
The 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry was based at Quản Lợi in April 1969.][
In July 1969 the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment moved to Quản Lợi and would remain here until September 1969. The regiment would be based here again from December 1969 to July 1970, during which time it participated in the Cambodian Incursion.][
In February 1970 the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division comprising:
* 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry][
* 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry][
* 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry][
* 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry][
* 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry][
moved to Quản Lợi and would stay here until August 1970. The 3rd Brigade would participate in the Cambodian Incursion.
Other units stationed at Quản Lợi included:
* Battery F, 16th Artillery (October 1969-January 1970)][
* 1st Battalion, 21st Artillery (1967-1968)][
* 6th Battalion, 27th Artillery (January 1968-March 1970)][
* 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry
]
1972-5
The ARVN took over the base and at the start of the Battle of An Lộc
The Battle of An Lộc was a major battle of the Vietnam War that lasted for 66 days and culminated in a victory for South Vietnam. The struggle for An Lộc, Bình Phước, An Lộc in 1972 was an important battle of the war, as South Vietname ...
in April 1972 it was defended by a battalion of the 7th Regiment, 5th Division[ A combined 105mm and 155mm artillery battery was also based at Quản Lợi.][ On the evening of 7 April elements of the ]People's Army of Vietnam
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...
(PAVN/VC) 9th Division overran Quản Lợi, the 7th Regiment was ordered to destroy their heavy equipment and fall back to An Lộc.[ Once captured the PAVN/VC used Quản Lợi as a staging base for units coming in from Cambodia to join the siege of An Lộc][ and key members of COSVN were based there to oversee the battle.][
On 8 August the ARVN 18th Division launched an assault to retake Quản Lợi but were stopped by the PAVN/VC in the base's reinforced concrete bunkers. A further attack was launched on 9 August with limited gains and attacks on the base continued for the next 2 weeks eventually gaining one third of the base.][ The ARVN finally attacked the PAVN/VC occupied bunkers with TOW missiles and M-202 rockets and this broke the PAVN/VC defense forcing the remaining defenders to flee the base.][
]
Current use
The base is largely overgrown but a small area appears to remain in use by the PAVN.
In November 2022 Bình Phước Province announced plans to redevelop the Quản Lợi military airport into a 350-hectare special-purpose airport.
References
External links
6/27th Artillery homepageModern photos and video of the area
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quan Loi Base Camp
Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam
Installations of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Military installations closed in the 1970s
Buildings and structures in Bình Phước province