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Củ Chi Base Camp

(Redirected from Cu Chi Base Camp)

Củ Chi Base Camp (also known as Củ Chi Army Airfield) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base in the Củ Chi District northwest of Saigon in southern Vietnam.

Củ Chi Base Camp
(Củ Chi Army Airfield)
 
Củ Chi District, in Vietnam
A 1970 view of the 25th Infantry Division base camp
Củ Chi Base Camp is located in Vietnam
Củ Chi Base Camp
Củ Chi Base Camp
Shown within Vietnam
Coordinates10°59′15″N 106°30′45″E / 10.98750°N 106.51250°E / 10.98750; 106.51250
TypeArmy Base
Site information
OperatorArmy of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
United States Army (U.S. Army)
People's Army of Vietnam
ConditionAbandoned
Site history
Built1965 (1965)
In use1966-
Battles/wars
Vietnam War
Garrison information
Garrison25th Infantry Division
Airfield information
Elevation39 feet (12 m) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
04/22 2,900 feet (884 m) Asphalt

History

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25th Infantry Division sign, Cu Chi, 1 September 1966

1966–1970

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Củ Chi Base Camp was established in 1966 near Highway 1, 25 km northwest of Tan Son Nhut Air Base and 50 km southeast of Tây Ninh. The camp was located south of the Vietcong stronghold known as the Iron Triangle and was near and in some cases above the Cu Chi Tunnels.[1]

On 23 February 1966, the 168th Engineer Battalion dispatched a platoon from Company C to help build the 25th Infantry Division’s base camp. MACV commander General William Westmoreland counted on the division to fill part of the gap in combat power and guard the approaches to Saigon from this direction. By this time, Westmoreland was convinced that major tactical headquarters and support units needed a full-time home where the individual soldier could train, take care of his equipment, and get some rest and relaxation. The 25th Division under the command of General Frederick C. Weyand made extensive studies before leaving Hawaii. Base development plans were put into final form following an advance party’s reconnaissance. The division’s 65th Engineer Battalion under Lt. Col. Carroll D. Strider assembled precut lumber kits for tents and latrines, which accompanied each unit. Upon arriving at Cu Chi, troops easily assembled the kits. Initial priority went to clearing fields of fire and constructing perimeter bunkers and wire barriers. Building semi-permanent buildings followed. In early April, the 362nd Light Equipment Company arrived to work on the camp’s road net and drainage ditches. Before the end of the month, the division headquarters and medical personnel occupied facilities consisting of shed-type prefabricated buildings.[2]: 142 

The 25th Infantry Division had its headquarters at Củ Chi from January 1966 until February 1970.[3]

Other units stationed at Củ Chi included:

 
O-1 FAC in revetment at Cu Chi, 24 September 1967

From 1967 the 159th Medical Detachment (Helicopter Ambulance) with Bell UH-1D Hueys was deployed here.[5]

The airfield was capable of accommodating de Havilland Canada C-7 Caribou and Fairchild C-123 Provider aircraft.

On 3 January 1969 a Vietcong bomb exploded in a messhall at the camp killing 15 Americans mostly from the 554th Engineer Battalion and two Vietnamese kitchen staff.[6]

On 26 February 1969 PAVN sappers attacked the base destroying 9 Boeing CH-47A Chinook helicopters of the 242nd ASH Company.[7]

1970–1975

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Following the departure of the U.S. forces in 1972, Củ Chi became the base of the ARVN 25th Division.[1]

As the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces closed in on Saigon in late April 1975, the camp was hit by PAVN artillery fire on 28 April and besieged the PAVN. 25th Division commander Major general Lý Tòng Bá ordered his forces to fight in place, but on the morning of 29 April after PAVN tanks broke through the defensive lines, order collapsed and Lý and his remaining forces attempted to flee the base.[8]

Current use

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The base remains in use by the People's Army of Vietnam. The airfield is no longer used but is still visible on satellite images.

References

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  1. ^ a b Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. pp. 5–124. ISBN 978-1555716257.
  2. ^ Trass, Adrian (2010). Engineers At War (PDF). Center of Military History United States Army.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Stanton, Shelby (2003). Vietnam Order of Battle. Stackpole Books. p. 138. ISBN 9780811700719.
  4. ^ "Associated Units | 25th Infantry Division Association". www.25thida.org. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  5. ^ Dunstan, Simon (1988). Vietnam Choppers. Osprey Publishing Ltd. p. 139. ISBN 0-85045-572-3.
  6. ^ "United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Command History 1969 Volume III" (PDF). Headquarters United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. 30 April 1970. p. L-1. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2021.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ^ "26 Feb 1969 Boeing CH-47A Chinook 66-19022". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  8. ^ Peter Arnett (25 May 1975). "Blind panic of South Vietnamese Army in final hours of the war is depicted". The New York Times.
 
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