Firebase 6

Firebase 6 (also known as Hill 1001) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base southwest of Đắk Tô in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

Firebase 6
Firebase 6
Coordinates14.629°N 107.72°E / 14.629; 107.72 (Firebase 6)
TypeArmy
Site information
Conditionabandoned
Site history
Built1967
In use1967–73
Battles/wars
Vietnam War

History

The base was originally established in November 1967 during the Battle of Dak To by the 6th Battalion, 29th Artillery. The base is located approximately 8 km southwest of Đắk Tô, east of the Plei Trap Valley along a mountain ridge that runs approximately north-south towards Kontum, during the war this was nicknamed Rocket Ridge.[1]

The 1st Battalion. 92nd Artillery was also located here.[1]

The base was handed over the ARVN 42nd Regiment in late 1970.[1]

The base was attacked by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 66th Regiment on 31 March 1971, the PAVN overran the base, but were pushed out eight days later. Lieutenant Brian Thacker team leader of an Integrated Observation System would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.[2]

At the start of the Easter Offensive in 1972 the base was defended by a company of the ARVN 72nd Rangers and a platoon from the 42nd Regiment.[3] On 25 April 1972 during the Battle of Kontum after the PAVN had overrun the ARVN bases at Tân Cảnh and Đắk Tô, Firebases 5 and 6 along Rocket Ridge were abandoned.[4]

Current use

The base is abandoned and has reverted to jungle.

References
  1. Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. pp. 5–17. ISBN 978-1555716257.
  2. "MSG James Salley". Virtualwall.org. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  3. McKenna, Thomas (2011). Kontum: The Battle to Save South Vietnam. University Press of Kentucky. p. 114. ISBN 9780813134017.
  4. "U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Command History 1972, Annex K. Kontum, 1973. MACV" (PDF). p. K-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
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