Đức Phổ Base Camp (also known as Đức Phổ Airfield, LZ Bronco, LZ Montezuma and Núi Đàng) is a former U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army base in the Đức Phổ District, Quảng Ngãi Province

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 it ...

History

1966-71

The base was located along

Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered ...

approximately midway between

Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is o ...

and

Qui Nhơn Quy Nhon ( vi, Quy Nhơn ) is a coastal city in Bình Định province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of . Quy Nhon is the capital of Bình Định province. As of 2019 its population was 457,400. H ...

. LZ Montezuma was originally established by the U.S Marine Corps' Task Force X-Ray and the

2nd Battalion 5th Marines 2d Battalion 5th Marines (2/5 or "Two Five") is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and fall under the comm ...

and

3rd Battalion 7th Marines The 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment (3/7) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms and consist of approximately 800 Marines. The battalion falls ...

were based here until 1 April 1967 when they were replaced by the 1st Cavalry Division in

Operation Lejeune Operation Lejeune was an operation conducted by the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division in Đức Phổ District, Quảng Ngãi Province, lasting from 7 to 22 April 1967. Background The south of Quảng Ngãi Province formed the boundary between ...

. The 1st Cavalry Division built a runway capable of landing

de Havilland Canada C-7 Caribou The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (designated by the United States military as the CV-2 and later C-7 Caribou) is a Canadian specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1958 ...

aircraft at the base in early April. At the end of April the 1st Cavalry Division handed over the base to 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division comprising: * 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry * 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry *

2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry The 35th Infantry Regiment ("Cacti") was created on 1 July 1916 at Douglas, Arizona from elements of the 11th, 18th and 22nd Infantry Regiments. The 35th served on the Mexico–US border during the First World War and was stationed at Nogale ...

On 1 August 1967 the 3rd Brigade became part of the 4th Infantry Division, while the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade at

Dầu Tiếng Base Camp Dầu Tiếng Base Camp (also known as LZ Dầu Tiếng or Camp Rainier) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base in the Dầu Tiếng District in Bình Dương Province in southern Vietnam. History The base was ...

became part of the 25th Infantry Division. Đức Phổ served as the base for the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operat ...

from June–November 1967. Other units stationed at Đức Phổ included: * 2nd Battalion, 11th Artillery (April 1967-January 1968) * 6th Battalion, 11th Artillery (December 1967-September 1971) * 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry (December 1967-June 1971) * 198th Light Infantry Brigade (October–November 1967) On 3 August 1967 a C-7 Caribou (#62-4161) on approach to Đức Phổ was hit by an outgoing 155mm shell which severed its tail section causing the aircraft to crash killing all 3 crewmen. The falling C-7 was photographed by Hiromichi Mine just before impact.

Current use

The base is abandoned and turned over to farmland, light industry and housing.

References

Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam Military installations closed in the 1970s Military installations of the United States Marine Corps in South Vietnam Buildings and structures in Quảng Ngãi province {{QuangNgai-geo-stub