Dak Pek Camp (also known as Dak Pek Special Forces Camp) 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 northwest of

Kon Tum Kon Tum is the capital city of Kon Tum Province in Vietnam. It is located inland in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, near the borders of Laos and Cambodia. Historically, this area has been inhabited by the indigenous Ba Na people, whic ...

in the Central Highlands of

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

The

5th Special Forces Group The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (5th SFG (A), 5th Group) is one of the most decorated active duty United States Army Special Forces groups. The 5th SFG (A) saw extensive action in the Vietnam War and played a pivotal role in the early mo ...

first established a base at here in December 1962 to monitor communist infiltration along the

Ho Chi Minh Trail The Ho Chi Minh Trail (), also called Annamite Range Trail () was a Military logistics, logistical network of roads and trails that ran from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through the kingdoms of Kingdom of Laos, Laos and Cambodia (1953–1970), ...

. The base was located 14 km from the Laos border, 40 km south of Khâm Đức and approximately 85 km northwest of Kon Tum. 5th Special Forces Detachment A-749 was based here in October 1963, Detachment A-5 was based here in December 1964, Detachment A-211 was based here in 1965 and Detachment A-242 from October 1966. The base was also used as a launch site for MACV-SOG operations into Laos. On 29 May 1968 a

de Havilland Canada C-7B 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 STOL, short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1 ...

#62-4189 was hit by mortar fire as it landed at Dak Pek causing the right wing to separate, there were no casualties. On 12 April 1970 a

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) force estimated at two battalions attacked the camp. Sappers attacked many of the bunkers and the defenders were forced back to a small fighting position before air support forced the PAVN back. The siege of Dak Pek last until early May when the PAVN withdrew. Total losses were 34 CIDG and 420 PAVN killed. The PAVN simultaneously attacked the nearby

Dak Seang Camp Dak Seang Camp (also known as Dak Seang Special Forces Camp) is a former US Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base northwest of Kon Tum in the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands of Vietnam. History The 5th Special Force ...

. Other units based at Dak Pek included: * 6th Battalion, 29th Artillery * 57th Assault Helicopter Company ( Bell AH-1G HueyCobra) * 1st Battalion, 92nd Artillery The base was transferred to 88th Border Rangers on 30 November 1970. In April 1972

Fairchild AC-119 The Fairchild AC-119G Shadow and AC-119K Stinger were twin-engine piston-powered gunships developed by the United States during the Vietnam War. They replaced the Douglas AC-47 Spooky and operated alongside the early versions of the AC-130 Sp ...

AC-119K Stinger gunships killed 98 PAVN around Dak Pek.

Current use

The base has been turned over to forestry and housing and sits adjacent to the

Ho Chi Minh Highway Ho Chi Minh Road or Ho Chi Minh Highway () 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 roughly coincides with the Ho Chi Minh t ...

References

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External links

*http://www.bietdongquan.com/article1/rgr88.htm Account of history of Dak Pek post 1970 Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam Installations of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Buildings and structures in Kon Tum province