Firebase Thunder III was a U.S. Army firebase located south of An Lộc, Binh Phuoc Province, in southern Vietnam.

History

Thunder III was located along Route 13 (known as Thunder Road by U.S. forces) approximately 23 km south of An Lộc and 28 km north of

Lai Khê Lai Khê (Lai Khê hamlet, Lai Hưng commune, Bến Cát, Bình Dương Province) (also known as Lai Khê Base) was a former Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and U.S. Army base, located along Highway 13 to the northwest of Saigon and abou ...

. The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Mechanized Infantry was based at Thunder III. On 11 January 1969 a convoy of vehicles from the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment was ambushed on Route 13 near Thunder III. First Lieutenant Harold A. Fritz was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the engagement. On 22 August 1969, a Boeing CH-47C Chinook medium-lift helicopter, #68-15824, crashed 8 km east of Thunder III with six fatalities. F battery 16th arty was there in November 1969 Thunder III was assaulted by

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the ...

(PAVN) sappers under cover of mortar fire on the early morning of 5 November 1969. Units based at Thunder III included: * 2nd Battalion, 12th Artillery * 3rd Battalion, 197th Artillery * B Company and elements of C Company, 554th Engineer Battalion

References

{{Reflist Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam Buildings and structures in Bình Phước province