Landing Zone Kate (also known as Firebase Kate, LZ Kate or Firebase White) is a former U.S. Army base northwest of
Quang Duc Province in southern
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 ...
near the Cambodian border.
History
The base was defended by men from
5th Special Forces Detachments A-233 and A-236 and their
Montagnard forces and elements of the
5th Battalion, 22nd Artillery and
1st Battalion, 92nd Artillery when it was subjected to a siege by the
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) 66th Regiment from 27 October to 1 November 1969. On the morning of 30 October a PAVN force attacked the base but was beaten back with artillery and air support. A
Bell UH-1B Iroquois helicopter gunship #63-08587 was shot down with the loss of four U.S. killed. By 31 October two of the three artillery pieces at the base had been disabled and the artillerymen were fighting as infantry and 1LT Ronald A Ross of 5/22 Artillery was killed by a
B-40 rocket. The base was abandoned on the night of 1 November and the US and Montagnard forces evacuated towards the nearby
Bu Prang Camp. PFC Michael Norton disappeared during the escape and evasion and was listed as missing in action.
The base was bombed on 2 November to destroy any materiel that had been left behind.
Current use
The base has reverted to jungle.
See also
*
Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam's Firebase Kate
References
External linksEscape from Fire Base Kate, a 2015 documentary
Landing Zone Kate
Buildings and structures in Dak Nong province
Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam
History of Đắk Nông province
{{Vietnam-war-stub