Thường Ðức Camp (also known as Thường Ðức 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 southwest of

Da Nang Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important p ...

in Quảng Nam Province, central

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 Detachment A-109 first established a base here in March 1966 to monitor communist infiltration into the Da Nang vital area. The base was located near Route 14 approximately 40 km southwest of Da Nang. On 28 September 1968 the PAVN attacked and temporarily overran the base. In response the U.S. Marines launched

Operation Maui Peak Operation Maui Peak was a US Marine Corps operation that took place near the Thường Ðức Camp southwest of Danang, during the Vietnam War. It lasted from 1 to 19 October 1968. Background In late September 1968 1st Marine Division intelli ...

from 6 to 19 October to relieve the siege. The forces involved included the

1st Battalion, 1st Marines 1st Battalion, 1st Marines (1/1) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Pendleton, California, consisting of anywhere from 800 to 2,000 Marines and Sailors, but the number fluctuates depending on the battali ...

2nd Battalion, 5th Marines 2nd 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 com ...

3rd Battalion, 5th Marines 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5, nicknamed Dark Horse) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps. The battalion is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and consists of approximately 1,000 Marines and Fleet Marine ...

2nd Battalion, 7th Marines The 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines (2/7) is a light 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 and sailors. The battali ...

and

3rd Battalion, 7th Marines The 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment (3/7, V37) 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 fa ...

and resulted in an estimated 353 PAVN killed for the loss of 28 Marines. On 19 October 1970 the PAVN/VC attacked Thường Ðức but were repelled by ARVN forces with artillery, helicopter gunship and air support. The PAVN/VC withdrew after two days losing 163 killed and 20 captured. In July 1974 Thường Ðức was attacked again by a Regiment of the PAVN 324th Division starting the Battle of Thượng Đức (1974). At the conclusion of the battle in November 1974 the PAVN occupied Thường Ðức.

Current use

The base is now partly a cemetery while the remainder has returned to jungle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thuong Duc Camp Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam Installations of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Military installations closed in the 1970s Buildings and structures in Quảng Nam province