Phu Loi: Orange 79000, White 83430, Blue 00000, Total 162,430
Phu Loi Army Airfield, Vietnam
1st Infantry Division Aviation
1st Infantry Division Cavalry Squadron.
Home to several units, Phu Loi Army Airfield, was located west of Ben Hoa.
near the small native village about 25 miles north of Saigon.
Phu Loi airfield was a Japanese air base during WW2. Phu Loi Air Field was actually
built using POW labor, during WWII. The Japanese had American POWS cut out the
jungle and level that area, for their fighter planes to use.
PHU LOI Political Prisoner Camp, under President NGO DINH DIEM
In 1945 there was a prison at Phu Loi, housing political prisoners who supported
Ho Chi Minh.
In 1958 Phu Loi was a concentration camp under Diem. Prisoners were massacred here.
Phu Loi had a 1 mile defensive perimeter. Was triangular shaped with an artillery unit in each corner.
Located approximately 30 kilometers northeast of Saigon, along National Route 13, Phu Loi was headquarters for the Big Red One’s Division Artillery, its armored cavalry unit (1st Sq./4th Cavalry), and other key division units.
Phu Loi had been the scene of fierce fighting during the 1968 Tet offensive. Major units of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) troops had used the area around Phu Loi for pre-Tet staging and as a jumping-off point for their attacks on Saigon and surrounding U.S. and South Vietnamese installations
A display of the fall of Saigon, displays was a map showing the battle plan for taking the city. One of the northern thrusts was begun through Phu Loi
USE OF HERBICIDE AGENTS IN VIETNAM from Aug. 1965 onward. The following totals
represent the USAF Ranch Hand spraying, ONLY. They do not include the US Army
helicopter or ground applications, or any form of the insecticide programs by
GVN or the US Military. Areas specified below are either cities or US military
bases: and the gallonage represents sprays within 8 km of the specified area.
(Thus, each area is a 9.6 mile diameter.)
Phu Loi: Orange 79000, White 83430, Blue 00000, Total 162,430
Phu Loi was home to the following units, please note this is not a complete listing.
Some of these units were support to Phu Loi, and may have been head quartered else where.
Research in progress for specific command and major unit of assignment.
1st SQUADRON, 4th CAVALRY
After Action Report
- An My - 12 February 68
D Troop 1/4 Cav.
March 9, 1968
The following is an edited version of an article titled "Gunships Kill Over 200 VC"
dated 9 Mar 1968. Troop-carrying Slicks and gunships of the 173rd AHC and troops
of the 1st Inf Div killed over 200 VC in seven hours of fighting during recent VC
attacks near Phu Loi. Called upon to bring reinforcements to a unit engaged in
heavy contact, the Robin Hoods, troop-carrying helicopters, picked up members of
the 1st Div. and commenced what was to be a very short combat assault. The LZ,
under intense rocket, machine gun and small arms fire, was only 1,100 yards from
the end of Phu Loi's runway. The VC were dug in for a long siege of fighting.
The Robin Hoods, rapidly picked their way through the hail of fire and dropped
load after load of infantrymen into the battle zone. The foot soldiers and
their supporting tanks fought their way across the large field in the VC
replacements. After seven hours, more than 200 enemy bodies were counted.
The source for this information was 6803AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines
May 5-6, 1968
The II Field Force Vietnam quarterly ORLL reported that B/1/4 Cav of the 3d Bde,
1st Inf Div while conducting reconnaissance in force operations six kms SW of
Phu Loi, contacted an unknown size enemy force. A/1/4th Cav reinforced and
light fire teams of A/7/1st Air Cav supported. Enemy losses were 137 killed
(66 credited to A/7/1st Air Cav). Friendly losses were 19 wounded. The following
day, elements of the 1/4th Cav supported by artillery, airstrikes, light fire
teams and AC47 (Spooky) continued to attack the enemy SW of Phu Loi, killing
303 while suffering four US killed .
The source for this information was II Field Force Vietnam quarterly ORLL period ending 31 July 1968 from Walker Jones P:25
The airfield and compound were turned over the the ARVN's. Sometime in 1975 the area was stripped of the usefully building materials, basically wiped out. The latest information I have received the compound are gone, no longer exist.
Here are some additional links with information about Phu Loi, Vietnam.
http://www.theboxcar.org/phuloi/
http://www.atroop4thcav.com/4th_cavalry_150.htm
|
Please send any stuff you might have about Phu Loi Airfield to E-mail Webweaver |
Created with the CoffeeCup HTML Editor
RETURN TO: 1st Aviation Battalion(NEW Location)