Firebase Gela Explained

Firebase Gela
Type:U.S. Army
Built:1969
Used:1969
Condition:abandoned
Occupants:1st Infantry Division
Battles:
Vietnam War

Firebase Gela (also known as FSB Ge La) was a U.S. Army firebase located northwest of Lai Khê and southeast of Dầu Tiếng District in southern Vietnam.

History

Gela was constructed in 1969 by the 1st Infantry Division approximately 17 km northwest of Lai Khê.[1]

The base was assaulted by units of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 7th Infantry Division on the morning of 13 May 1969, the assault was repulsed for the loss of three U.S. and an estimated 39 PAVN soldiers killed.[1]

On 14 September 1969 a shaped charge on the base perimeter accidentally discharged killing eight U.S. soldiers.[2]

Units based at Gela included:

Current use

The base has reverted to jungle.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Kelley, Michael. Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. 2002. 978-1555716257. 195.
  2. News: 'Did they survive?': children of the Vietnam war, 50 years on. The Guardian. 28 February 2015 . 8 December 2016 . Hodal . Kate .