FSB King
| Occupancy | Element | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 20 May 1971 – 1 Jun 1971 YS 898 858 |
D Co, 2/8 Cavconfirmed | Firebase gazetteer (refs 377, 394) + Jim Garvin photo deck (v06_fanning) King mounted three 105mm howitzers (half of Fanning's six). Garvin's frames show a resupply ("log") staged before going out to the company, a Sky Crane working the base, and the battalion commander, Col. Bacon, talking with Lt. Guidara on the firebase. |
Overview
FSB King was a 1st Cavalry Division fire support base in the Long Khanh / Binh Tuy area (Military Region 3, III Corps), held by D Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry in late spring 1971. It was split off from FSB Fanning on or about 24 May 1971: the battalion divided Fanning into two firebases of three 105mm howitzers each, and King took the unusual shape seen in Jim Garvin's aerial -- adopted, with the reduced strength, in the hope it would be easier to defend. The jungle sat uncomfortably close to the wire. The firebase gazetteer logs 2/8 Cav at King from 20 May to 1 June 1971 (battalion-level), and McGrew's field calendar records the base being dismantled at the start of June — a short-lived position. Garvin's Range Platoon photos are dated 24 May; the 20 May battalion start likely reflects an earlier platoon, with Range arriving a few days later.
A newspaper clipping in Garvin's collection gives King its reason for being: it was built as the fire-support base for Operation Thunder — a combined 2/8 Cav / Binh Tuy Regional Forces raid on the Nui Be Mountains (the MR-7 Rear Service Group), roughly 20–28 May 1971. D Company staged from Ham Tan airfield and air-assaulted into the mountains under King's guns, returning on 28 May; King was torn down on 1 June once the operation closed. King's whole short life maps onto Thunder.
What the deck shows
- The firebase -- an aerial showing King's distinctive shape and only three gun-position rings.
- Logistics -- a typical resupply "log" staged at King before going out to the company: boxes of rations, green bags of clothes, red bags of mail.
- People -- Ray Graham (heading to the field, rucksack beside the ration boxes) and Lt. Guidara at the log; and the battalion commander, Col. Bacon, in conversation with Lt. Guidara on the base.
- Air lift -- a Sky Crane working the base.
Sources
| Claim | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinate YS898858 (10.7187, 107.6456) | Firebase gazetteer, refs 377/394 | confirmed |
| 2/8 Cav at King 20 May – 1 Jun 71 (dismantled 1 Jun) | Firebase gazetteer + McGrew field calendar | confirmed |
| King split off from Fanning, three 105mm each | Garvin deck (v06_fanning), slide 9 caption | high |
| Photos dated 24 May 1971 | Garvin deck slide datelines (slides 9-12) | high |
| Col. Bacon present / battalion commander | Garvin deck slide 12 caption | confirmed (photo) |
Open Questions
- [~] Confirm "Col. Bacon" against the roster (
bacon-wg) and the late-1970 "Chuck Chuck" commander question. Corroborated: the Operation Thunder clipping (datelined King, late May 1971) independently names 2/8 Cav's commander as Bacon — printed "Willis Bacon," a likely reporter's error for William / W.G. "Gary" Bacon. - [ ] Identify the unnamed center figure ("Top Miller ?") in the slide-10 log photo.
Today: Near FSB Fanning, off which it was split.
FSB King was split off from FSB Fanning in late May 1971 (the battalion divided Fanning into two firebases of three 105mm howitzers each). The firebase gazetteer (refs 377/394) logs 2/8 Cav at King 20 May - 1 Jun 71 (a battalion-level window); McGrew's field calendar records Range Platoon's move to King on 28 May and the dismantling of King at the start of June ("Dismantled FSB King," dated 1 Jun 71 by the gazetteer's end date). Garvin's King photos are dated 24 May 1971. The 20 May battalion start need not mark Range Platoon's arrival: another platoon could have held King from 20 May while Range did not reach it until ~24 May (Garvin's photo date) -- platoons moved on their own schedules within the battalion window. The base took an unusual shape to ease defense given the reduced strength, the jungle close to the wire.
