LZ Lou
Overview
LZ Lou (also recorded as FB Lou in the firebase gazetteer) was the battalion command post and artillery firebase for 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry during the opening phase of the 3d Brigade Reconnaissance in Force into the Song Re Valley (1–19 August 1967). It sits at grid BS400425 (14.8472°N, 108.5792°E) in Quang Ngai Province, I Corps — approximately 7 km east-northeast of LZ Tom in the upper Song Re corridor.
On 9 August 1967, B Company air assaulted into LZ Lou at 0737 hours to secure it as the battalion command post and firebase. C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 19th Artillery (105mm, Towed) — designated C/2/19th (Abn) Arty — was operational on the position by approximately 0900 hours. With that artillery cover in place, A Company conducted its own combat assault into LZ Pat (BS330477, Hill 450) at 0935 hours under C Battery's preparatory fires. That assault met immediate and heavy contact from an estimated two to three NVA companies — 11 KIA, 27 WIA, three aircraft shot down — and required 46 TAC AIR sorties before the position was secured.
The firebase remained active after the initial assault. Gazetteer ref 270 records 2/B/29th Artillery at nearby BS395424 on 12 August, and D/2/17th Artillery at BS395425 on 15 August, showing artillery presence in the Lou area for at least a week. Redeployment from the Song Re was initiated on 18 August; by that date, D Company was being extracted from LZ Tom (BS347482) to the southwest.
Location
The gazetteer fixes the primary C Battery position at BS400425 (14.8472°N, 108.5792°E). The 12–15 Aug entries cluster at BS395424 and BS395425, roughly 500 meters to the west-southwest — likely reflecting different battery positions or a minor firebase displacement over the course of the operation.
LZ Lou lies approximately 7 km east-northeast of LZ Tom (BS347482) and about 8 km east of LZ Pat (BS330477). All three sit within the ref 179 / ref 270 cluster of Song Re Valley positions from this operation.
Sources
| Claim | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| FB Lou BS400425 (14.8472, 108.5792), C/2/19th (Abn) Arty (105mm)(T) 9Aug67 | Firebase gazetteer ref 179 | confirmed |
| FB Lou BS395424, 2/B/29th Arty (SLT) 12Aug67 | Firebase gazetteer ref 270 | confirmed |
| FB Lou BS395425, D/2/17th Arty (105mm)(T) 15Aug67 | Firebase gazetteer ref 270 | confirmed |
| LZ Lou BS401422, 1st ACD (no date) | Firebase gazetteer | confirmed (general record) |
| B Co air assaulted LZ Lou 0737H; secured as bn CP + C Bty firebase; C Bty operational ~0900H | B Co memoir, eagerarms.com | confirmed |
| A Co assaulted LZ Pat 0935H under C Bty arty prep — heavy contact, 46 TAC AIR sorties | B Co memoir + 1st Cav ORLL AD0387543 | confirmed |
| Redeployment from Song Re initiated 18 Aug | 1st Cav ORLL AD0387543 | confirmed (primary) |
Open questions
- [ ] Confirm namesake of "Lou" designation.
- [ ] Determine whether LZ Lou had any infrastructure beyond the artillery firebase, or was strictly a tactical firebase.
- [ ] Cross-check other batteries recorded at ref 270 to clarify whether the 12–15 Aug positions represent a firebase displacement or separate battery positions.
- [ ] Confirm the date LZ Lou was vacated before redeployment.
Today: Song Re Valley, roughly 40 km west of Quang Ngai city. Approximately 7 km east-northeast of LZ Tom (BS347482) in the upper Song Re corridor.
Gazetteer ref 179 records C/2/19th (Abn) Arty at BS400425 on 9Aug67 — the day B Company air assaulted into LZ Lou to establish the battalion CP and firebase. Ref 270 records continued artillery use at nearby grids on 12Aug67 (BS395424, 2/B/29th Arty) and 15Aug67 (BS395425, D/2/17th Arty), indicating the firebase remained active for at least a week. Redeployment from the Song Re was initiated 18 Aug; the firebase was almost certainly vacated before then.