The Battle of FSB Mary Ann occurred when Viet Cong sappers attacked the U.S. firebase located in Quang Tin province, South Vietnam early on the morning of 28 March 1971.
Fire support base (FSB) Mary Ann was located to interdict movement of enemy troops and materiel down the K-7 Corridor and Dak Rose Trail (branches of the Ho Chi Minh Trail running from Laos to the coast of South Vietnam). Originally intended to be a temporary base, it evolved into a more permanent location garrisoned by at least one company of U.S. ground forces. The base was manned by 231 American soldiers at the time of the attack.
The firebase was scheduled to be handed over to the South Vietnamese Army when the 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment (1-46th Inf) moved to the north. Twenty-one Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) soldiers from Battery B, 22nd Field Artillery, along with two 105mm howitzers, were on Mary Ann to support ARVN operations to the south.
For months leading up to the attack the level of enemy activity in the area had been low and contacts were infrequent. The lack of significant recent engagements, along with preparations to turn the FSB over to ARVN units, had given the U.S. soldiers in the area a false sense of security. The sapper attack was sharp and very successful, with repercussions up the 23rd Infantry Division's (23rd ID) chain of command.
Read more about Battle Of FSB Mary Ann: Background and Base Construction, Conditions Prior To The Attack, Battle, Controversy and Aftermath, FSB Mary Ann and History of The Vietnam War
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