Fire support base
Encyclopedia
A fire support base is a military
encampment designed to provide indirect fire
artillery
fire support
to infantry
operating in areas beyond the normal range of direct fire support from their own base camps.
of engineers
permanently on station, a Landing Zone
(LZ
), a Tactical Operations Center
(TOC
), an aid station
staffed with medics
, a communications bunker
, and a company
of infantry
. Large FSBs might also have two artillery batteries, and an infantry battalion
.
Firebase Bastogne
was a United States firebase constructed in Vietnam in 1968, by the 101st Airborne Division
.
since the action by U.S.-led Coalition forces
began in 2001. These bases provide fire support to Coalition forces in the search for Taliban fighters along the Pakistan
border.
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
encampment designed to provide indirect fire
Indirect fire
Indirect fire means aiming and firing a projectile in a high trajectory without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire...
artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
fire support
Fire support
Fire support is long-range firepower provided to a front-line military unit. Typically, fire support is provided by artillery or close air support , and is used to shape the battlefield or, more optimistically, define the battle...
to infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
operating in areas beyond the normal range of direct fire support from their own base camps.
Components during Vietnam War
An FSB was normally a permanent encampment, though many were dismantled when the units that they supported moved. Their main components varied by size: small bases usually had a battery of six 105 millimeter or 155mm howitzers, a platoonPlatoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
of engineers
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
permanently on station, a Landing Zone
Landing Zone
A Landing Zone or "LZ" is a military term for any area where an aircraft can land.In the United States military, a landing zone is the actual point where aircraft land...
(LZ
Landing Zone
A Landing Zone or "LZ" is a military term for any area where an aircraft can land.In the United States military, a landing zone is the actual point where aircraft land...
), a Tactical Operations Center
Tactical Operations Center
A tactical operations center is a command post for police, paramilitary, or military operations. A TOC usually includes a small group of specially trained officers or military personnel who guide members of an active tactical element during a mission....
(TOC
Tactical Operations Center
A tactical operations center is a command post for police, paramilitary, or military operations. A TOC usually includes a small group of specially trained officers or military personnel who guide members of an active tactical element during a mission....
), an aid station
Battlefield medicine
Battlefield medicine, also called field surgery and later combat casualty care, is the treatment of wounded soldiers in or near an area of combat. Civilian medicine has been greatly advanced by procedures that were first developed to treat the wounds inflicted during combat...
staffed with medics
Combat medic
Combat medics are trained military personnel who are responsible for providing first aid and frontline trauma care on the battlefield. They are also responsible for providing continuing medical care in the absence of a readily available physician, including care for disease and battle injury...
, a communications bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
, and a company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
of infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
. Large FSBs might also have two artillery batteries, and an infantry battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
.
Firebase Bastogne
Firebase Bastogne
Firebase Bastogne was a United States firebase in South Vietnam, at . It was located along Highway 547 halfway between the city of Huế and the A Shau Valley, a feeder route from the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Bastogne was constructed in 1968 by the 101st Airborne Division...
was a United States firebase constructed in Vietnam in 1968, by the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
.
Use in Afghanistan
Firebases have been set up in AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
since the action by U.S.-led Coalition forces
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
began in 2001. These bases provide fire support to Coalition forces in the search for Taliban fighters along the Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
border.
- Kunar ProvinceKunar ProvinceKunar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. It is one of the four "N2KL" provinces...
- Firebase PhoenixFirebase PhoenixFirebase Phoenix is a small American firebase in the Korengal valley in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.The valley is very close to the Pakistani border, north of the Khyber Pass, east of Tora Bora....
- Firebase Phoenix
- Helmand ProvinceHelmand ProvinceHelmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
- Fiddler's GreenFiddler's Green (FOB)Fiddler's Green is an expeditionary fire base in Afghanistan built by the United States Marine Corps. It is located off Route 605 in Nawa-I-Barakzayi District of Helmand Province...
- Fiddler's Green
External links
- The Gunpit - Basic Layout
- The 2001 version of Vietnam LZs, FBs, FSBs and Camps
- Vietnam Studies: Field Artillery 1954-1973 - Chapter 3 deals with the FSB concept from the field artillery viewpoint