Landing Zone Peanuts

Landing Zone Peanuts is a former U.S. Army base in northwest Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam.

Landing Zone Peanuts
Coordinates	16.6318°N 106.6925°E
Type	Army
Site information
Condition	abandoned
Site history
Built	1968
In use	1968
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Garrison information
Occupants	1st Cavalry Division

History

The base was located approximately 5 km southwest of Khe Sanh Combat Base and 4 km north of Lang Vei.[1] It was originally established by the 1st Cavalry Division during Operation Pegasus, the relief of Khe Sanh.

Companies A and B, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment and Company A, 1st Battalion, 77th Artillery Regiment were located at the base in early May 1968. On 4 May the base came under 120mm mortar and 122mm rocket fire. At approximately 16:30 3 122mm rockets impacted among approximately 2000 rounds of 105m ammunition that had been delivered just prior to the attack. The resultant fire and explosions, coupled with a direct hit on a 105mm gun section rendered 1 gun inoperational while the other two guns continued to function despite ammunition Cooking off. In the early morning of 5 May 1968 the base again received incoming 120mm mortar rounds and B-40 rockets followed by a sapper attack. The attack was repelled with thirty-two People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) soldiers killed inside the defensive wire. Due to its losses in both equipment and personnel, later on 5 May Company A 1/77th was extracted and repositioned at LZ Jane.[2] Eleven US soldiers were killed in the 5 May attack.

References

1. Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. p. 5–387. ISBN 978-1555716257.
2. "Operational Report - Lessons Learned, Headquarters, 1st Air Cavalry Division Artillery, Period Ending 31 July 1968" (PDF). Department of the Army. 5 November 1968. p. 5. Retrieved 21 November 2018.