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Highway
13 ran from Saigon north through Lai Khe, to An Loc and Loc Ninh and into
Cambodia. North of Lai Khe the highway was the location of numerous ambushes
of troops and convoys, and became known as Thunder Road. The clearing of the
jungle from each side of the highway, and numerous fire support nases and
night defense positives along Thunder Road reduced the attacks on US and Vietnamese
troops.
The
highway from Lai Khe to Phuoc Vinh is shown as LTL1A on the maps. LTL1A ran
from Lai Khe to Phuoc Vinh, a primary base camp of the 1st Air Cavalry Division.
The highway from Lai Khe to river crossing shown in the pictures below was
patrolled by units of the 1st Infantry Division. These units were stationed
at FSB Jim and NDP Bandit Hill, and the patrolling included daily sweeping
of the road with mine detectors. Convoys of tankers hauling aviation and diesel
fuel and other supplies were escorted from Lai Khe to Phuoc Vinh several times
a week.
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Highway
13 just south of the base camp. at Lai Khe, in late 1968.
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Paving
highway 13. In 1969, the highway up to Lai Khe was paved. This made it diffult
to plant mines in the road without vidual detection.
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Hardwood
trees collected from the jungle along Highway 13, in the vicinity of FSB Thunder
3.
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A
bus which traveled from An Loc south through Ben Cat to Saigon.
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US
made trucks supplied to the Vietnamese in US aid programs. This truck was
used to haul supplies to Vietnamese towns along Highway 13.
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A
school and church in one of the small villages along Highway 13 near An Loc.
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Ox
cart transportation along Highway 13.
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One
of several villages along Highway 13 between Lai Khe and An Loc.
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Bus
stop at one of the villages along Highway 13.
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FSB
Jim along Highway 1A, the road to Phuoc Vinh.
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FSB
Mons I along Highway 1A, the road to Phuoc Vinh.
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CH-47
Chinook delivering supplies to FSB Jim.
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Delivering
supplies to FSB Mons I.
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CH-54
Sky Crane trying to lift a damaged APC from near the jungle near FSB Jim.
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Sweeping
for mines on Highway 1A, near NDPBandit Hill.
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Village
near NDP Bandit Hill, on Highway 1A.
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Late
evening at FSB Mons.
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Convoy
on Highway 1A, approaching the Song Be River crossing, on its way to Phuoc
Vinh - 1st Air Cav headquarters.
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Convoy
on the way to Phuoc Vinh, crossing the Song Be River bridge.
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Along
Highway 1A going towards Phuoc Vinh.
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Road
to Phuoc Vinh.
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Entering
Phuoc Vinh.
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Convoy
of empty tankers and other trucks waiting for return to Lai Khe and Saigon
area.
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