Fire support bases (FSBs) provided critical artillery and logistical support beyond the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) base at Nui Dat. Often built and defended by army engineers, these bases enabled rapid response and vital surveillance. Permanent sites like the Horseshoe FSB served as key operational hubs until their handover in 1971.
Battalion Headquarters could be deployed into the field, either at a fixed location – an FSB – or in a more mobile form.
FSBs were generally set up with the Battalion's artillery battery, mortars and armour. This enabled a more flexible rapid response with greater coverage for operations beyond the immediate vicinity of the Nui Dat base.
The FSBs were often named after wives or girlfriends, such as Beth, Coral, Diane and Susan.
17 Construction Squadron would often do the heavier construction work, including building or developing bases. 1 Field Squadron and other combat engineers would prepare, improve, defend and maintain temporary fire support bases during operations.
At Fire Support Base Coral in May 1968, a forward element of 1 Field Squadron Group deployed with the initial force, and the rest of the unit arrived with 1ATF combat and support units the next day. The base was hastily prepared, and the engineers were allocated a large part of the defensive perimeter, which they held during the fighting.
FSBs could remain in position for months. As the war progressed, they played an increasingly important support role for operations in outlying areas.
One permanent FSB was established on 'the Horseshoe', a circular hill about 8 km south-east of Nui Dat and just north of Dat Do. It was built in March 1967 as a preliminary step in building the barrier minefield from Dat Do to the sea.
The Horseshoe FSB provided an extensive view of the surrounding countryside, as well as an effective ready reaction force. That's why it was retained despite the minefield's failure. Australian troops maintained the Horseshoe FSB until June 1971, when it was handed over to the South Vietnamese troops.