Military camps or fortified positions established to provide artillery support and serve as a base for operations in a hostile area.
From 'fire' (meaning gunfire or artillery) and 'base' (a military installation). The term emerged during the Vietnam War to describe temporary defensive positions.
During the Vietnam War, firebases became infamous as isolated outposts in jungles—soldiers used artillery from these bases to support distant operations, but the bases themselves were often vulnerable to attack and became symbols of both military strategy and the chaos of unconventional warfare.
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