Battle of An Lão
Battle of An Lão | |
---|---|
Part of the An Lão, South Vietnam | |
Result | Viet Cong victory |
Nguyễn Xuân Thịnh
Đỗ Phú Đáp[1]
Nguyễn Thành Tâm
- 41st Infantry Regiment
Special Forces B Detachment[2]: 45–46
- one platoon
- two companies and two platoons of Regional Forces
- 12 platoons of Popular Forces
2nd Infantry Regiment[3]
- 95th Battalion
- 97th Battalion[4]
409th Sapper Battalion
Bình Định Province Command
- one company of Province Local Force
- 8 platoons of District Local Force
3 advisors killed[5]
The Battle of An Lão took place in the
The Battle of An Lão was initiated by offensive actions conducted jointly by People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces and Viet Cong (VC) guerrillas when they captured the An Lão district headquarters in the coastal Bình Định province within the II Corps tactical zone. For three days, this joint military force successfully repelled large numbers of counterattacking Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops.
This battle was the first time in northern South Vietnam (South Central Coast of the united Vietnam) and the Central Highlands that the PAVN and VC "used the new tactic of coordinating main force units with local and guerrilla forces."[5]
Background
In 1964, with successive defeats in all battlefields, the government of the
As a mountainous district located in the north of Bình Định, the inhabitants are mainly
Prelude
The ARVN increased the number of troops stationed in the area up to 884, including two companies and two platoons of
In this continuous defense system, Mount Một is the main base. Here, the ARVN deployed a Regional Forces company, a mortar platoon, a Special Forces platoon and a Popular Forces platoon.
In early December 1964, the Party Committee and the Command of the 5th Military Region decided to attack the An Lão district capital to expand their controlled area. With the determination to destroy ARVN forces neatly, the PAVN gathered forces to overwhelm the enemy. Along with the Province Command's Local Forces includes a company of province, 8 platoons of districts and guerrilla forces of the communes, the Military Region 5 also reinforced the 2nd Infantry Regiment and the 409th Sapper Battalion of Main Forces.[8]
Battle
On December 7, 1964, the Viet Cong captured the district headquarters following an early morning surprise attack with squads scaling the fence and lobbing
The VC were successful in repeatedly beating back large numbers of counterattacking ARVN troops, who rushed in by Jeep and M113 armored personnel carriers.
ARVN troops regained control of the district headquarters only after reinforcements were airlifted in by U.S. helicopters.
The battle resulted in approximately 300 ARVN dead and wounded, 3 American dead, and forced as many as 7,000 villagers to abandon their homes.[9][10]
The strength of the VC attack in northern Bình Định Province indicated the changing tactics of the VC, who were prepared to switch from small-scale guerrilla actions to mobile warfare.
Legacy
Battle of An Lão map Archived 2021-11-12 at the
References
- ^ "Only one way - the memoir of Lieutenant General Nguyễn Huy Chương, ex-political officer of 409th Sapper Battalion". quansuvn.net. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "Vietnam Studies - U.S.Army Special Forces 1961-1971" (PDF). history.army.mil. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ The 2nd regiment got its honored name An Lão regiment after this battle, and was the base to form the 3rd Infantry Division in September 1965.
- ^ "The famous battles of hero Vũ Quang Trắc". sknc.qdnd.vn. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d "The Battle of An Lao, Dec 7-9, 1964". vietnamwar50th.com. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ Spencer Tucker, The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War
- ^ "Continuing the tradition of "Clinging to the ground, clinging to the people, hitting harder..."". baoquankhu1.vn. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Common Introduction". anlao.binhdinh.gov.vn. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ OCLC 14098994.
- ^ a b "U.S. Casualties in Vietnam Rise; Reds Fall Back in 3-Day Battle". NY Times (AP). 1964-12-10.