Battle of Xuan Loc

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Battle of Xuan Loc
Part of the Vietnam War
Date 9 April-20 April 1975
Location 10°55′56″N 107°14′3″E / 10.93222, 107.23417 (Xuan Loc)Coordinates: 10°55′56″N 107°14′3″E / 10.93222, 107.23417 (Xuan Loc)
Xuan Loc, Dong Nai Province, Republic of Vietnam
Result Decisive North Vietnamese victory.
Belligerents
Democratic Republic of Vietnam Republic of Vietnam
Commanders
Hoang Cam
Hoang The Thien		 Le Minh Dao
Strength
40,000 6,000
Casualties and losses
~5,000 dead and wounded ~2,036 dead and wounded
v • d • e
Vietnam War
Ap Bac – Binh Gia – Pleiku – Song Be – Dong Xoai – Starlite – Gang Toi – Ia Drang – Hastings – Masher/White Wing – A Shau – Xa Cam My – Duc Co – Long Tan – Attleboro – Cedar Falls – Tra Binh Dong – Bribie – Junction City – Union – Hill 881 – Union II - Ong Thanh – Dak To – 1st Tet – Khe Sanh – 1st Saigon – Hue – Lang Vei – Lima Site 85 – Kham Duc – Speedy Express – Dewey Canyon – 2nd Tet – Hamburger Hill – Binh Ba – Cambodia – Snuol – FSB Ripcord – Tailwind – Chenla I – Son Tay Raid – Lam Son 719 – Chenla II – Ban Dong – FSB Mary Ann – Easter '72 – 1st Quang Tri – Loc Ninh – An Loc – Kontum – 2nd Quang Tri – Phuoc Long – Ho Chi Minh – Ban Me Thuot – Xuan Loc – Truong Sa – 2nd Saigon – SS Mayagüez
Air operations
Ranch Hand – Pierce Arrow – Barrel Roll – Pony Express – Flaming Dart – Rolling Thunder – Steel Tiger – Arc Light – Tiger Hound – Bolo – Igloo White – Commando Hunt – Menu – Freedom Deal – Linebacker I – Linebacker II – Shed Light

The Battle of Xuan Loc also known as "The last stand at Xuan Loc", was the last major battle of the Vietnam War that took place in Xuan Loc, Dong Nai Province. Over a period of twelve days, the ARVN 18th Infantry Division attempted to stop three People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) divisions from overunning the town.

In regards to Saigon, General Van Tien Dung planned to launch a five pronged drive on the South Vietnamese capital, but wishing to avoid the same level of destruction inflicted during the Tet Offensive. As a result, General Dung made a decision to throw his regular units against the ARVN, and try to destroy the irreplaceable South Vietnamese units to prevent them from regrouping in Saigon.

During the fight for Xuan Loc both sides displayed feats of courage, leadership and determination. For the soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam led by Major General Le Minh Dao in particular, the battle proved that they were determined fighters, contradicting reports in some Western media that described them as cowards.

Contents

[edit] Setup

Following their victories in the Central Highlands, the Communist forces were applying pressure on the South Vietnamese on all battlefields. Xuan Loc, located in Long Khanh Province, was a small town that occupied the key roads into the capital, Saigon.

The main North Vietnamese formation moving towards Xuan Loc were the 341st, 6th and 7th Divisions. Defiantly blocking their way were the ARVN 18th Division, Long Khanh provincial forces, and 82nd Ranger Battalion. On 12 April 1975, the 1st Airborne Brigade, made up of four Airborne Battalions and one Airborne artillery battalion, was moved into the area of operations by helicopter.

[edit] Battle

Following the initial assault on April 9, the 341st VPA Division bombarded Xuan Loc with more than four thousand rounds of artillery fire. North Vietnamese tanks and infantry began moving into the streets of Xuan Loc, and the battle which followed was unique in many respects for the Vietnam War, involving units of divisional size, devastatingly effective VNAF airpower and sophisticated US-made BLU-82s. Between the 3rd and 11th of April, North Vietnamese units attempted to push into Xuan Loc, but the 43rd and 52nd ARVN Regiments held their ground as one assault after another was beaten back.

When the situation in the area was temporarily stabilised, the South Vietnamese air force began resupplying the ground forces. On April 12, 93 tons of artillery ammunition was flown in by CH-47 Chinook helicopters, and another 100 tons arrived the following day. While resupplying efforts were underway, flights of A-1 Skyraiders were called in to provide close-air-support as South Vietnamese C-130s blasted North Vietnamese formations using Daisy Cutter bombs.

On April 13 the North Vietnamese forces resumed their attack, fighting with the 1st Battalion of the 43rd ARVN Regiment.

After 12 days and nights of ferocious combat against the North Vietnamese Army, the ARVN defenders gradually give ground when Military Region III headquarters ordered the 18th Infantry Division and other units to pull back to Bien Hoa. The 18th Division had to fight its way out with the supporting armoured task force losing half of its equipment. Coincidentally, the 6th VPA Division was also moving the same direction as the ARVN, with 130mm artillery pieces aimed at Bien Hoa airbase. On the morning of April 16, artillery and rocket strikes damaged six F-5s and 14 A-37s. The artillery attack on Bien Hoa also marked the end of organised resistance after heavy assaults on ARVN positions along Routes 1 and 20. On April 20, all resistance were ended with the 1st ARVN Airborne Brigade withdrawing towards Ba Ria in Phuoc Tuy where it continued to fight.

In contrast to the general impression of total collapse on the part of the ARVN, the events at Xuan Loc was described as 'heroic and gallant' by the South Vietnamese defenders. It was one of the few places where the ARVN, though outnumbered, stood and fought with a tenacity which stunned their opponents. The stand of the 18th so impressed the rest of the entire South Vietnamese Army, previously routed, that they grew confident again. News reporters were flown in from around the world to witness the battlefield strewn with VPA casualties, repelled in assault after assault with heavy losses, including at least 37 T-54 tanks destroyed or knocked out. Even the official Vietnamese Communist history of the Vietnam War states that the fighting at Xuan Loc was "cruel".

[edit] Aftermath

With Xuan Loc and all of Long Khanh Province secured, the gateway to Saigon was opened for North Vietnam's final assault. The only thing stood on their way were small pockets of desperate ARVN defenders.

For South Vietnam and its government, the fall of Xuan Loc was another painful blow following the loss of the Central Highlands. But for the men of the 18th Infantry Division and other units, inside a larger defeat they could find a personal victory, as they proved for the last time during this decade-long conflict that they could stand and fight.

[edit] Order Of Battle

[edit] North Vietnam

  • 341st Division
  • 6th Division
  • 7th Division
  • Independent 95A Regiment
  • 75th Artillery Group

[edit] South Vietnam

  • 18th Infantry Division [1]
  • Task Force 43 (43rd Regiment, 5th Armoured Cavalry Squadron, 82nd Ranger Battalion and Regional Forces)
  • 48th Regiment
  • 52nd Regiment
  • 1st Airborne Brigade
  • South Vietnamese Air Force 3rd Division
  • South Vietnamese Air Force 4th Division

[edit] References

  • Davidson, Philip. B Vietnam at War. Novato CA: Presidio Press, 1984.
  • Len, Hua Yen, Chief of Staff for Operations, 18th Infantry Division, (1988) "The Line of Steel at Xuan Loc: 12 Days and Nights of Ferocious Combat"
  • Vien, General Cao Van, The Final Collapse. Washington DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1983.

[edit] External links