1972 in the Vietnam War

1972 in the Vietnam War
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Location Vietnam
Belligerents
Anti-Communist forces:  South Vietnam  United States  South Korea  Australia  New Zealand Khmer Republic  Thailand Kingdom of Laos  Republic of China	Communist forces:  North Vietnam Viet Cong Khmer Rouge Pathet Lao  Soviet Union
Strength
South Vietnam: 1,048,000 [1] United States: 24,000[1] South Korea: 36,790[1] Thailand : 40[1] Australia : 130[1] Philippines: 50[1] New Zealand: 50[1]
Casualties and losses
US: 641 killed [2] South Vietnam: Killed

1972 in the Vietnam War saw foreign involvement in South Vietnam slowly declining. Two allies, New Zealand and Thailand, which had contributed a small military contingent, left South Vietnam this year. The United States continued to participate in combat, primarily with air power to assist the South Vietnamese army, while negotiators in Paris tried to hammer out a peace agreement and a withdrawal strategy for the United States. One American operation that was declassified years after the war was Operation Thunderhead, a secret mission that attempted to rescue POWs.

March

March

All Thai troops from the Royal Thai Army Volunteer Force leave the country.^[3]

March 30 - October 22, 1972

The Easter Offensive, officially, the Nguyễn Huệ Offensive and also (Chiến dịch Xuân hè 1972 in Vietnamese) was a military campaign conducted by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN, the regular army of North Vietnam) against the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN, the regular army of South Vietnam) and the United States.

March 30-May 1

The First Battle of Quảng Trị resulted in the first major victory for the North Vietnamese Army during the Nguyễn Huệ Offensive of 1972.

April

April 4–7

The Battle of Loc Ninh was a major battle fought during the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive and lasted from 4–7 April 1972. Lộc Ninh was a small district town in Bình Long Province, approximately 60 miles (97 km) north of the capital of Saigon.

April 13 – July 20

The Battle of An Lộc was a major battle that lasted for 66 days and culminated in a decisive victory for South Vietnam. In many ways, the struggle for An Lộc in 1972 was an important battle of the war, as South Vietnamese forces halted the North Vietnamese advance towards Saigon.

April 19

The Battle of Đồng Hới was a clash between United States Navy warships and three North Vietnamese air force MiG-17F fighter-bombers, several torpedo boats and shore batteries on April 19, 1972 during the Vietnam War.

May

May 2 – July 1

The Battle of Kontum was fought during North Vietnam's Nguyễn Huệ Campaign or the Easter Offensive.

June

June 3–12

Operation Thunderhead was a highly classified combat mission conducted by U.S. Navy SEAL Team One and Underwater Demolition Team (UDT)-11 in 1972. The mission was conducted off the coast of North Vietnam to rescue two U.S. airmen said to be escaping from a prisoner of war prison in Hanoi.^[4]

June 28 – September 16

The Second Battle of Quảng Trị (Vietnamese: Thành cổ Quảng Trị) began on June 28 and lasted 81 days until September 16, 1972, when the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) defeated the North Vietnamese at the ancient citadel of Quảng Trị and recaptured most of the province.

December

December 14

All members of the New Zealand armed forces are withdrawn from South Vietnam.^[5]

Year in numbers

Armed Force	Strength	KIA	Reference		Military costs - 1972	Military costs in 2015 US$	Reference
South Vietnam ARVN	1,048,000		[1]
United States	24,000	641	[1][2]
South Korea	36,790		[1][6]
Thailand	40		[1]
Australia	130		[1]
Philippines	50		[1]
New Zealand	50		[1]
North Vietnam

Bibliography

Notes

References