Battle of Xuan Loc
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Xuan Loc was the last major battle of the Vietnam War
. The battle was fought between April 9–21, 1975, and ended when the town of Xuan Loc was overrun by the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps.
From the beginning of 1975, North Vietnam’s military forces swept through the northern provinces of South Vietnam virtually unopposed. In the Central Highlands
, South Vietnam’s II Corps Tactical Zone
was completely destroyed, whilst attempting to evacuate to the Mekong Delta
region. In the cities of Hue
and Da Nang
, South Vietnamese soldiers simply melted away without putting up resistance. The devastating defeats suffered by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
prompted South Vietnam’s National Assembly to question President Nguyen Van Thieu’s handling of the war, thereby placing him under tremendous pressure to resign.
In the last ditch effort to save South Vietnam, President Nguyen Van Thieu
ordered his last military units, namely the ARVN 18th Infantry Division
"The Super Men", to hold Xuan Loc at all cost. The North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps, on the other hand, was ordered to capture Xuan Loc in order to open the gateway to Saigon. Over a period of twelve days both sides displayed feats of courage, leadership, and determination. During the early stages of the battle, the ARVN 18th Infantry Division beat off numerous attempts by their enemies to overrun the town, forcing North Vietnamese commanders to change their battle plan.
On April 19, 1975, the South Vietnamese defenders at Xuan Loc were ordered to withdraw, after Xuan Loc was completely isolated by the Communist forces. Subsequently, President Nguyen Van Thieu was forced to resign after leading South Vietnam in their fight against Communist North Vietnam for 10 years.
On April 2, the South Vietnamese Senate recommended the formation of a new government, with Nguyen Ba Can
as the new leader. As a result, Prime Minister Tran Thien Kiem
resigned from his position. President Nguyen Van Thieu, in response to the Senate’s recommendations, immediately approved Tran Thien Kiem’s resignation and sworn in Nguyen Ba Can as the new Prime Minister. On April 4, while announcing the changes of government on Saigon television, President Nguyen Van Thieu also requested the arrest of three army commanders; Major General Pham Van Phu
for the debacle in the Central Highlands, General Pham Quoc Thuan
for his failure to hold Nha Trang, and Lietenant General Du Quoc Dong
for the loss of Phuoc Long. General Ngo Quang Truong
, commander of I Corps Tactical Zone
, was spared as he was undergoing treatment in hospital.
During a meeting with U.S. General Frederick C. Weyand
on April 3, President Nguyen Van Thieu outlined his final strategy to defend South Vietnam, vowing to hold what is left of his country against Communist North Vietnam. In his strategy, President Nguyen Van Thieu decided that Xuan Loc would be the centre of his country’s resistance, with Tay Ninh and Phan Rang on either side. Eventually, the meeting became more intense when Nguyen Van Thieu produced a letter written by former U.S. President Richard Nixon
, which promised military retaliation against North Vietnam if they violate the terms of the Paris Peace Accord. The meeting then concluded with Nguyen Van Thieu accusing the United States Government of selling out his country the moment they signed the Paris Peace Accords with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
In contrast to the situation faced by their opponents in Saigon, the North Vietnamese government were buoyed by the victories achieved by their armies since December 1974. By April 8, 1975, the North Vietnamese military had captured all the provinces in South Vietnam’s I and II Corps Tactical Zones, as well as Phuoc Long Province
. While the South Vietnamese army were disintegrating all over the battlefield, North Vietnam had two army corps moving towards the last South Vietnamese stronghold at Xuan Loc. The North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps, which overran Phuoc Long several months earlier, approached Xuan Loc from the north-east after they conquered Tay Ninh, Binh Long and Long Khanh. The 3rd Army Corps, on the other hand, moved towards Xuan Loc from the north-west after they defeated the South Vietnamese army in the Central Highlands.
s, four regional force battalion
s (340th, 342nd, 343rd and 367th Battalions), two artillery units (181st and 182nd Artillery Battalions) equipped with forty-two artillery guns, and two companies
of civilian self-defence forces. On April 12, Xuan Loc was reinforced with the 1st Airborne Brigade, three armoured brigades (315th, 318th and 322nd Armoured Brigades), the 8th Task Force from the 5th Infantry Division, and the 33rd Ranger Battalion. Air support came in the form of two air force division
s; the 5th Air Force Division based at Bien Hoa
, and the 3rd Air Force Division at Tan Son Nhat
. The commander of the South Vietnamese army at Xuan Loc was General Le Minh Dao.
and Binh Duong, which were located in the western regions of South Vietnam. Unlike the previous three years, South Vietnamese defences around Tay Ninh and Binh Duong were significantly weakened due to the lack of manpower and resources. Even though Tay Ninh and Binh Duong did not play a significant role in the defensive posture of South Vietnam, large formations of South Vietnamese army units made their way into those areas as a result of the early defeats in 1975. Tay Ninh became a refuge for elements of the ARVN 25th Infantry Division
, four armoured brigades and two ranger battalions. Binh Duong, on the other hand, hosted the ARVN 5th Infantry Division
, one ranger battalion and one armoured brigade. To stop South Vietnamese military units from gathering in Tay Ninh and Binh Duong, and thereby regrouping for further resistance, the North Vietnamese decided to finally capture those regions.
The North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps Command selected Dau Tieng–Chon Thanh as the first target for their operation, as it was the weakest point in the South Vietnamese defensive line in the north-west area. South Vietnam maintained four regional force battalions (35th, 304th, 312th and 352nd Battalions) which totalled 2,600 soldiers in the area, along with one armoured brigade and ten 105 mm artillery guns. The military zone of Dau Tieng–Chon Thanh located in area adjacent to the three provinces of Tay Ninh, Binh Duong and Binh Long. The task of capturing Dau Tieng–Chon Thanh was entrusted to the North Vietnamese 9th Infantry Division, whose strength were bolstered by the 16th Infantry Regiment, the 22nd Armoured Battalion, one artillery battalion and one air-defence battalion. At 5 am on March 11, the North Vietnamese 9th Infantry Division commenced their attack on Dau Tieng. South Vietnamese artillery positions in Rung Nan, Bau Don and Cha La were the primary targets of the 9th Infantry Division on the first day of the attack.
On the afternoon of March 11, ARVN General Le Nguyen Khang ordered the 345th Armoured Squadron to move out from Bau Don to relieve the military zone of Dau Tienh, but they were defeated by the North Vietnamese 16th Infantry Regiment at Suoi Ong Hung, and were forced to retreat to their base. At the same time, South Vietnamese artillery units at Bau Don and Rung Nan were subdued by elements of the 9th Infantry Division, so they were unable to return fire. By March 13, the North Vietnamese army was in complete control of the Dau Tieng military zone. After three hours of fighting, the North Vietnamese 3/9th Infantry Division also captured South Vietnamese positions at Vuon Chuoi, Nga ba Sac, Cau Tau and Ben Cui. The ARVN 3rd Brigade had planned to retake Dau Tieng using elements of the 5th Infantry Division, but President Nguyen Van Thieu ordered them to pull back and defend Truong Mit, Bau Don and Tay Ninh instead.
On March 24, two regiments from the North Vietnamese 9th Infantry Division, in coordination with two provincial infantry battalions from Binh Phuoc, attacked Chon Thanh with full force but were repeatedly driven back from South Vietnamese defensive lines. On March 31, the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps sent the 273rd Regiment to bolster the strength of the 9th Infantry Division, and one artillery battalion equipped with 15 artillery guns. Following the arrival of fresh reinforcements, the North Vietnamese army continued their assault on the military zone of Chon Thanh. South Vietnam responded by deploying the 3rd Armoured Brigade to relief Chon Thanh, but they were stopped by elements of the North Vietnamese 9th Infantry Division along Route 13. To avoid destruction, all surviving members from the ARVN 31st Ranger Battalion retreated to Bau Don in the east. On April 2, the North Vietnamese army captured Chon Thanh; they claimed to have killed 2,134 enemy soldiers, as well as capturing 472 men, and shot down 16 aircraft. In addition, North Vietnam captured 30 military vehicles (including eight tanks) and about 1,000 guns (including five artillery pieces) of various kinds. With the province of Binh Long firmly in their hands, the North Vietnamese army then set their sights on Xuan Loc.
At 5.40 am on April 9, 1975, the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps began bombarding South Vietnamese positions around the town of Xuan Loc. From the north of Xuan Loc, the North Vietnamese 341st Infantry Division overran the South Vietnamese communications centre and the local police station after more than one hour of heavy fighting. However, all North Vietnamese units moving down from the north were forced to stop when elements of the ARVN 52nd Task Force counter-attacked from the south. From the east, the North Vietnamese 7th Infantry Division advanced on South Vietnamese positions without tank support, so they sustained heavy casualties in the initial stages of the fighting. At 8 am the 4th Army Corps Command sent eight tanks to support the 7th Infantry Division, but three were destroyed by entrenched South Vietnamese soldiers at Bao Chanh A.
By midday, the North Vietnamese 209th and 270th Infantry Regiments captured the Headquarters of the ARVN 18th Infantry Division and the Governor’s Residence, which was defended by the ARVN 43rd and 48th Infantry Regiments, setting ablaze seven South Vietnamese tanks in the process. In the south, the North Vietnamese 6th Infantry Division attacked South Vietnamese positions on Highway No.1 from Hung Nghia to Me Bong Con, where they destroyed 11 tanks from the ARVN 322nd Armoured Brigade. Throughout the day on April 9, the ARVN 18th Infantry Division staged counter-attacks on North Vietnamese flanks to slow down their enemies’ momentum, especially movements from the north and northwest.
Between April 10 and 11, elements of the North Vietnamese 7th Infantry Division tried to destroy the ARVN 18th Infantry Division, the 52nd Task Force and the 5 Armoured Cavalry, but on each occasion they were forced to stop and deal with enemy counter-attacks on their flanks. In the northwest the North Vietnamese 226th and 270th Infantry Regiments, from the 341st Infantry Division, were also forced to deal with counter-attacks staged by the ARVN 43rd Infantry Regiment and the 322nd Armoured Brigade. During those two days, South Vietnamese fighter-bombers from the 5th Air Force Division flew more than 200 bombing sorties in support of the ARVN 18th Infantry Division. On the night of April 11, General Le Minh Dao secretly relocated the headquarters of the ARVN 18th Infantry Division to the military zone of Tan Phong, to continue his resistance. Colonel Pham Van Phuc, on the other hand, also moved his headquarters to Nui Thi.
On April 12, the ARVN General Staff made the decision to bolster the defences at Xuan Loc with units drawn from the ARVN general reserve. Subsequently, the ARVN 1st Airborne Brigade arrived at the Bao Dinh rubber plantation, while two marine battalions defended the eastern corridor leading to Bien Hoa. In addition, Tan Phong and Dau Giay received reinforcements from the 33rd Ranger Battalion, 8/5th Infantry Division, 8th Artillery Battalion and three armoured brigades (315th, 318th and 322nd Armoured Brigades). As the reinforcements were making their way onto the battlefield, South Vietnamese fighter-bombers from Bien Hoa and Tan Son Nhat flew between 80 to 120 combat sortie
s per day to support the defenders at Xuan Loc. At 2 pm on April 12, South Vietnamese C-130 Hercules
dropped two CBU-55 Daisy Cutters on North Vietnamese positions in the town of Xuan Vinh, close to Xuan Loc, killing about 200 civilians and North Vietnamese soldiers.
On April 13, North Vietnamese General Tran Van Tra, commander of the National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) arrived at the headquarters of the 4th Army Corps. During the meeting with other commanders, General Tran Van Tra decided to alter certain aspects of the combat operation; the 6th Infantry Division and elements of the 341st Infantry Division would attack Dau Giay, which was the weakest point in the defensive line around Xuan Loc, set up blocking positions along Highway No.2 which leads to Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Highway No.1 between Xuan Loc and Bien Hoa. On the same day, the North Vietnamese 2nd Army Corps ordered the 95B Infantry Regiment to join the units of the 4th Army Corps, in their efforts to capture Xuan Loc. As North Vietnamese commanders began to implement their new strategy, the South Vietnamese military declared it had successfully repulsed the Communist attack on Xuan Loc, thereby ending a period of continuous defeats. President Nguyen Van Thieu, buoyed by the fierce resistance of his army at Xuan Loc, announced that the Army of the Republic of Vietnam had “recovered its fighting ability” to defend the country.
On April 15, the situation on the battlefield began to change as North Vietnamese artillery stopped their shelling of Xuan Loc, but started pounding Bien Hoa instead. In just one day, the South Vietnamese 3rd Air Force Division at Bien Hoa was forced to cease all operations due to continuous North Vietnamese artillery bombardments. To continue their support of ground troops at Xuan Loc, the South Vietnamese air force mobilised the 4th Air Force Division based at Tra Noc to conduct further missions. On the same day, the North Vietnamese 6th Infantry Division and the 95B Infantry Regiment defeated a combined ARVN formation which included the 52nd Task Force and the 13th Armoured Squadron west of Xuan Loc. Between April 16 and 17, the North Vietnamese 6th Infantry Division and the 95B Infantry Regiment also defeated the ARVN 8th Task Force and 3rd Armoured Brigade, when the South Vietnamese tried to recapture the military zone of Dau Giay. Around Xuan Loc the ARVN 43rd and 48th Infantry Regiments, as well as the 1st Airborne Brigade, suffered heavy casualties as North Vietnamese infantry units attacked them from all sides.
With Dau Giay and all the main roads under Communist control, Xuan Loc was completely isolated and surrounded by the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps. On April 19, the ARVN General Staff ordered General Le Minh Dao to evacuate the 18th Infantry Division and other support units from Xuan Loc, in order to continue their resistance elsewhere. The ARVN 18th Infantry Division, which was the main unit defending Xuan Loc, was ordered to defend Bien Hoa. On April 20, under the cover of heavy rain, South Vietnamese soldiers and civilians began pulling out from Xuan Loc, in a convoy of about 200 military vehicles. On April 21, the town centre of Xuan Loc was completely abandoned, with the ARVN 1st Airborne Brigade being the last unit to be evacuated from the area. At 4 am on April 21, the 3/1st Airborne Brigade was completely destroyed by the North Vietnamese army at the hamlet of Suoi Ca. By the end of the day Xuan Loc was under North Vietnamese control, and the gateway to Saigon was finally opened.
Finally at 8 pm on April 21, 1975, Nguyen Van Thieu officially resigned from his position as the President of the Republic of Vietnam upon learning that Xuan Loc had fallen that morning. In his final effort to save South Vietnam, Nguyen Van Thieu gambled his political career by sending the very last units of the South Vietnamese army to Xuan Loc in an attempt to hold off the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps. Ultimately, however, Nguyen Van Thieu’s effort came too late. The defeat at Xuan Loc only added salt into the wound of Nguyen Van Thieu’s political career, as the National Assembly grew hostile towards his handling of the war. One day after Nguyen Van Thieu’s departure, Tran Van Huong was appointed as South Vietnam’s President, and he was ordered to seek a negotiated peace with North Vietnam at any cost, to the disappointment of many in South Vietnam’s political elite, who argued that the situation could have been different if Nguyen Van Thieu had gone earlier.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. The battle was fought between April 9–21, 1975, and ended when the town of Xuan Loc was overrun by the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps.
From the beginning of 1975, North Vietnam’s military forces swept through the northern provinces of South Vietnam virtually unopposed. In the Central Highlands
Tây Nguyên
Tây Nguyên, translated as Western Highlands and sometimes also called Central Highlands, is one of the regions of Vietnam. It contains the provinces of Đắk Lắk, Đắk Nông, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Lâm Đồng....
, South Vietnam’s II Corps Tactical Zone
II Corps (South Vietnam)
The II Corps was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975. It was one of four corps in the ARVN, and it oversaw the region of the central highlands region, north of the capital Saigon...
was completely destroyed, whilst attempting to evacuate to the Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...
region. In the cities of Hue
Hue
Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
and Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
, South Vietnamese soldiers simply melted away without putting up resistance. The devastating defeats suffered by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
prompted South Vietnam’s National Assembly to question President Nguyen Van Thieu’s handling of the war, thereby placing him under tremendous pressure to resign.
In the last ditch effort to save South Vietnam, President Nguyen Van Thieu
Nguyen Van Thieu
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was president of South Vietnam from 1965 to 1975. He was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , became head of a military junta, and then president after winning a fraudulent election...
ordered his last military units, namely the ARVN 18th Infantry Division
18th Division (South Vietnam)
The 18th Division was an infantry division in the III Corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam . The U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam considered the 18th as undisciplined and was well known throughout the ARVN for its "cowboy" reputation...
"The Super Men", to hold Xuan Loc at all cost. The North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps, on the other hand, was ordered to capture Xuan Loc in order to open the gateway to Saigon. Over a period of twelve days both sides displayed feats of courage, leadership, and determination. During the early stages of the battle, the ARVN 18th Infantry Division beat off numerous attempts by their enemies to overrun the town, forcing North Vietnamese commanders to change their battle plan.
On April 19, 1975, the South Vietnamese defenders at Xuan Loc were ordered to withdraw, after Xuan Loc was completely isolated by the Communist forces. Subsequently, President Nguyen Van Thieu was forced to resign after leading South Vietnam in their fight against Communist North Vietnam for 10 years.
Background
In the first half of 1975 the Govt of the Republic of Vietnam was in deep political turmoil, which reflected the military situation on the battlefield. At least two assassination attempts, specifically targeting President Nguyen Van Thieu, were foiled. On January 23, a South Vietnamese army officer tried to shoot President Thieu with his pistol, but he failed. The officer was subsequently tried by the military court. On April 4 South Vietnamese pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung bombed the Independence Palace with his F-5 Tiger. It later turned out the pilot had been an undercover member of the Viet Cong since 1969. Following those failed assassination attempts, President Nguyen Van Thieu grew suspicious of his own military commanders.On April 2, the South Vietnamese Senate recommended the formation of a new government, with Nguyen Ba Can
Nguyen Ba Can
Nguyễn Bá Cẩn was Prime Minister of South Vietnam from April 4, 1975, until April 24, 1975, serving under Presidents Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and Trần Văn Hương.-References:...
as the new leader. As a result, Prime Minister Tran Thien Kiem
Tran Thien Khiem
General Trần Thiện Khiêm was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. During the 1960s he was involved in several coups. He helped President Ngo Dinh Diem put down a November 1960 coup attempt and was rewarded with promotion...
resigned from his position. President Nguyen Van Thieu, in response to the Senate’s recommendations, immediately approved Tran Thien Kiem’s resignation and sworn in Nguyen Ba Can as the new Prime Minister. On April 4, while announcing the changes of government on Saigon television, President Nguyen Van Thieu also requested the arrest of three army commanders; Major General Pham Van Phu
Pham Van Phu
Major General Pham Van Phu was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He was born in Ha Dong, North Vietnam.-Military service:Phu was a company officer in the 5th Battalion of Vietnamese Paratroopers of the Army of the State of Vietnam at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu...
for the debacle in the Central Highlands, General Pham Quoc Thuan
Pham Quoc Thuan
Lieutenant General Pham Quoc Thuan was an officer of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He served as the commander of III Corps, which oversaw the region of the country surrounding the capital Saigon, from 29 October 1973 until 30 October of the next year, when he was replaced by Lieutenant...
for his failure to hold Nha Trang, and Lietenant General Du Quoc Dong
Du Quoc Dong
Lieutenant General Dư Quốc Đống was an officer of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.He served as the commander of III Corps, which oversaw the region of the country surrounding the capital Saigon, from 30 October 1974 until January 1975, when he was replaced by Lieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Toàn....
for the loss of Phuoc Long. General Ngo Quang Truong
Ngo Quang Truong
Lieutenant General Ngô Quang Trưởng was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam . He was widely regarded as South Vietnam’s best officer and well-known for his uncompromising integrity and incorruptibility...
, commander of I Corps Tactical Zone
I Corps (South Vietnam)
The I Corps Tactical Zone was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975. It was one of four corps which the ARVN oversaw. This was the northernmost region of South Vietnam, bordering North Vietnam...
, was spared as he was undergoing treatment in hospital.
During a meeting with U.S. General Frederick C. Weyand
Frederick C. Weyand
Frederick Carlton Weyand was a U.S. Army General. Weyand was the last commander of US military operations in the Vietnam War from 1972–1973, and served as the 28th US Army Chief of Staff from 1974-1976.-Early career:...
on April 3, President Nguyen Van Thieu outlined his final strategy to defend South Vietnam, vowing to hold what is left of his country against Communist North Vietnam. In his strategy, President Nguyen Van Thieu decided that Xuan Loc would be the centre of his country’s resistance, with Tay Ninh and Phan Rang on either side. Eventually, the meeting became more intense when Nguyen Van Thieu produced a letter written by former U.S. President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, which promised military retaliation against North Vietnam if they violate the terms of the Paris Peace Accord. The meeting then concluded with Nguyen Van Thieu accusing the United States Government of selling out his country the moment they signed the Paris Peace Accords with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
In contrast to the situation faced by their opponents in Saigon, the North Vietnamese government were buoyed by the victories achieved by their armies since December 1974. By April 8, 1975, the North Vietnamese military had captured all the provinces in South Vietnam’s I and II Corps Tactical Zones, as well as Phuoc Long Province
Phuoc Long Province
thumb|right|200px|[[Binh Duong Province|Binh Duong]], Phuoc Long and [[Binh Long Province|Binh Long]] in map of South VietnamPhuoc Long is former province of Dong Nam Bo region in South Vietnam...
. While the South Vietnamese army were disintegrating all over the battlefield, North Vietnam had two army corps moving towards the last South Vietnamese stronghold at Xuan Loc. The North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps, which overran Phuoc Long several months earlier, approached Xuan Loc from the north-east after they conquered Tay Ninh, Binh Long and Long Khanh. The 3rd Army Corps, on the other hand, moved towards Xuan Loc from the north-west after they defeated the South Vietnamese army in the Central Highlands.
South Vietnam
On April 8, 1975, the ARVN 18th Infantry Division was the main unit defending Xuan Loc, which had three regiments (43rd, 48th and 52nd Infantry Regiments). There were also five armoured brigadeBrigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s, four regional force battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s (340th, 342nd, 343rd and 367th Battalions), two artillery units (181st and 182nd Artillery Battalions) equipped with forty-two artillery guns, and two companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
of civilian self-defence forces. On April 12, Xuan Loc was reinforced with the 1st Airborne Brigade, three armoured brigades (315th, 318th and 322nd Armoured Brigades), the 8th Task Force from the 5th Infantry Division, and the 33rd Ranger Battalion. Air support came in the form of two air force division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
s; the 5th Air Force Division based at Bien Hoa
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
, and the 3rd Air Force Division at Tan Son Nhat
Tan Son Nhut Air Base
Tan Son Nhut Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. It is located near the city of Saigon in southern Vietnam. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...
. The commander of the South Vietnamese army at Xuan Loc was General Le Minh Dao.
North Vietnam
As the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps was the first army to arrive on the battlefield at Xuan Loc, the Central Military Committee decided that the 4th Army Corps would lead the assault. The 4th Army Corps at Xuan Loc fielded three combat divisions (6th, 7th and 341st Infantry Divisions). Those divisions had support from the 71st Anti-Aircraft Regiment, two combat engineering regiments (24th and 25th Engineering Regiments, the 26th Communications Regiment, two armoured battalions, two artillery battalions, and two Long Khanh provincial infantry battalions. On April 3, 1975, the 4th Army Corps Command came up with two options for attack; the first option would involve capturing all enemy outposts in the surrounding areas, and isolating the town centre in the process. If the opportunity arose, the 4th Army Corps would launch a full frontal assault on the town centre to capture all of Xuan Loc. In the second option, if enemy forces in Xuan Loc did not have the strength to resist, the 4th Army Corps would strike directly at the town centre using infantry units, with armoured and artillery units in support.Prelude
In March 1975 as the North Vietnamese 3rd Army Corps attacked Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands, the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps also initiated their own operations against South Vietnamese installations in Tay NinhTay Ninh
Tây Ninh is a town in southwestern Vietnam. It is the capital of Tay Ninh province, which encompasses the town and much of the surrounding farmland....
and Binh Duong, which were located in the western regions of South Vietnam. Unlike the previous three years, South Vietnamese defences around Tay Ninh and Binh Duong were significantly weakened due to the lack of manpower and resources. Even though Tay Ninh and Binh Duong did not play a significant role in the defensive posture of South Vietnam, large formations of South Vietnamese army units made their way into those areas as a result of the early defeats in 1975. Tay Ninh became a refuge for elements of the ARVN 25th Infantry Division
25th Division (South Vietnam)
The 25th Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam —the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975—was part of the III Corps that oversaw the region of the country surrounding the capital, Saigon. It was based at Cu Chi to the west of the city centre....
, four armoured brigades and two ranger battalions. Binh Duong, on the other hand, hosted the ARVN 5th Infantry Division
5th Division (South Vietnam)
The Fifth Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam —the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975—was part of the III Corps that oversaw the region of the country surrounding the capital, Saigon....
, one ranger battalion and one armoured brigade. To stop South Vietnamese military units from gathering in Tay Ninh and Binh Duong, and thereby regrouping for further resistance, the North Vietnamese decided to finally capture those regions.
The North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps Command selected Dau Tieng–Chon Thanh as the first target for their operation, as it was the weakest point in the South Vietnamese defensive line in the north-west area. South Vietnam maintained four regional force battalions (35th, 304th, 312th and 352nd Battalions) which totalled 2,600 soldiers in the area, along with one armoured brigade and ten 105 mm artillery guns. The military zone of Dau Tieng–Chon Thanh located in area adjacent to the three provinces of Tay Ninh, Binh Duong and Binh Long. The task of capturing Dau Tieng–Chon Thanh was entrusted to the North Vietnamese 9th Infantry Division, whose strength were bolstered by the 16th Infantry Regiment, the 22nd Armoured Battalion, one artillery battalion and one air-defence battalion. At 5 am on March 11, the North Vietnamese 9th Infantry Division commenced their attack on Dau Tieng. South Vietnamese artillery positions in Rung Nan, Bau Don and Cha La were the primary targets of the 9th Infantry Division on the first day of the attack.
On the afternoon of March 11, ARVN General Le Nguyen Khang ordered the 345th Armoured Squadron to move out from Bau Don to relieve the military zone of Dau Tienh, but they were defeated by the North Vietnamese 16th Infantry Regiment at Suoi Ong Hung, and were forced to retreat to their base. At the same time, South Vietnamese artillery units at Bau Don and Rung Nan were subdued by elements of the 9th Infantry Division, so they were unable to return fire. By March 13, the North Vietnamese army was in complete control of the Dau Tieng military zone. After three hours of fighting, the North Vietnamese 3/9th Infantry Division also captured South Vietnamese positions at Vuon Chuoi, Nga ba Sac, Cau Tau and Ben Cui. The ARVN 3rd Brigade had planned to retake Dau Tieng using elements of the 5th Infantry Division, but President Nguyen Van Thieu ordered them to pull back and defend Truong Mit, Bau Don and Tay Ninh instead.
On March 24, two regiments from the North Vietnamese 9th Infantry Division, in coordination with two provincial infantry battalions from Binh Phuoc, attacked Chon Thanh with full force but were repeatedly driven back from South Vietnamese defensive lines. On March 31, the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps sent the 273rd Regiment to bolster the strength of the 9th Infantry Division, and one artillery battalion equipped with 15 artillery guns. Following the arrival of fresh reinforcements, the North Vietnamese army continued their assault on the military zone of Chon Thanh. South Vietnam responded by deploying the 3rd Armoured Brigade to relief Chon Thanh, but they were stopped by elements of the North Vietnamese 9th Infantry Division along Route 13. To avoid destruction, all surviving members from the ARVN 31st Ranger Battalion retreated to Bau Don in the east. On April 2, the North Vietnamese army captured Chon Thanh; they claimed to have killed 2,134 enemy soldiers, as well as capturing 472 men, and shot down 16 aircraft. In addition, North Vietnam captured 30 military vehicles (including eight tanks) and about 1,000 guns (including five artillery pieces) of various kinds. With the province of Binh Long firmly in their hands, the North Vietnamese army then set their sights on Xuan Loc.
Defense and fall of Xuan Loc
After the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps successfully captured all key objectives surrounding Xuan Loc in Long Khanh Province, they had four days to prepare for the final push against the ARVN 18th Infantry Division. North Vietnamese Major General Hoang Cam personally took control of the operation; he decided to launch a full-frontal assault on Xuan Loc using his infantry, tank and artillery units from the north and northwest. Colonel Bui Cat Vu, deputy commander of the 4th Army Corps, would dictate operations from the east. While the North Vietnamese were closing in on Xuan Loc, ARVN General Le Minh Dao and the chief of Long Khanh Province, Colonel Nguyen Van Phuc, was also busy lining up their units in anticipation of the Communist onslaught. Prior to the battle, General Le Minh Dao told foreign media that:“I am determined to hold Xuan Loc. I don’t care how many divisions the Communist will send against me, I will smash them all! The world shall see the strength and skill of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam”.By midday, the North Vietnamese 209th and 270th Infantry Regiments captured the Headquarters of the ARVN 18th Infantry Division and the Governor’s Residence, which was defended by the ARVN 43rd and 48th Infantry Regiments, setting ablaze seven South Vietnamese tanks in the process. In the south, the North Vietnamese 6th Infantry Division attacked South Vietnamese positions on Highway No.1 from Hung Nghia to Me Bong Con, where they destroyed 11 tanks from the ARVN 322nd Armoured Brigade. Throughout the day on April 9, the ARVN 18th Infantry Division staged counter-attacks on North Vietnamese flanks to slow down their enemies’ momentum, especially movements from the north and northwest.
Between April 10 and 11, elements of the North Vietnamese 7th Infantry Division tried to destroy the ARVN 18th Infantry Division, the 52nd Task Force and the 5 Armoured Cavalry, but on each occasion they were forced to stop and deal with enemy counter-attacks on their flanks. In the northwest the North Vietnamese 226th and 270th Infantry Regiments, from the 341st Infantry Division, were also forced to deal with counter-attacks staged by the ARVN 43rd Infantry Regiment and the 322nd Armoured Brigade. During those two days, South Vietnamese fighter-bombers from the 5th Air Force Division flew more than 200 bombing sorties in support of the ARVN 18th Infantry Division. On the night of April 11, General Le Minh Dao secretly relocated the headquarters of the ARVN 18th Infantry Division to the military zone of Tan Phong, to continue his resistance. Colonel Pham Van Phuc, on the other hand, also moved his headquarters to Nui Thi.
On April 12, the ARVN General Staff made the decision to bolster the defences at Xuan Loc with units drawn from the ARVN general reserve. Subsequently, the ARVN 1st Airborne Brigade arrived at the Bao Dinh rubber plantation, while two marine battalions defended the eastern corridor leading to Bien Hoa. In addition, Tan Phong and Dau Giay received reinforcements from the 33rd Ranger Battalion, 8/5th Infantry Division, 8th Artillery Battalion and three armoured brigades (315th, 318th and 322nd Armoured Brigades). As the reinforcements were making their way onto the battlefield, South Vietnamese fighter-bombers from Bien Hoa and Tan Son Nhat flew between 80 to 120 combat sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
s per day to support the defenders at Xuan Loc. At 2 pm on April 12, South Vietnamese C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
dropped two CBU-55 Daisy Cutters on North Vietnamese positions in the town of Xuan Vinh, close to Xuan Loc, killing about 200 civilians and North Vietnamese soldiers.
On April 13, North Vietnamese General Tran Van Tra, commander of the National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) arrived at the headquarters of the 4th Army Corps. During the meeting with other commanders, General Tran Van Tra decided to alter certain aspects of the combat operation; the 6th Infantry Division and elements of the 341st Infantry Division would attack Dau Giay, which was the weakest point in the defensive line around Xuan Loc, set up blocking positions along Highway No.2 which leads to Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Highway No.1 between Xuan Loc and Bien Hoa. On the same day, the North Vietnamese 2nd Army Corps ordered the 95B Infantry Regiment to join the units of the 4th Army Corps, in their efforts to capture Xuan Loc. As North Vietnamese commanders began to implement their new strategy, the South Vietnamese military declared it had successfully repulsed the Communist attack on Xuan Loc, thereby ending a period of continuous defeats. President Nguyen Van Thieu, buoyed by the fierce resistance of his army at Xuan Loc, announced that the Army of the Republic of Vietnam had “recovered its fighting ability” to defend the country.
On April 15, the situation on the battlefield began to change as North Vietnamese artillery stopped their shelling of Xuan Loc, but started pounding Bien Hoa instead. In just one day, the South Vietnamese 3rd Air Force Division at Bien Hoa was forced to cease all operations due to continuous North Vietnamese artillery bombardments. To continue their support of ground troops at Xuan Loc, the South Vietnamese air force mobilised the 4th Air Force Division based at Tra Noc to conduct further missions. On the same day, the North Vietnamese 6th Infantry Division and the 95B Infantry Regiment defeated a combined ARVN formation which included the 52nd Task Force and the 13th Armoured Squadron west of Xuan Loc. Between April 16 and 17, the North Vietnamese 6th Infantry Division and the 95B Infantry Regiment also defeated the ARVN 8th Task Force and 3rd Armoured Brigade, when the South Vietnamese tried to recapture the military zone of Dau Giay. Around Xuan Loc the ARVN 43rd and 48th Infantry Regiments, as well as the 1st Airborne Brigade, suffered heavy casualties as North Vietnamese infantry units attacked them from all sides.
With Dau Giay and all the main roads under Communist control, Xuan Loc was completely isolated and surrounded by the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps. On April 19, the ARVN General Staff ordered General Le Minh Dao to evacuate the 18th Infantry Division and other support units from Xuan Loc, in order to continue their resistance elsewhere. The ARVN 18th Infantry Division, which was the main unit defending Xuan Loc, was ordered to defend Bien Hoa. On April 20, under the cover of heavy rain, South Vietnamese soldiers and civilians began pulling out from Xuan Loc, in a convoy of about 200 military vehicles. On April 21, the town centre of Xuan Loc was completely abandoned, with the ARVN 1st Airborne Brigade being the last unit to be evacuated from the area. At 4 am on April 21, the 3/1st Airborne Brigade was completely destroyed by the North Vietnamese army at the hamlet of Suoi Ca. By the end of the day Xuan Loc was under North Vietnamese control, and the gateway to Saigon was finally opened.
Military outcome
Following their victory at Xuan Loc, the North Vietnamese army effectively controlled two-thirds of South Vietnam’s territory. The loss of Xuan Loc dealt a severe blow to the military strength of South Vietnam, which had lost almost every unit from its general reserve. On April 18, 1975, General Nguyen Van Toan, commander of the ARVN 3rd Brigade, informed President Nguyen Van Thieu that the South Vietnamese forces at Xuan Loc had been beaten and South Vietnam’s armed forces could only hold out for a few more days as a result of their losses on the battlefield. According to Vietnam’s official account of the battle, about 2,036 South Vietnamese soldiers were either killed or wounded and another 2,731 were captured. North Vietnam’s total casualties are largely unknown, but the 4th Army Corps alone suffered 460 killed in action, and another 1,428 were wounded. American estimates put North Vietnamese casualties at around 5,000 killed or wounded.Political outcome
In the days following the loss of Xuan Loc, there was still much debate in both houses of South Vietnam’s National Assembly about the country’s wartime policies. Pro-war elements in the National Assembly argued South Vietnam should fight until the very end, in the belief that the United States would eventually give the country the necessary amount of aid to resist the North Vietnamese. Anti-war elements, on the other hand, strongly opposed the idea. They believed the Government of South Vietnam should negotiate with the Communists, in order to avoid a catastrophic defeat. Despite their differences of opinion, members in both houses of South Vietnam’s National Assembly agreed that Nguyen Van Thieu should be held responsible for the country’s dire military and political situation, because his failed policies had enabled the Communists to easily penetrate South Vietnam’s military defences.Finally at 8 pm on April 21, 1975, Nguyen Van Thieu officially resigned from his position as the President of the Republic of Vietnam upon learning that Xuan Loc had fallen that morning. In his final effort to save South Vietnam, Nguyen Van Thieu gambled his political career by sending the very last units of the South Vietnamese army to Xuan Loc in an attempt to hold off the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps. Ultimately, however, Nguyen Van Thieu’s effort came too late. The defeat at Xuan Loc only added salt into the wound of Nguyen Van Thieu’s political career, as the National Assembly grew hostile towards his handling of the war. One day after Nguyen Van Thieu’s departure, Tran Van Huong was appointed as South Vietnam’s President, and he was ordered to seek a negotiated peace with North Vietnam at any cost, to the disappointment of many in South Vietnam’s political elite, who argued that the situation could have been different if Nguyen Van Thieu had gone earlier.