Battle of Xuan Loc

Battle of Xuan Loc

The Battle of Xuan Loc (Vietnamese: Trn Xun Lc) was the last major battle of the Vietnam War. The battle was fought between April 921, 1975, and ended when the town of Xuan Loc was captured by the North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps. From the beginning of 1975, North Vietnams military forces swept through the northern provinces of South Vietnam virtually unopposed. In the Central Highlands, South Vietnams 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.[1] The devastating defeats suffered by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam prompted South Vietnams National Assembly to question President Nguyen Van Thieus handling of the war, thereby placing him under tremendous pressure to resign.[2] 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.[3] The North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps, on the other hand, was ordered to capture Xuan Loc in order to open the gateway to Saigon.[4] 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 managed to beat off numerous attempts by their enemies to capture the town and rout the defenders, forcing PAVN commanders to change their battle plan.[5] On April 19, 1975, the South Vietnamese defenders at Xuan Loc were ordered to withdraw after Xuan Loc was almost completely isolated . Subsequently, President Nguyen Van Thieu was forced to resign after leading Republic of Vietnam in the fight against their northern rival, North Vietnam, for 10 years.[2]

Background
In the first half of 1975, the government 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.[6] On April 4, South Vietnamese pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung bombed the Independence Palace with his F-5 Tiger. It later turned out that the pilot had been an undercover member of the Viet Cong since 1969.[6] Following those failed assassination attempts, President Nguyen Van Thieu grew suspicious of his own military commanders.[6] 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 Senates recommendations, immediately approved Tran Thien Kiems resignation and swore in Nguyen Ba Can as the new Prime Minister.[7] 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 medical treatment.[8] 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 center of his countrys resistance, with Tay Ninh and Phan Rang on either side.[3] 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 violated 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.[6]

Battle of Xuan Loc 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 Vietnams 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.[4] 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.[4]

Order of Battle
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 brigades, four regional force battalions (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.[9] 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 divisions; 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.[9]

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.[10] 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.[11]

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 Ninh 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.[12]

Battle of Xuan Loc The North Vietnamese 4th Army Corps Command selected Dau TiengChon 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 105mm artillery guns. The military zone of Dau TiengChon Thanh located in area adjacent to the three provinces of Tay Ninh, Binh Duong and Binh Long. The task of capturing Dau TiengChon 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 5am 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.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16] 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.[16] 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.[16]

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.[17] 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
Movement of North and South Vietnamese forces.

Battle of Xuan Loc also busy lining up their units in anticipation of the enemy onslaught. Prior to the battle, General Le Minh Dao told foreign media that:I am determined to hold Xuan Loc. I dont 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.[18] At 5.40am 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 PAVN 341st Infantry Division captured the ARVN communications centre and the local police station after more than one hour of heavy fighting.[19] 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 Picture with South Vietnamese soldiers posing support, so they sustained heavy casualties in the initial stages of the with captured enemy flags. fighting. At 8am 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.[19] By midday, the North Vietnamese 209th and 270th Infantry Regiments captured the Headquarters of the ARVN 18th Infantry Division and the Governors Residence, which was defended by the ARVN 43rd and 48th Infantry Regiments, setting ablaze seven South Vietnamese tanks in the process.[19] 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.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22] 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.[22] 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 sorties per day to support the defenders at Xuan Loc.[23] At 2pm 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.[24]. However, the ARVN also suffered casualties from the blast. On April 13, General Tran Van Tra, commander of the National Liberation Front Armed Forces (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

Battle of Xuan Loc 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.[5] 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.[25] 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.[26] 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.[26] With Dau Giay and all the main roads under enemies control, Xuan Loc was completely isolated, the 18th cut off from reinforcements 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.[27] 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 4am 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.[27][28]

Battle of Xuan Loc

Aftermath
Military outcome
Following their victory at Xuan Loc, the North Vietnamese army effectively controlled two-thirds of South Vietnams 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 Vietnams armed forces could only hold out for a few more days as a result of their losses on the battlefield.[29] According to Vietnams official account of the battle, about 2,036 South Vietnamese soldiers were either killed or wounded and another 2,731 were captured.[27]. However, it should be stated that the 18th ARVN Division alone suffered over 30 percent casualties over 12,000 soldiers committed to The Xuan Loc victory monument dedicated to the the battle, not to mention other's forces. PAVN and NLFs total Vietnam People's Army, in Dong Nai Province. casualties are largely unknown, but the 4th Army Corps alone suffered 460 killed in action, and another 1,428 were wounded.[30] While Le Xuan Dao claim that the battle has cost the PAVN over 50,000 KIA and 370 tanks destroyed, American estimates only put North Vietnamese casualties at around 5,000 killed and/or wounded.[31].

Political outcome
In the days following the loss of Xuan Loc, there was still much debate in both houses of South Vietnams National Assembly about the countrys 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.[2] 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 Vietnams National Assembly agreed that Nguyen Van Thieu should be held responsible for the countrys dire military and political situation, because his policies had allowed the enemies to easily penetrate South Vietnams military defences.[2] Finally at 8pm 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.[2] Ultimately, however, Nguyen Van Thieus effort came too late. The defeat at Xuan Loc only added salt into the wound of Nguyen Van Thieus political career, as the National Assembly grew hostile towards his handling of the war. One day after Nguyen Van Thieus departure, Tran Van Huong was appointed as South Vietnams President, and he was ordered to seek a negotiated peace with North Vietnam at any cost, to the disappointment of many in South Vietnams political elite, who argued that the situation could have been different if Thieu had gone earlier.[32]

Battle of Xuan Loc

Notes
[1] James Willbanks, p.251 [2] Alan Dawson, p.66 [3] Alan Dawson, p.59 [4] Pham Ngoc Thach & Ho Khang, pp.372376 [5] Ho Son Dai, pp.138189 [6] Duong Hao, p.208 [7] Frank Snepp, p.75 [8] Alan Dawson, p.63 [9] Duong Hao, pp.229230 [10] Ho Son Dai, p.112 [11] Pham Ngoc Thach & Ho Khang, p.381 [12] Duong Hao, p.219 [13] Dinh Van Thien & Do Phuong Linh, p.3 [14] Ho Son Dai, p.102 [15] Dinh Van Thien & Do Phuong Linh, pp.35 [16] Ho Son Dai, pp.104105 [17] Hoang Cam, p.168 [18] Duong Hao, pp.228229 [19] Tran Xuan Ban, p.146 [20] Pham Ngoc Thach & Ho Khang, p.382 [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] Hoang Cam, p.172 Ho Son Dai, p.135 Ho Son Dai, pp.136137 Pham Ngoc Thach & Ho Khang, p.384 Ho Son Dai, pp.138139 Le Anh Dai Kiet, p.181 Pham Ngoc Thach & Ho Khang, pp.392393 Le Anh Dai Kiet, pp.181182 Frank Snepp, p.99 Pham Ngoc Thach & Ho Khang, p.369 Cao Van Vien, p.132 Duong Hao, pp.241242

References
Alan Dawson. The Collapse of Saigon in 55 Days. Hanoi: Su That Publishing. Can Van Vien. (1983). The Final Collapse. Washington DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History Dinh Van Thien. (2005). Battles on the Doorstep of Saigon. Hanoi: People's Army Publishing House. Duong Hao. (1980). A Tragic Chapter. Hanoi: People's Army Publishing House. Frank Snepp. (2001). A Disastrous Retreat. Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City Publishing. Hoang Cam. (2001). The Journey of Ten Thousand Days. Hanoi: Peoples Army Publishing House. Ho Son Dai. (2004). History of the 4th Army Corp-Cuu Long Corp. Hanoi: People's Army Publishing House. Le Dai Anh Kiet. (2003). The Narratives of Saigon Generals. Hanoi: People's Police Publishing. Nguyen Van Bieu. (2005). The Army at the Tay Nguyen Front- 3rd Army Corp. Hanoi: People's Army Publishing House Pham Ngoc Thach & Ho Khang. (2008). History of the War of Resistance against America (8th edn). Hanoi: National Politics Publishing House. Tran Xuan Ban. (2006). History of the 7th Infantry Division. Hanoi: People's Army Publishing House. James H. Willbanks. (2004). Abandoning Vietnam: How America Left and South Vietnam Lost Its War. Lawrence KS: University of Kansas Press.

Battle of Xuan Loc

External links
Battle of Xuan Loc (http://www.vnafmamn.com/xuanloc_battle.html) Web site of Veterans of the 18th Division/ARVN (http://www.sudoan18bobinh.com/) Doccumentary video of the battle where the ARVN General was interviewed. (http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=VfhBb0eBNCY)

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