Battle of An Loc

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Battle of An Loc

Part of Vietnam War

South Vietnamese tanker firing his gun during the Battle of An Loc.

Date	April 13-July 20, 1972
Location	An Loc, South Vietnam
Result	Decisive South Vietnamese victory.

Combatants

Commanders

Gen. Tran Van Tra

Brig. Gen. Le Van Hung

Strength

35,000+

6,000+

Casualties

Est. 10,000 killed
Est. 15,000 wounded

2,300 killed or missing

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

An Loc is the capital of Binh Long Province located northwest of Military Region III. During North Vietnam's Nguyen Hue Offensive of 1972, An Loc was at the centre of North Vietnamese strategy due to its location between Cambodia and Saigon.

To protect this important area South Vietnam had a single division in Binh Long Province, the ARVN 5th Division. During the battle the outnumbered South Vietnamese battled a combined force of three North Vietnamese and Viet Cong Divisions.

[edit] The Battle Begins

On April 7 following the fall of Loc Ninh to the Viet Cong 5th Division the South Vietnamese airstrip at Quan Loi became the next target for the Communists. The VC 9th Division attacked the airstrip forcing the two companies of the ARVN 7th Regiment to abandon the airfield. The loss of Quan Loi was clear evidence of North Vietnam's attempt to encircle An Loc. The loss of Quan Loi airstrip represented major challenges for the South Vietnamese Army because it enables the Communist troops to intercept supplies coming by National Road 13, while An Loc itself was ringed with North Vietnamese anti-aircraft artilleries, firing at any incoming aircraft.

The battle for An Loc began on April 13 with a North Vietnamese artillery barrage. At dawn the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong infantries attacked with support from Sovet-made T-54 and PT-76 tanks as well as American-made M-41 captured during Operation Lam Son 719. North Vietnamese tank crews, fresh from training centres in the Soviet Union, rolled into the streets of An Loc without their infantry escorts were destroyed amid the confusion by M-72 LAW rockets deployed by ARVN infantry.

Wounded soldier at An Loc

North Vietnamese tank and artillery barrage grew in intensity with heavy street fighting. Over the period of three months aggressive Communist assaults were met with tenacious resistance from South Vietnamese soldiers, supported by VNAF and USAF bombers. The North Vietnamese, unabled to take An Loc, also suffered heavy casualties when ARVN troops encircled and destroyed their positions. By July 20, 1972, the South Vietnamese were victorious. South Vietnamese General Le Van Hungbecame known as the "Hero of An Loc".