Battle of Binh Gia

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Battle of Binh Gia

Viet Cong propaganda depicting the Battle of Binh Gia.

Date	December 28, 1964- January 1, 1965
Location	Binh Gia, South Vietnam
Result	Viet Cong Victory

Combatants

Viet Cong

South Vietnam

United States

Commanders

Gen. Duong Van Nhut

Captain Franklin P. Eller (Senior Advisor)

Strength

1,500

3,000+

Casualties

234+ KIA

300+ ARVN
5 US

Vietnam War
Ap Bac – Binh Gia –Pleiku – Song Be – Dong Xoai – Gang Toi – Ia Drang – Hastings – A Shau – Duc Co –Long Tan – Attleboro – Cedar Falls – Tra Binh Dong – Junction City – Hill 881 – Ong Thanh – Dak To – 1st Tet – Khe Sanh – 1st Saigon – Hue – Lang Vei – Lima Site 85 – Kham Duc – Dewey Canyon – 2nd Tet – Hamburger Hill – Binh Ba – Cambodia – Snuol – FSB Ripcord – Lam Son 719 – Ban Dong –FSB Mary Ann – Easter '72 – 1st Quang Tri –Loc Ninh – An Loc – Kontum – 2nd Quang Tri –Phuoc Long – Ho Chi Minh – Buon Me Thuot – Xuan Loc – Truong Sa –2nd Saigon – Rolling Thunder – Barrell Roll – Pony Express – Steel Tiger – Tiger Hound – Tailwind – Commando Hunt – Linebacker I – Linebacker II – Chenla I – Chenla II – SS Mayagüez

The Battle of Binh Gia was a battle of the Vietnam War that pitched the Viet Cong against the ARVN and their American advisors.

Towards the end of 1964 South Vietnam was facing political instability following the coup against President Ngo Dinh Diem. Taking advantage of the government's political and military situation, the National Liberation Front sought to commemorate the fourth anniversary of its establishment with a major victory in the battlefield. The first operational Viet Cong unit, the 9th Division, was given the honour of carrying out the mission.

1 Summary
2 The Battle of Binh Gia
3 Result
4 Order of Battle
- 4.1 ARVN
- 4.2 Viet Cong
5 References
6 External Links

[edit] Summary

To prepare for the battle, the Viet Cong 271st and 272nd Regiments were selected to be placed under the command of the Forward Command Committee, and conducted training and began moving into the Baria-Long Khanh region. With North Vietnamese assistance, the Viet Cong built up their weaponry supplies and was ordered to destroy any ARVN units along Route 2 and 15.

Leading up to the battle the Viet Cong successfully staged several ambushes against government troops, with an entire company of South Vietnamese M-113 armoured personnel carriers destroyed on December 9.

The village of Binh Gia was surrounded by rubber and banana plantations, located in Phuoc Tuy Province about 67km from Saigon. Most of the local inhabitants were Catholics who had escaped from North Vietnam due to Communist persecutions, and the local priest was the commander of the militia forces.

[edit] The Battle of Binh Gia

The elements of the Viet Cong 9th Division, led by the 514th Battalion, began their assault during the early morning of December 28, when they overran several outposts and quickly overwhelmed the local militia forces. Later that morning two South Vietnamese Ranger Units counterattacked but were unable to clear the enemy from their positions, briefly coming within 300 metres of Binh Gia village until a Viet Cong Battalion forced them to withdraw.

Reinforcements from the 30th and 33rd South Vietnamese Rangers arrived on December 29 but they were unable to dislodge the well-entrenched VC, and after some heavy fighting the Ranger battalions were decimated by Viet Cong machine gun fire. On the morning of December 30, the South Vietnamese 4th Marines Battalion landed by helicopter. They recaptured Binh Gia but the Viet Cong was nowhere to be seen. Later that day, a US Army gunship was shot down, killing four crewmen.

One company from the 4th Marines Battalion were sent to the crash site to try and recover the bodies, but the South Vietnamese were ambushed again. On the morning of December 31, the 4th Marines Battalion moved westward in an attempt to rescue the trapped company. At the site of the crash the 4th Marines Battalion and their American advisors discovered fresh graves but it turned out to be an ambush. Viet Cong soldiers launched deadly attacks on the ARVN, and further reinforcements from the 29th, 30th and 33rd ARVN Ranger Battalions were ambushed and decimated. This latest battle resulted in the death of 35 ARVN officers, 112 Marines and 71 wounded bringing the total casualties to more than 300. On January 1 further ARVN reinforcements arrived but they were too late.

[edit] Result

Despite the humiliating defeat inflicted on them the South Vietnamese army stubbornly considered the battle as their victory. In many ways the battle of Binh Gia reflected the growing strength of the Viet Cong, especially in the Mekong Delta region. It was the first time the National Liberation Front launched a large-scale operation, holding its ground and fighting for four days against government troops equipped with armour. The Viet Cong demonstrated, when well-supplied with military supplies from North Vietnam, they had the ability to fight and inflict damage on the best ARVN units.

Following their victory at Binh Gia, the Viet Cong 272nd Regiment returned to War Zone D and began preparing for their next mission: Dong Xoai.