In early 1975, the People's Army of Vietnam swept through several South Vietnamese territories on
their way to Saigon. The government pleaded with the Americans for help to no avail,
and the town of Xuân Lộc became the last stronghold of South Vietnamese resistance.
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam sent almost all of their remaining forces
to defend the strategic crossroad, and President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu ordered the
18th Infantry Division to hold the town at all costs.
The South Vietnamese front then faced the Communist 4th Army Corps
in a relentless 13-day battle that would decide the fate of the war.
Two Sides
Xuân Lộc is a district of Vietnam located in its Southeast region.
It became a strategic point during the war as it controlled the eastern approach to the South
Vietnamese military bases in Bien Hoa/Long Binh and was only 40 miles away from Saigon.
By 1975, Xuân Lộc was the last remaining line of defense before Saigon,
and the government of the Republic of Vietnam was in deep political unrest,
which reflected upon the military’s performance in the battlefields.
In early April, two attempts to attack President Thiệu were foiled,
and he became suspicious of his own military commanders.
In response to the South Vietnamese Senate recommendations of terminating
Prime Minister's Trần Thiện Khiêm government due to a lack of results,
a new Prime Minister was selected: Nguyễn Bá Cẩn.
During a meeting on April 3 with the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General
Frederick Weyand, the President outlined his latest plan to defend South Vietnam.
Vowing to protect what was left of the battered country,
Thiệu decided that Xuân Lộc would become the center of his resistance.
Thiệu also pleaded with General Weyand for support, but the United States could
not intervene in the conflict. The War Powers Act, enacted in the fall of 1973,
severely restricted military intervention without Congress’s approval.
Meanwhile, the North Vietnamese government was still riding high
after several frontline wins throughout the winter,
and strategically positioned their forces to attack Xuân Lộc on their way to Saigon.
The Communists’ main force in the area was the 4th Army Corps,
which were advancing from the Northeastern side of the district. The 2nd Corps would then enter
from the northwest. They would both face a resilient and hopeful 18th Infantry Division.
The 18th Infantry Division
During the first stages of the Vietnam War, the Army of the
Republic of Vietnam's 18th Infantry Division had a reputation of being their worst unit.
However, this perception changed in March of 1972 when Lê Minh Đảo assumed command
of the unit. Đảo was one of the best officers in the Army and had advanced
through the ranks because of his abilities, not due to nepotism or political connections.
The 39-year-old officer always wore dark sunglasses and gave the impression of
being just another playboy from the elite South Vietnamese social class.
However, his inner strength and strategic mindset would eventually earn him plenty of
respect on his way to becoming one of the finest tactical minds of the war.
While preparing the defense of Xuân Lộc,
the General addressed his frontline troops directly and decreed that
all of his officers should maintain contact with subordinates at least two levels down.
When foreign journalists asked him about his plans only days before the battle,
Đảo responded that: [QUOTE] "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."
Countdown to the Battle
Đảo's first order of business was to evacuate
civilians to the relative safety of a base at Long Binh, near Saigon.
The General then analyzed the routes that the North Vietnamese had used
to attack Xuân Lộc during the Tet Offensive Campaign in 1968.
He consequently decided to move his 36 divisional field artillery pieces to a position where they
could mass their fire into a triangular-shaped kill zone on the western side of town.
Đảo then placed his Division’s guns in reinforced revetments, made sure they were stockpiled with
ammunition, and adjusted each one for pinpoint accuracy towards enemy artillery positions.
He also positioned two long-range 175-millimeter
M107 self-propelled guns at Tan Phong, his first alternate command post.
In the days before the battle, his communication and intelligence troops monitored all North
Vietnamese radio frequencies, and Đảo studied the reports at night.
The 18th Division would be supported by the 43rd, 48th, and 52nd Field Artillery Battalion
and troops from two Popular Force Companies and four Regional Force battalions.
By the end of March, the North Vietnamese Army's 4th Corps moved towards Xuân Lộc with its 6th,
7th, and 341st divisions commanded by Major General Hoang Cam and supported by two armored
battalions, two artillery battalions, two combat engineering regiments, and a signals regiment.
The North Vietnamese Army totaled 20,000 men,
while the Army of the Republic of Vietnam had 12,000 soldiers.
The pieces were now set for a final confrontation.
The Fight for the South
The Battle of Xuân Lộc officially began on April 9 at 5:40am,
when the North Vietnamese began shelling South Vietnamese positions.
After one hour of bombardment, the 341st Infantry attacked a communication center
on the Northern side of the city and successfully overthrew a building and a nearby police station.
But the strategic South Vietnamese resistance in the center allowed
their 52nd Task Force to counter-attack, halting any further advance by the 341st.
Further at the Eastern side, an open-ground assault attempt by the
North Vietnamese’s 7th Infantry Division failed. Eight tanks tried to back them up,
but three were destroyed, and the other five were forced to withdraw.
With two stalling attacks during the first hours of the battle,
Major General Cam launched a surprise offensive by ordering
his 6th Infantry Division to attack from the Southern side of the town.
Meanwhile, two more Infantry regiments from the
North Vietnamese Army took advantage of the weak defense line in the south
and successfully captured the 18th Infantry Division’s headquarters.
During the second and third days of the battle, the North Vietnamese forces kept
trying to advance but were continually repulsed. In these two days alone,
the South Vietnamese Air Force delivered more than 200 bombing sorties.
By April 12, the South’s government decided to send reinforcement troops to Xuân Lộc and
assigned the 1st Airborne Brigade, 33rd Ranger Battalion, 8/5th Infantry Division, 8th Artillery,
and the 315th and 318th Armoured Brigades to the town's defense.
That same day, fighter bombers flew over 100 combat sorties, dropping ammunition and
causing widespread devastation and fear amongst the North Vietnamese soldiers.
A Change Of Plans
On April 13, the North Vietnamese offensive stopped advancing.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, General Tran Van Tra, commander of the Viet Cong forces,
arrived at the headquarters of the 4th Corps to reassess their plans.
It was pivotal to hinder the flow of South Vietnamese reinforcements and supplies, so he
ordered his units to act as blocking forces along the two major highways leading into Xuân Lộc.
The modified operation was launched on April 15,
and the companies along the roads began to tighten the noose around Xuân Lộc.
Meanwhile, the Viet Cong units in the Northern and Eastern sides of the city resumed their
large-scale attacks and shelled the Bien Hoa airbase to prevent any aircraft from taking off.
The tides quickly began to change for the South Vietnamese forces.
When the Viet Cong troops captured Dau Giay,
General Đảo ordered his 8th Task Force and 3rd Armored Brigade to retake it.
However, they suffered massive casualties and were forced to withdraw from the area.
During the following two days, many South Vietnamese units were
attacked from all sides as enemy infantry units infiltrated their defensive line.
The 43rd and 48th Infantry Regiments, and the 1st Airborne Brigade, took the biggest toll.
The North Vietnamese then focused their attacks on the outlying townships leading to Xuân Lộc,
and the units tore through several buildings,
destroying both the structures and the troops supporting them.
By April 18, the Viet Cong forces had surrounded and cut off most of Xuân Lộc.
And the following day, General Đảo was ordered to abandon the area and evacuate as many troops
as possible towards Bien Hoa, where they would prepare one last defensive line.
As rain poured in Xuân Lộc, 200 military convoys evacuated soldiers and civilians alike.
The 1st Airborne Brigade stayed behind to protect the retreat,
but at 4:00am they were attacked and completely destroyed.
By the end of the day on April 21, Xuân Lộc was under total control of the Viet Cong,
and the gateway to Saigon was officially open.
Consequences
South Vietnamese President Thiệu resigned immediately after the defeat
in Xuân Lộc and was replaced by Tran Van Huong.
Meanwhile, Đảo continued to march by foot alongside his troops to resist the advancing
North Vietnamese forces. But despite their efforts, Saigon surrendered on April 30.
At the time, the relentless 18th Division was in defense positions near the Bien Hoa airbase,
and they wanted to continue fighting. After changing into civilian clothes,
Đảo and members of his unit reached the South Vietnamese headquarters, but found no one alive.
Đảo finally surrendered on May 9 and spent 17 years in brutal re-education camps.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union,
the General was one of the last four senior officers freed in the spring of 1992.
Ultimately, the Battle of Xuân Lộc cost the South Vietnamese over 2,000 casualties
and two-thirds of their territory, allowing the Viet Cong forces into Saigon
and effectively putting an end to the war.
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