Battle of An Loc

Battle of An Lộc

An Lộc, as viewed from the air in 1972.

Date	April 13, 1972 – July 20, 1972
Location	An Lộc, Bình Long Province, South Vietnam
Result	South Vietnamese and American victory

Belligerents

Commanders and leaders

Trần Văn Trà

Lê Văn Hưng
Lê Nguyên Vỹ

Strength

Overall ~ 35,470+

5th NLF Division ~ 9,230
7th PAVN Division ~ 8,600
9th NLF Division ~ 10,680
69th PAVN Art'y Command ~ 3,830
205th PAVN Regt ~ 1,250,
203rd PAVN Tank Regt ~ 3,130
429th NLF Sapper Group ~ 320

48 tanks (in 2 battalion, included 17 M41 tanks captured from ARVN)

At An Loc: 7,500

5th Division:

7th Regiment, 850
8th Regiment, 2,100
9th Regiment, 200

3rd Ranger Group: 1,300
Task Force 52: 500
Binh Long Provincial Forces: 2,000
Miscellaneous units: 300

Reinforcements: 25,000+
1st Airborne Brigade
81st Ranger Group

: U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy firepower support

Casualties and losses

U.S. estimate: 10,000 casualties
Vietnamese figures: ~2,000 killed and 5,000 wounded

47 tanks destroyed (in An Loc)

ARVN reported: 2,280 killed
2,091 missing
8,564 wounded
U.S.: unknown

38 tanks and APCs, 32 howitzers destroyed
10 aircraft, 20 helicopters lost

5th NLF Division ~ 9,230
7th PAVN Division ~ 8,600
9th NLF Division ~ 10,680
69th PAVN Art'y Command ~ 3,830
205th PAVN Regt ~ 1,250,
203rd PAVN Tank Regt ~ 3,130
429th NLF Sapper Group ~ 320

5th Division:

3rd Ranger Group: 1,300
Task Force 52: 500
Binh Long Provincial Forces: 2,000
Miscellaneous units: 300

Reinforcements: 25,000+
1st Airborne Brigade
81st Ranger Group

U.S. estimate: 10,000 casualties
Vietnamese figures: ~2,000 killed and 5,000 wounded

ARVN reported: 2,280 killed
2,091 missing
8,564 wounded
U.S.: unknown

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

An Lộc is the capital of Bình Phước Province located northwest of Military Region III. During North Vietnam's "Easter Offensive", (known in Vietnam as the Nguyen Hue Offensive) of 1972, An Lộc was at the centre of People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) strategy, its location on QL-13 near Base Area 708 in Cambodia allowed safeguarding supplies based out of a "neutral" location in order to reduce exposure to U.S. bombing. To protect this critical area, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) had essentially a single division in Bình Phước Province, the 5th Division. During the battle, the 5th Division was outnumbered by a combined force consisting of three PAVN and Viet Cong divisions. This fighting which ensued became the most protracted conflict of the 1972 Easter Offensive.

...
Wikipedia