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Play it on:
HISTORY:
Battle of Xuân Lộc
The Battle of Xuân Lá»™c (Vietnamese: Tráºn Xuân Lá»™c) was the last major battle of the Vietnam War. From the beginning of 1975, People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces swept through the northern provinces of South Vietnam virtually unopposed. In the Central Highlands, South Vietnam’s II Corps was completely destroyed, whilst attempting to evacuate to the Mekong Delta region. In the cities of Huế and Da Nang, ARVN units simply dissolved without putting up resistance. The devastating defeats suffered by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) prompted South Vietnam’s National Assembly to question President Nguyá»…n Văn Thiệu‘s handling of the war, thereby placing him under tremendous pressure to resign.
The ARVN committed almost all their remaining mobile forces, especially the 18th Division, under Brigadier general Lê Minh Äảo, to the defence of the strategic crossroads town of Xuân Lá»™c, hoping to stall the PAVN advance. The battle was fought between 9 and 21 April 1975, and ended when the town of Xuân Lá»™c was captured by the PAVN 4th Army Corps led by Major general Hoà ng Cầm. This was the ARVN III Corps‘ last defensive line east of South Vietnam’s capital, Saigon. The line connected the city of Bình DÆ°Æ¡ng, Bien Hoa Air Base, VÅ©ng Tà u, Long An and the lynchpin centered on the strategic town of Xuân Lá»™c, where the South Vietnamese Joint General Staff committed the nation’s final reserve forces in Saigon’s defense. In the last-ditch effort to save South Vietnam, Thiệu ordered the 18th Infantry Division to hold Xuân Lá»™c at all costs. The PAVN 4th Army Corps, on the other hand, was ordered to capture Xuân Lá»™c in order to open the gateway to Saigon. During the initial stages of the battle, the 18th Division managed to beat off early attempts by the PAVN to capture the town, forcing PAVN commanders to change their battle plan. However, on 19 April 1975, Äảo’s forces were ordered to withdraw after Xuân Lá»™c was almost completely isolated, with all remaining units badly mauled. This defeat also marked the end of Thiệu’s political career, as he resigned on 21 April 1975.
Once Xuân Lá»™c fell on 21 April 1975, the PAVN battled with the last remaining elements of III Corps Armored Task Force, remnants of the 18th Infantry Division and depleted Marine, Airborne and Ranger Battalions in a fighting retreat that lasted nine days, until they reached Saigon and PAVN armored columns crashed throughout the gates of South Vietnam’s Presidential Palace on 30 April 1975, effectively ending the war.
Dedicated to Brigadier General Lê Minh Äảo and the 18th Division, who held this last defensive line to Saigon between April 9th-25th 1975.
I attempted to create a close 1:1 of Firebase Husky and the surrounding terrain of the town.
ARVN defending against PAVN attacking
Author: Montezuma
SWS LINK:Â HERE
