Battle of Ba Gia - Battle

Battle

On the night of May 28, 1965, the Viet Cong marched into their designated positions around Ba Gia; the 90th Battalion took up their position at Minh Thanh, the 60th Battalion at Vinh Loc 1, the 40th Battalion at Duyen Phuoc, and the 45th Battalion at Vinh Khanh. The 271st Regimental Headquarters set up camp at Nui Thanh, while the 83rd Local Force Battalion was ordered to encircle the administrative centre at Nghia Hanh. Precisely at 5.45 am on May 29, elements of the Viet Cong 271st Regiment launched a surprise attack on Phuoc Loc, a small village located south of Ba Gia. Within 10 minutes of fighting, the two platoons of South Vietnamese Regional Force defending Phuoc Loc were subdued, and the Viet Cong quickly consolidated the battlefield around the area. At around 6:00 am ARVN Captain Nguyen Van Ngoc, commander of the 1st Battalion, 51st Infantry Regiment, led his unit from Go Cao south toward Phuoc Loc to stage a counter-attack against the lead element of the enemies’ 271st Regiment.

At 9.50 am, as the South Vietnamese 1st Battalion marched through Loc Tho village they were immediately encircled by the Viet Cong 90th Battalion, who had set up ambush positions and were waiting for the South Vietnamese army to arrive. Caught by the element of surprise, the South Vietnamese 1st Battalion descended into chaos and was unable to mount an effective counter-attack. In less than one hour of fighting, the battalion was completely destroyed with 270 soldiers either killed or wounded. Captain Nguyen Van Ngoc was amongst the 217 men who were captured. Only 65 South Vietnamese soldiers and three American advisors managed to return to government lines. The Viet Cong also claimed to have destroyed one 105mm artillery piece, four GMC trucks and one Jeep. Meanwhile, the Viet Cong’s 83rd Local Force Battalion marched from Tra Khuc River toward Nghia Hanh, and began applying pressure on the South Vietnamese soldiers stationed there. Thus, the Viet Cong were asserting control over Ba Gia and the surrounding areas.

On the afternoon of May 29, ARVN General Nguyen Chanh Thi, commander of South Vietnam’s I Corps Tactical Zone, responded to the Viet Cong assault by forming a Task Force with the objective of recapturing Ba Gia. The Task Force consisted of the 2nd Battalion, 51st Infantry Regiment, the 3rd Marine Battalion, the 39th Ranger Battalion and one squadron of M-113 armoured personnel carriers. According to General Nguyen Chanh Thi’s plan, the Task Force would achieve the following objectives: the 3rd Marine Battalion would advance along Route 5 toward the objective of Ba Gia; the 39th Ranger Battalion through An Thuyet, Vinh Loc and Vinh Khanh and than capture Mount Chop Non; and the 2nd Battalion, 51st Infantry Regiment towards Phuoc Loc and capture Mount Ma To. On the morning of May 30 the South Vietnamese Task Force assembled in Quang Ngai City and waited for further orders, while South Vietnamese artillery and U.S. Air Force fighter-bombers pounded Viet Cong positions around Ba Gia.

At around 12 noon on May 30, with extensive air support from U.S. fighter-bombers and UH-1 helicopter gunships, the South Vietnamese army advanced towards their objectives in two separate columns. In the first, the ARVN 39th Ranger Battalion approached northern Phuoc Loc to secure Mount Chop Non, from whence they could strike at the Viet Cong’s southern flank. In the second column the ARVN 2nd Battalion and the 3rd Marine Battalion advanced towards their objectives of Mount Ma To and Ba Gia respectively. However, South Vietnamese manoeuvres on the ground did not go unnoticed, because Viet Cong reconnaissance teams on Mount Khi had spotted South Vietnamese columns and responded accordingly. Elements of the Viet Cong 45th Battalion were ordered to set up ambush positions inside the village of Vinh Khanh, while the 60th Battalion was redeployed to Mount Ma To and waited for the enemy there. At about 1 pm the ARVN 2nd Battalion, 51st Infantry Regiment arrived on Hill 47 in the vicinity of Mount Ma To, but the Viet Cong 60th Battalion allowed them to advance toward their objective.

Meanwhile, the ARVN 39th Ranger Battalion secured their objective on Mount Chop Non, with the main formation of the Viet Cong 45th Battalion lining their troops on the rear positions of the South Vietnamese Rangers. At 2:05 pm the Viet Cong finally unleashed their ambush on the ARVN 2nd Battalion, forcing the South Vietnamese infantrymen to fight for their lives. As fighting erupted on Mount Ma To, the ARVN 3rd Marine Battalion inside the village of Phuoc Loc was ordered to relieve the 2nd Battalion. However, by 3:30 pm the 3rd Marine Battalion was also surrounded by the Viet Cong 60th Battalion on Hill 47, which had moved out from Vinh Loc village to engage the South Vietnamese Marines. At the same time, Viet Cong mortar fire began slamming into South Vietnamese positions in the village of Phuoc Loc, and fighting continued until 5 pm. When it concluded that evening both sides had suffered heavy casualties and the South Vietnamese 2nd Battalion and the 3rd Marine Battalion were forced to retreat back to Phuoc Loc with four M-113 APCs providing fire support.

During the night of May 30, Viet Cong formations on the battlefield were ordered to wipe out what was left of the South Vietnamese Task Force in Phuoc Loc village, as local villagers in Ba Gia helped the Viet Cong round up South Vietnamese prisoners. On Mount Chop Non, the Viet Cong 45th Battalion were able to advance within 100 metres of the ARVN 39th Ranger Battalion’s line of defence without being noticed. In the early hours of May 31, the Viet Cong 40th Battalion resumed its attack on South Vietnamese positions in Phuoc Loc, but the ARVN 2nd Battalion and 3rd Marine Battalion put up stiff resistance. After several hours of fierce fighting, the Viet Cong recaptured Phuoc Loc where they found the bodies of 94 dead South Vietnamese soldiers. At the same time, the Viet Cong 45th Battalion attacked the ARVN 39th Ranger Battalion on Mount Chop Non. The Viet Cong bombarded the South Vietnamese with heavy mortars, which were followed by infantry assaults. By 4 am the Viet Cong 45th Battalion had successfully recaptured their final objective of Mount Chop Non, leaving the 39th Ranger Battalion decimated with 108 soldiers killed.