Battle of Loc Ninh

Battle of Lộc Ninh
Part of the Vietnam War

Movements of Communist forces in Bình Long in 1972.
Date4–7 April 1972
Location11°50′5.64″N 106°35′15.72″E / 11.8349000°N 106.5877000°E / 11.8349000; 106.5877000
Result Viet Cong–North Vietnamese victory.
Belligerents
 South Vietnam
 United States
Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam Viet Cong
 North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
South Vietnam Nguyen Cong Vinh
United States Richard R. Schott
United States Mark A. Smith
Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam Hoàng Văn Thái
Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam Trần Văn Trà
Strength
South Vietnam Regular Force:
About 2,000
Local militia: ~2.000
United States Air support and advisors to direct strikes
About 13,800
Casualties and losses
Nearly 2,000 South Vietnamese soldiers killed or wounded
1,876 captured (only about 50 soldiers actually reached An Lộc)
7 American advisers captured (later released)
18 M-41 tanks and 31 M113 APCs destroyed, 17 M-41 tanks and 32 trucks captured
8 Self-propelled guns destroyed
8 helicopters destroyed.
~1,000 North Vietnamese soldiers killed or wounded
2 T-54 and 1 PT-76 tanks destroyed

The Battle of Lộc Ninh was a major battle fought during the Easter Offensive during the Vietnam War, which took place in Bình Long Province, South Vietnam between 4 and 7 April 1972. Towards the end of 1971, North Vietnamese leaders decided to launch a major offensive against South Vietnam, with the objective of destroying Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) units and capturing as much territory as possible, in order to strengthen their bargaining position in the Paris Peace Accords. On 30 March 1972, two People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) divisions smashed through the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone, marking the commencement of the Easter Offensive. They quickly overwhelmed South Vietnamese units in the I Corps Tactical Zone. With the rapid collapse of South Vietnamese forces in the northern provinces of South Vietnam, PAVN and Viet Cong (VC) forces began preparing for their next offensive, targeting Bình Long Province in the rubber plantation region north of Saigon. On 4 April, the VC 5th Division opened their attack on Lộc Ninh, defended by the ARVN 9th Infantry Regiment. After three days of fighting, the vastly outnumbered ARVN forces, though well supported by American air power, were forced to abandon their positions in Lộc Ninh.