Battle of Duc Duc

The Battle of Duc Duc took place from 18 July to 4 October 1974 in Duc Duc District, Quảng Nam Province. The North Vietnamese made some minor territorial gains and suffered heavy losses, while South Vietnamese forces were severely weakened by the fighting.

Southwest of Đại Lộc District was the vast mountain district of Duc Duc. Only in the extreme northeast region of Duc Duc did South Vietnamese officials maintain full-time residence. The area west of the Sông Thu Bồn, which included part of the "Arizona Territory", was insecure and sparsely populated, as were the southern and western reaches of Duc Duc. Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) influence extended south to the Nông Sơn coal mines in the narrow canyon of the Sông Thu Bồn, about 10 kilometers from the district seat. Here at a place called Da Trach, not far north of the major operating base of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 2nd Division, the ARVN maintained a garrison with outposts manned by Regional Force (RF) units and Popular Force (PF) platoons. Duc Duc was the other principal entrance to the Quảng Nam lowlands from the PAVN-held highlands of Quảng Nam and Quảng Tín Provinces.

The ARVN 3rd Infantry Division was responsible for the defense of Quảng Nam and that part of Quảng Tín lying within the Quế Sơn Valley. In June 1974, General Nguyen Duy Hinh, the 3rd Division commander, had his 2nd Infantry Regiment operating in the Go Noi (15°51′04″N 108°12′29″E / 15.851°N 108.208°E / 15.851; 108.208) and Duc Duc areas while the 78th Ranger Battalion held Da Trach.

Da Trach, a battalion-sized camp, was a strongpoint situated on a prominent hill about 900-foot (270 m) above the Sông Thu Bồn south of the subsector headquarters at Duc Duc. It had been quiet at Da Trach and around the outposts manned by one RF company and seven PF platoons. Three of these outposts were in the hills and along the river south of Da Trach, while the others were in the valley of the Khe Le stream (15°43′18″N 108°04′12″E / 15.7216°N 108.07°E / 15.7216; 108.07), which flowed into the Sông Thu Bồn northeast of Da Trach post. Also located in the valley was the 4th Company, 146th RF Battalion, which had its 80-man garrison in the Ap Ba hamlet group (15°41′48″N 108°07′19″E / 15.6966°N 108.122°E / 15.6966; 108.122), along the road that twisted eastward over the Deo Le Pass to Quế Sơn. Possession of the Khe Le Valley would give the PAVN not only another flanking approach to the ARVN defenses in the Quế Sơn Valley but would provide access to the several good trails into Duy Xuyên District, bypassing the defenses in Duc Duc.

The 78th Ranger Battalion at Da Trach, with about 360 men, was scheduled for retraining at the Ranger Training Center, and on 17 July 1974, the 3rd Battalion, 56th Infantry, arrived to execute the relief. The infantry battalion pulled in on trucks just before dark. The relief was to take place at noon the next day, but the 78th had withdrawn most of its outposts and was bivouacked for the night in the village. Although unfamiliar with the layout of the camp defenses, the 3rd Battalion, with three of its four companies, assumed the responsibility. The strength of the 3rd Battalion, 56th Infantry, was only about 360 men, but its 2nd Company was not in the camp; rather, it had set up outposts on two hills along the east bank of the Sông Thu Bồn. One rifle platoon was on Cua Tan Mountain(15°42′07″N 108°02′37″E / 15.7019°N 108.0437°E / 15.7019; 108.0437) directly across the river from Da Trach, and the rest of the company was at Khuong Que (15°43′26″N 108°03′47″E / 15.7238°N 108.063°E / 15.7238; 108.063), to the north.

PAVN Military Region 5 was responsible for all of Quảng Nam Province to the Kon Tum Province boundary, its campaign plan for the summer and autumn of 1974 involved elements of three regular divisions, a separate infantry brigade, and several independent regiments. Objectives ranged from central Quảng Nam to southern Quảng Ngãi Provinces. To cope with the tactical and logistical requirements of this offensive, the PAVN leadership activated a new headquarters, the 3rd Corps. Operational in June, the corps began concentrating resources for the Quảng Nam campaign. The 36th Regiment was formed in the spring of 1974 from replacement groups sent from North Vietnam into the mountains of western Duc Duc. It was a light regiment, having only two infantry battalions, an antiaircraft machine gun company, light artillery, and administrative support units. On 10 July, a week before the planned relief of the 78th Ranger Battalion at Da Trach, the 36th Regiment moved undetected into assembly areas close to ARVN outposts around Da Trach. Also on the move toward Da Trach were elements of all three regiments of the 2nd Division, the 1st, 31st, and 38th, plus the 10th Sapper Battalion, division artillery, and batteries of Military Region 5 artillery.

Shortly after midnight on 18 July, PAVN artillery, rockets and mortar rounds began exploding on the defenses and outposts of Da Trach. A relatively weak attack by the PAVN 2nd Battalion, 36th Regiment, on the camp's main defenses was beaten back with heavy losses to the PAVN and light casualties to the defenders, but contact with the 2nd Company, 3rd Battalion, 56th Infantry, outposts at Khuong Que and Cua Tan was lost before daybreak. By that time, the 4th Company, 146th RF Battalion at Ap Ba had been attacked and overrun, and the survivors were trying to escape through the mountains toward Duc Duc headquarters. Shelling of the main camp meanwhile had stopped, and the attackers regrouped for another assault. The 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment and a battalion of the 31st Infantry Regiment, joined the two battalions of the 36th Regiment for the next attempt. As the reconnaissance platoon and the 4th Company, 3rd Battalion, 56th Infantry, tried to retake a lost outpost south of the camp, they were stopped by intense artillery and automatic weapons fire, which killed the company commander and the battalion commander of the 78th Rangers. The PAVN resumed infantry assaults on the camp, and the 3rd Battalion commander, who had assumed command of the 78th Rangers as well, reported the situation critical. The camp's radio was knocked out before noon, and all contact was lost with whatever PF outposts remained in action. Simultaneously with their assault on Da Trach, the PAVN began the Battle of Thượng Đức to the northwest, stretching the ARVN forces in the area.

PAVN tanks were sighted about 5 km southwest of the camp, and the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) began to provide air support to the defenders. Heavy artillery, rocket, and mortar fire continued, augmented by antiaircraft guns, up to 37 mm, used in direct fire. Contact was also lost with the 4th Company, 78th Rangers, and the two-gun platoon of 105 mm howitzers in the camp had been knocked out of action. At mid-afternoon, the five-battalion PAVN assault, which by this time included the 10th Sapper Battalion against the northern sector, had carried through the southwest defense line. With all bunkers and fighting positions demolished by a bombardment of more than 5,000 rounds, the survivors of the 3rd and 78th Battalions withdrew and the PAVN rounded up civilians in the hamlets and villages; about 7,500 of them would be moved to PAVN controlled regions of Duc Duc District.