The 52nd Ranger Battalion was a Vietnamese Rangers battalion of the

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April ...

(ARVN) during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. To form the battalion, the 347th, 348th, 351st and 352nd independent ranger companies amalgamated in early 1964, at

Mỹ Tho Mỹ Tho () is a city in the Tiền Giang province in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam. It has a population of approximately 169,000 in 2006 and 220,000 in 2012. It is the regional center of economics, education and technology. The majorit ...

. Its commanding officer was Captain Vong Si Dau. The Battalion played a part with other ARVN forces in the Battle of Đồng Xoài which took place in Phước Long Province between June 9 and 13, 1965. On 11 November 1965, the battalion was augmented to the US 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and conducted an air assault to relief a US element of the 11th ACR that had been ambushed by the

VC 275th Regiment The 275th Regiment, also known as ''275 Viet Cong Main Force Regiment'', was a regiment of the Viet Cong (VC) during the Vietnam War. The regiment was formed in May 1965. History The 275th Regiment, with nickname "Cá Gô" 55 Regiment - was part o ...

near Kim Hai hamlet, in the village of Phuoc Hoa on Route 15, in Phước Tuy Province and received a United States Presidential Unit Citation. In addition to the first PUC, the unit was awarded a Valorous Unit Citation by the US for its actions at Suoi Long, Vietnam 27 June 1967 and processed for a second Presidential Unit Citation for the same action. The 52d BDQ was significantly engaged during Tet 1968, securing Xuân Lộc, clearing Ba Ria and participating in the subsequent clearance of Cholon and Biên Hòa. After training with one of the New Zealand infantry companies of the 1st Australian Task Force in October and November 1969, 4/52 ARVN was deployed with the New Zealand company, and the Australians and New Zealanders of

6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in Brisbane, Queensland, on 6 June 1965 and has since then served in a number of overseas deployments and conf ...

(6 RAR/NZ) in ''Operation Marsden'' on 3 December which was conducted in the

Mây Tào Mountains The Mây Tào Mountains are a set of tortoise shaped mountains 45 kilometres north east of Nui Dat and was primarily located in Bình Tuy Province and partly with the Phước Tuy Province and Long Khánh Province. Nui Mây Tào was the topograph ...

. The operation resulted in an enormous success for 1 ATF wherein huge amounts of weapons, equipment and explosives were discovered as well as the discovery of the Viet Cong K76A Hospital which was the principal provider of medical services for all Communist forces in Phước Tuy and

Long Khánh Province Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...

s. 4/52 ARVN left the operation on 14 December and the Australians and New Zealanders concluded the operation on 28 December. 'Operation Marsden' URL: http://www.v4coy.com/operation-marsden.html (VICTOR FOUR COMPANY, 6 RAR/NZ (ANZAC) Battalion, South Vietnam 1969–1970) The battalion ceased to exist after the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975.

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References

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External links

The 52ND Ranger Battalion (Thunderbolt of the Eastern Sky)
Military units and formations of South Vietnam Military units and formations established in 1964 Military units and formations disestablished in 1975 {{mil-unit-stub