The VC D440 Battalion, also known as the ''Viet Cong D440 Provincial Mobile Battalion'', was a Local Force

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

of the

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

(VC) 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 ...

. The battalion operated in the Phước Tuy and

Long Khánh Long Khánh is a city of Đồng Nai Province in the Southeast region of Vietnam. It covers an area of 194 km² and had a population of 171,276 in 2019. Long Khánh city's predecessor was Long Khánh town A town is a human settlem ...

provinces usually along Route 2. It was formed in 1968 under the command of Comrade Hai Tinh and consisted mainly of

North Vietnamese Army The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed win ...

(NVA) personnel.McNeill and Ekins 2003, p. 48. From 1966-1971 Phuoc Tuy Province was the area of South Vietnam that was assigned to

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

forces to defend against Communist incursions and provide support to South Vietnamese government, as part of the

1st Australian Task Force The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based in a rubber plantation at Nui Dat, north of Bà Rịa i ...

(1 ATF). The battalion's first major encounter with the Australians and New Zealanders was during ''Operation Lavarack'' launched by 1 ATF in May 1969, and concluding 30 June 1969.'Battle of Binh Ba' URL: https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/binh-ba (Australian War Memorial) During Operation Lavarack the battalion along with other

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the ...

(PAVN) and VC guerrilla elements participated in the battle of Binh Ba but were expelled by 1 ATF forces. The village of Binh Ba was completely destroyed during the battle.Coulthard-Clark 2001, p. 291.Odgers 1999, p. 349. As a result of the failure at Binh Ba all PAVN forces including D440 Battalion were temporarily forced out of Phuoc Tuy, retreating to Long Khánh Province. Overall the unit generally performed poorly against Australian and New Zealand forces however, and it was eventually disbanded in August 1970 with most of its personnel transferred to the locally-manned

D445 Battalion The 445th Battalion (D445 for short), also known as the ''D445 Provincial Mobile Battalion'' or the ''Ba Ria Battalion'', was a local force battalion of the Viet Cong (VC) during the Vietnam War. History The battalion operated in the Dong Nai riv ...

Notes

References

* * * {{Refend Military units and formations of the Viet Cong Military units and formations established in 1968 Military units and formations disestablished in 1970