The 1st Infantry Division was a

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

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 Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed wi ...

(PAVN), first formed from PAVN units in 1965.

Vietnam War

The Division was formed on 20 December 1965 from the PAVN 32nd, 33rd, 66th and 320th Regiment was under the control of the PAVN B3 Front in the Central Highlands. The Division's 33rd and 66th Regiments were engaged in the

Battle of Ia Drang The Battle of Ia Drang (, ; in English ) was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), as part of the Pleiku Campaign conducted early in the Vietnam War, at the eastern foot of the Chu Pong Ma ...

from 14-18 November 1965, losing 1070-1753 killed. The Division was the target of Operation Paul Revere from 10 May to 1 August 1966, losing 546 killed and 68 captured. The Division's 33rd Regiment and 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 ...

95B and 101C Regiments were the target of

Operation Paul Revere IV Operation Paul Revere IV was a United States Army operation of the Vietnam War that took place in the Plei Trap Valley, lasting from 20 October to 30 December 1966. Prelude In early October 1966 United States intelligence reported a buildup of ...

from 20 October to 30 December 1966, losing an estimated 120 killed. The Division and the 10th Division were the target of Operation Sam Houston from 12 February to 5 April 1967, losing 733 killed. The Division was the target of

Operation Francis Marion Operation Francis Marion was a 4th Infantry Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade operation that took place in Pleiku, Darlac and the Kon Tum Provinces, South Vietnam, lasting from 6 April to 11 October 1967. Background The operation was a conti ...

from 6 April to 11 October 1967, losing 1,530 killed. The Division was engaged in the

Battle of Dak To The battle of Dak To ( vi, Chiến dịch Đắk Tô - Tân Cảnh) in Vietnam was a series of major engagements of the Vietnam War that took place between 3 and 23 November 1967, in Kon Tum Province, in the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central ...

from 3 to 23 November 1967. During the

Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces o ...

of January/February 1968, the Division's 66th and 174th Regiments attacked Ben Het Camp,

Tân Cảnh Base Camp Tân Cảnh Base Camp (also known as Đắk Tô 1) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base northwest of Kon Tum in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. History 1962–67 The 5th Special Forces Group Detachment A-33 ...

and attempted to cut Highway 14 between Dak To and

Kontum Kon Tum is the capital city of Kon Tum Province in Vietnam. It is located inland in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, near the borders of Laos and Cambodia. History After the People's Army of Vietnam invaded South Vietnam on March 30, 1 ...

. The 174th Regiment's attack on Tân Cảnh took place on 30 January but by the end of the day they had been repelled for the loss of over 300 killed. On 8 February the 174th Regiment attacked Tân Cảnh again and were repulsed for the loss of 150 killed. The 32nd Regiment attempted to cut Highway 19 at Thanh An on 1 February, losing 275 soldiers in the attack. Allied forces located the Regiment's base camp on 5 February and killed a further 35 soldiers. In August 1968 as part of the Phase III Offensive, the Division was tasked with seizing

Duc Lap Camp Duc Lap Camp (also known as Duc Lap Special Forces Camp or Hill 722) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base southwest of Buôn Ma Thuột in the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands of Vietnam. History ...

and then threatening

Buôn Ma Thuột Buôn Ma Thuột () (formerly Lac Giao) or sometimes Buôn Mê Thuột or Ban Mê Thuột, is the capital city of Đắk Lắk Province in the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands of Vietnam. Its population was 420,000 in 2016, and gre ...

. During the

Battle of Duc Lap The Battle of Duc Lap was a battle of the Vietnam War where North Vietnamese forces attempted to overrun the Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) Duc Lap Camp between 24 and 27 August 1968. Background In late July 1968 in developing their pl ...

from 24 to 27 August the Division's 66th Regiment lost more than 700 killed. In 1969 the Division, now comprising the 95C, 101C and 209th Regiments, was sent to the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...

area. During the

Easter Offensive in southern Cambodia and the Mekong Delta The Easter Offensive in southern Cambodia and the Mekong Delta was part of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN)’s Easter Offensive of 1972 and saw PAVN and Viet Cong (VC) engage the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and Khmer National Ar ...

the Division was the only full PAVN division engaged in the fighting. The Division suffered heavy losses in the fighting at Kompong Trach, Cambodia from 22 March to the end of April and then was unable to achieve its objectives in the Mekong Delta.

References

{{reflist Infantry divisions of Vietnam Divisions of the People's Army of Vietnam Military units and formations established in 1965