People's Army of Vietnam
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...
(PAVN)
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation.
In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
that served during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
.
History
The regiment or elements participated in the famous battles of Ia Drang and
Plei Me
Legal awareness, sometimes called public legal education or legal literacy, is the empowerment of individuals regarding issues involving the law.Central Highlands in 1965 against US forces, attacked Buon Me Thuot during the 1968
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...
, and fought against Australian and New Zealand forces in
Phuoc Tuy Province
Phước ({{langx, vi, Phước) is a common gender-neutral name originating from Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about an ...
at Binh Ba, Long Khanh and Nui Le, as well as a number of other actions.Coulthard-Clark 2001, p. 291.Odgers 1999, p. 349. In the South, the 33rd Regiment was subordinate to the 304th Division/B3 Front in the Central Highlands, and later under Military Region 7 and the 5th Division in
Bien Hoa
Bien may refer to:
* Bien (newspaper)
* Basic Income Earth Network
* Bień, Poland
* "Bien", a song by Tini from ''Un Mechón de Pelo''
* Gertrud Bien
Gertrud Bien (1881–1940) was an Austrian pediatrician and one of the first female medical stu ...
, Long Khanh and Phuoc Tuy Province, and its strength averaged about 1,300 men.
On 3 July 1969, Company D 2nd Battalion
3rd Infantry Regiment
The 3rd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. It currently has three active battalions, and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as Escort to the President. The regimental motto is (from ...
located a base camp of the regiment southwest of Xuân Lộc. Elements of the regiment defended the camp killing nine Americans before withdrawing with unknown casualties.
Corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...
hand grenade
A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...
with his body and was later posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The base comprised over 50 bunkers linked by tunnels. Among the items captured were 200
Rocket-propelled grenades
A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), also known colloquially as a rocket launcher, is a Shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon that launches rockets equipped with a Shaped charge, shaped-charge explosive warhead. Most RPGs can ...
, two 82mm mortars, one 60mm mortar, two
AK-47
The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...
s and 12,000 AK-47 rounds.
In late 1971 the 33rd Regiment, under the command of Colonel Nguyen Van Thuong, staged a major incursion into Phước Tuy Province which was the Tactical area of responsibility of the
1st Australian Task Force
The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian Army, 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 ...
. Acting on intelligence obtained from
Viet Cong
The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, and ...
spies, the North Vietnamese believed that the Australian
artillery
Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
had been sent back to Australia. It was true that the Task Force's tank troops had returned to Australia in August and Australian and New Zealand forces had been reduced in anticipation of a withdrawal, but artillery had not left. Thoung planned to stage incidents and ambushes to bait and lure the Australians from their base at
Nui Dat
Nui Dat (Núi Đất) is the former military base of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) now part of Ba Ria city in Ba Ria–Vung Tau province, Vietnam. It is not the name of an official ward, it just means "land hill" or "soil hill" (:wikt:nú ...
and progressively annihilate them with his superior numbers. The first few attempts to lure 1ATF into ambushes were not successful. In what would be the last battle for Australian and New Zealand forces in Vietnam the Battle of Nui Le took place between the 20th and 22 September, against the 33rd Regiment's second and third battalion, some 1,100 men. Companies from the combined Australian and New Zealand "ANZAC Battalion" encountered the heavily armed forces of the 33rd Regiment in the area of Nui Le where the 33rd Regiment's new base had been established. Heavy fighting commenced on the 21st of September. However, with artillery fire being brought in from nearby Australian and U.S
firebase
Firebase was a company that developed backend software. It was founded in San Francisco in 2011 and was incorporated in Delaware.
In 2014, Firebase was bought by Google. Its name continues as a set of backend cloud computing services and ...
s, Colonel Thuong realized that their intelligence was wrong. When the Australian artillery
Forward observer
An artillery observer, artillery spotter, or forward observer (FO) is a soldier responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire support onto a target. An artillery observer usually accompanies a tank or infantry unit. Spotters ensure that ...
from D Company which had been routed by Thuong's forces ordered Danger Close rounds in a last-ditch attempt to avoid being overrun, Colonel Thuong was forced to weigh up and reconsider his position and decided to pull out. As a result of the battle, the 33rd Regiment withdrew permanently from Phouc Tuy Province.
A 33rd Regiment memorial near Binh Ba lists 2,100 killed in the war, out of an estimated 4,000 Vietnamese killed in two provinces occupied by forces of the
1st Australian Task Force
The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian Army, 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 ...
from 1966 to 1972. Dr Bob Hall, a former infantry officer and
Vietnam veteran
A Vietnam veteran is an individual who performed active Army, ground, Navy, naval, or Air force, air service in the South Vietnam, Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed fo ...