Battle of Buon Me Thuot

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Battle for Buon Me Thuot

Date	March 10-March 12, 1975
Location	Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnam
Result	• Decisive North Vietnamese Victory • Evacuation of the Central Highlands • Deterioration of South Vietnamese defences

Combatants

Image:Flag of South Vietnam.svg Army of the Republic of Vietnam

Image:Flag of North Vietnam.svg Vietnam People's Army

Commanders

Maj. Gen. Pham Van Phu

Gen. Van Tien Dung

Strength

4,000

25,000+

Casualties

Unknown

Vietnam War
Ap Bac – Binh Gia – Song Be – Dong Xoai – Ia Drang – Long Tan – Dak To – Tra Binh Dong –Ong Thanh – 1st Tet – Khe Sanh – 1st Saigon – Lang Vei – Hills 881 & 861 – 2nd Tet – Hamburger Hill – Binh Ba – Ripcord – FSB Mary Ann – Easter '72 – An Loc – Kontum – Phuoc Long – Ho Chi Minh – Buon Ma Thuot – Xuan Loc – 2nd Saigon – Barrell Roll – Rolling Thunder – Pony Express – Steel Tiger – Commando Hunt – Linebacker I – Linebacker II – Chenla I – Tiger Hound – Lima Site 85 – Tailwind – Chenla II – Cambodia

The Battle for Buon Me Thuot was part of the North Vietnamese campaign to capture the Central Highlands following the victory at Phuoc Long on January 6, 1975.

Buon Ma Thuot was selected as the first objective during the Central Military Party Committee session on January 9. In order to achieve their objectives, General Vo Nguyen Giap put emphasis on secrecy and surprise to force the South Vietnamese army to defend the northern areas of the Central Highlands, as major North Vietnamese units would launch diversionery attacks elsewhere.

[edit] The Battle

To keep all military operations secret, radio signals were kept silent and the only radio broadcasts made were misleading messages intended to suggest that General Van Tien Dung would attack Pleiku. During March 8-March 9, the VPA 9th Regiment, 10th and 320th Divisions launched simultaneous attacks throughout Darlac and Quang Duc. In Quang Duc the ARVN were forced to withdraw as artillery bombardment pushed the ARVN 53rd Infantry Regiment and 2nd Battalion from their defences.

Finally at 1:55AM on March 10, the Vietnam People's Army launched a violent artillery barrage on the city and at Phung Duc airfield.

By morning the 320th VPA Division had penetrated the city. General Phu's attempt to reinforce Buon Ma Thuot with two Regional Force Battalions from Ban Don failed under heavy enemy fire. Heavy fighting at the airfield destroyed twelve aircrafts belonging to the 2nd and 6th Air Divisions, and only three helicopters were managed to be piloted out.

The 23rd ARVN Division continued their resistance along with the 2nd Company, 4th Company, 8th Armoured Cavalry, 1st Battalion, 53rd Infantry, 243rd and 242nd Regional Forces around Buon Ma Thuot. On March 11, the North Vietnamese consolidated their control over the city.

On March 12, General Phu announced the end of all resistance, and the worn down ARVN soldiers and their families were evacuated.

[edit] Aftermath

The Central Highlands consists of Dac Lac, Gia Lai, Kontum and Lam Dong Provinces has always been an important strategic military staging area and whoever control the Central Highlands will have the advantage. For that reason, the South Vietnamese military had always maintained a heavy military presence there. After the fall of Buon Ma Thuot, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu ordered the northern provinces to be abandoned to 'lighten the top and keep the bottom'. The South Vietnamese army went into panic as soldiers and their families flooded the main roads in a mass exodus towards the coast. There was total collapse of South Vietnamese morale.