24/06/2015
Order of battle[edit]
North Vietnam[edit]
In March 1975 the Vietnam People's Army Central Highlands Front, under the command of General Hoang Minh Thao, were given the responsibility of carrying out Campaign 275 to capture key objectives in the Central Highlands. Major General Vu Lang was the deputy commander, Colonel Dang Vu Hiep was appointed the Front’s political commissar, and Colonel Phi Trieu Ham was the deputy political commissar. The Central Highlands Front fielded five infantry divisions (3rd ‘Gold Star’, 10th, 316th, 320A and 968th Infantry Divisions) and four independent regiments (25th, 271st, 95A, and 95B Infantry Regiments). To support the aforementioned units, North Vietnam deployed the 273rd Armoured Regiment, two artillery units (40th and 675th Artillery Regiments), three air-defence units (232nd, 234th, and 593rd Air-Defence Regiments), two combat engineer units (7th and 575th Combat Engineer Regiments), and the 29th Communications Regiment.[8]
Offensive strategy[edit]
Between February 17 and February 19, 1975, North Vietnamese field commanders in the Central Highlands Front held a conference to plan for their upcoming offensive. In order to plan their combat strategy, North Vietnamese commanders assessed the potential obstacles faced by the Vietnam People’s Army and the strength of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in the Central Highlands. Following extensive discussions, North Vietnamese commanders concluded that the South Vietnamese army in the Central Highlands could mobilise about 5–7 regiment-sized units to counter the upcoming offensive. In the worst-case scenario, if South Vietnamese units were not tied up elsewhere, North Vietnamese commanders thought that South Vietnam could probably mobilise between nine to twelve regiments. North Vietnamese commanders believed South Vietnam could deploy about one or two armoured brigades, three to five battalions of artillery, and 80 aircraft per day to support the army. The North Vietnamese commanders within the Central Highlands Front discussed the possibility of the United States re-entering the conflict, which they believed would see the commitment of about 100 fighter-bombers from the United States Seventh Fleet.[9][10]
Aside from dealing with the army formations which South Vietnam might have deployed, the question of where and when to strike was the main problem that concerned the North Vietnamese. After the strength of both armies had been taken into account, the Central Highlands High Command came up with two offensive options. In the first option, the North Vietnamese could avoid the outlying South Vietnamese installations and strike directly at their primary target of Ban Me Thuot. For the first option to be successful, the North Vietnamese had to secure Highways 14, 19, and 21 to isolate Ban Me Thuot, and stop potential South Vietnamese reinforcements. The North Vietnamese favoured the first option, because it would give the ARVN 23rd Infantry Division and other support units little or no time to respond. At the same time, the first option would have enabled a quick victory without inflicting large-scale damage on the civilian population of Ban Me Thuot. In the second option, the North Vietnamese had to destroy all the outlying South Vietnamese defences and then move on to Ban Me Thuot. The Central Highlands Front, under General Hoang Minh Thao's command, ordered all combat units to follow the second option and destroy the defences around Ban Me Thuot, but to be ready to switch to the first option when the opportunity presented itself.[9][10]
South Vietnam[edit]
The responsibility for the defence of Ban Me Thuot, located in South Vietnam’s II Corps Zone, was given to Major General Pham Van Phu. The ARVN 22nd Infantry Division, which had four regiments (41st, 42nd, 43rd, and 52nd Infantry Regiments) and one regional force battalion (45th Battalion), was the main unit defending Ban Me Thuot and the surrounding areas. Major General Pham Van Phu had at his disposal five artillery battalions equipped with 146 artillery guns, and one armoured brigade of about 117 tanks and armoured vehicles. The South Vietnamese military also stationed air force and naval units in Ban Me Thuot: they maintained 12 air force squadrons of about 102 fighter-bombers, 164 helicopters, and 69 transport aircraft, and the navy deployed two squadrons on the coast and two squadrons on the rivers.[1]
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam also had one infantry division (23rd Infantry Division), seven ranger battalions, 36 regional force battalions, eight artillery battalions equipped with 230 artillery guns, and four armoured brigades in the Central Highlands. To support those ground units, the South Vietnamese air force had 32 fighter-bombers, 86 helicopters, and 32 transport and reconnaissance aircraft. The ARVN 23rd Infantry Division and other support units were placed under the command of Brigadier General Tran Van Cam. Across the Central Highlands of Vietnam, the South Vietnamese military enjoyed a numerical superiority of about 78,300 soldiers against North Vietnam’s 65,141 soldiers. However, within the vicinity of Ban Me Thuot, the South Vietnamese were actually outnumbered by a ratio of 5:1. The North Vietnamese had more tanks, armoured vehicles, and heavy artillery, with a ratio of about 2:1.[1] North Vietnamese General Van Tien Dung believed his tank and artillery units in the Central Highlands were the key factors that guaranteed a quick victory, because South Vietnam simply lacked the capability to withstand such large numbers of heavy weaponry.[11]
South Vietnamese preparations[edit]
On February 18, 1975, President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu gathered all his commanders at the Independence Palace to discuss the Ly Thuong Kiet Military Plan, which was approved by the National Security Council in December 1974. During a briefing by ARVN Colonel Hoang Ngoc Lung, Head of the ARVN General Staff, several important issues were brought to the attention of President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and the ARVN Corps commanders. Firstly, information gathered by the South Vietnamese army showed there were seven North Vietnamese divisions in the northern areas of South Vietnam’s I Corps Tactical Zone. Secondly, there were signs which suggested that the North Vietnamese might launch a large-scale attack during the spring-summer season of 1975. And thirdly, the II Corps Tactical Zone under the command of Major General Pham Van Phu was most likely North Vietnam’s first target. On February 19 General Phu returned to Pleiku to draw up a defence plan.[12]
During the next few days, reports from South Vietnamese intelligence showed that North Vietnam’s 968th Infantry Division had arrived in South Vietnam’s II Corps from Laos. Two divisions (10th and 320 A Infantry Divisions) had taken up positions around Pleiku and Kon Tum, while two regiments (271st and 202nd Regiments) had set up their base in Quang Duc.[13] On March 2 a CIA officer flew out from Nha Trang to inform ARVN Colonel Nguyen Trong Luat of North Vietnamese preparations to attack Ban Me Thuot, without offering information on the strength of North Vietnamese formations. In response to the CIA report, General Phu ordered the 53rd Regiment to move from Quang Duc to Ban Me Thuot, and the 45th Regiment from Thuan Man to Thanh An-Don Tham.[14] General Phu did not make any further changes to the South Vietnamese order of battle in or around Ban Me Thuot. Thus, by the time the North Vietnamese opened fire on Ban Me Thuot, General Phu had simply failed to implement an effective plan to save II Corps.[15]
