| 5th Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1965–present |
| Allegiance |  Vietnam |
| Branch |  National Liberation Front for South Vietnam (1965–1976)People's Army of Vietnam (1976–present) |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Guerrilla (1965–1976) Regular infantry (1976–present) |
| Size | Division |
| Part of | 7th Military Region |
| Engagements | Vietnam War |
The VC 5th Infantry Division was a division of the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War and later became part of the People's Army of Vietnam.
The division was formed on 23 October 1965 from the 4th "Đồng Nai" Regiment and the newly formed 5th Regiment, which was drawn from local forces. [1] : 156 The division later comprised the 274th Regiment (Vietnamese: 4th "Đồng Nai" Regiment) and 275th Regiment (Vietnamese: "Cá Gô" 55 Regiment) plus supporting units. [2]
The VC 5th Division's headquarters were located in northeast Phước Tuy, in the Mây Tào Mountains; the 274th Regiment's headquarters were located in the Hát Dịch area and the 275th Regiment's headquarters were located somewhere in the Mây Tào Mountains, although the precise locations are unknown. The division operated in the Bien Hoa, Đồng Nai, Phước Tuy and Long Khánh provinces. North Vietnamese regulars reïnforced the division during operations. [3]
As part of the campaign against Saigon, the division was tasked with isolating the eastern provinces by interdicting the main roads and highways, including Highways 1 and 15 and provincial routes 2 and 23. It this role it proved a major challenge to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, with the 275th Regiment successfully ambushing a Republic battalion near Binh Gia on 11 November 1965. [4]
The PAVN claim that the Division's 4th and 5th Regiments attacked the U.S. base at Vung Tau on 12 March 1966 "killing 300 enemy and destroying 30 helicopters." [1] : 177 No other sources confirm such an attack.
On 18 August 1966 the elements of the division participated in the Battle of Long Tan against Australian Army forces. [5]
During the Tet Offensive the Division attacked on Bien Hoa and Long Binh. The attacks were a failure and total PAVN/VC losses were 567 dead and 47 captured and 11 U.S. killed. [6] Following the Tet Offensive the 174th Regiment was assigned to reinforce the division. [1] : 227
By 1971 the division was operating in Cambodia and PAVN command formed the corps-sized Group 301, comprising the 5th Division, the 7th Division, and 9th Division as well as the 28th Artillery Regiment and the 12th Anti-aircraft Machine Gun Battalion. [1] : 281 The division fought in the Battle of Snuol in late May 1971. [1] : 281
During the Easter Offensive the division fought the Battle of Loc Ninh from 4-7 April 1972, capturing the town but suffering heavy casualties from U.S. airstrikes. [1] : 295 The division then joined other PAVN forces fighting in the Battle of An Lộc.
From 27 March to 2 May 1974 the division's base area in Svay Rieng Province south of the Elephant's Foot ( 10°52′N105°54′E / 10.87°N 105.9°E ) was attacked by the ARVN 25th Division and 7th Ranger Group in the Battle of Svay Rieng. The ARVN claimed PAVN losses of over 1,200 killed and 65 captured and the division's base area severely damaged, while ARVN losses were less than 100 killed. [7]
In early 1975 in preparation for the 1975 Spring Offensive the PAVN command formed the 232nd Group comprising the division and the 3rd Division. In early April the division attacked ARVN outposts at Thủ Thừa and Bến Lức but were repulsed. [1] : 408 In late April the division cut Route 4 near Bến Lức blocking the movement of ARVN units from the southwest towards Saigon. [1] : 414 On 30 April the division advanced up Route 4 and attacked Tân An and Thủ Thừa forcing the surrender of the ARVN 22nd Division and 6th Ranger Group. [1] : 420
Presently, the 5th Division is under the 7th Military Region.
The Battle of Đồng Xoài was a major battle fought during the Vietnam War as part of the Viet Cong (VC) Summer Offensive of 1965. It took place in Phước Long Province, South Vietnam, between June 9 and 13, 1965.
Tet 1969 refers to the attacks mounted by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) in February 1969 in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, one year after the original Tet Offensive.
The Battle of Xuân Lộc was the last major battle of the Vietnam War that took place at Xuân Lộc, Đồng Nai Province. Over a period of twelve days between 9 and 21 April 1975, the outnumbered South Vietnamese reserves attempted to stop the North Vietnamese forces from overrunning the town and breaking through towards South Vietnam's capital, Saigon. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) committed almost all their remaining mobile forces, especially the 18th Division, under Brigadier General Lê Minh Đảo, to the defence of the strategic crossroads town of Xuân Lộc, hoping to stall the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) advance. The battle ended when the town of Xuân Lộc was captured by the PAVN 4th Army Corps led by Major General Hoàng Cầm.
The Battle of Svay Rieng was the last major offensive operation of the Vietnam War to be mounted by the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) against the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces.
The Battle of Phước Long was a decisive battle of the Vietnam War which began on December 12, 1974, and concluded on January 6, 1975. The battle involved the deployment of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 4th Army Corps for the first time, against determined units of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in Phước Long in Bình Phước Province near the Cambodian border, under the command of Lieutenant General Dư Quốc Đống.
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The Vietnamese Rangers (Vietnamese: Biệt Động Quân), commonly known as the ARVN Rangers or Vietnamese Ranger Corp (VNRC), were the light infantry of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Trained and assisted by American Special Forces and Ranger advisers, the Vietnamese Rangers infiltrated beyond enemy lines in search and destroy missions. Initially trained as a counter-insurgency light infantry force by removing the fourth company each of the existing infantry battalions, they later expanded into a swing force capable of conventional as well as counter-insurgency operations, and were relied on to retake captured regions. Later during Vietnamization the Civilian Irregular Defense Group program was transferred from MACV and integrated as Border Battalions responsible for manning remote outposts in the Central Highlands.
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The 445th Battalion, 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.
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