After carefully analyzing the situations in South Vietnam as well as the world, the Politburo decided to launch the Ho Chi Minh Campaign with the employment of combined arms and services to attack the adversary in Saigon - Gia Dinh and wipe out the Saigon regime in South Vietnam.
The General Headquarters mobilized 16 infantry divisions, plus units of various arms and services. Among them, 398 tanks and armored cars were also engaged in the historical Ho Chi Minh Campaign. With the this incredible effort, the Ho Chi Minh Campaign witnessed the largest number of troops as well as the largest number of tanks and armored cars ever deployed to a military operation in Vietnam’s military history.
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Tank-Armored troops before the battle (File photo) |
In response to our operations, the Saigon Army also concentrated forces in key positions and on the gateways to Saigon to protect the Saigon regime.
To the East of the city, the Saigon Army deployed the 18th Infantry Division along with nine regiments and brigades of commandos, rangers, airborne and marine forces, and four tank and armored regiments to defend Road 1 and Road 15 as well as strongholds in Ba Ria, Long Thanh, Bien Hoa and Xuan Loc.
To the North, the 5th Infantry Division and a tank and armored regiment of the Saigon Army were positioned in strongholds along Road 22 and Road 1 in Tay Ninh, Go Dau Ha, Trang Bang, Cu Chi, and Hoc Mon with their headquarters located in Dong Du.
To the Southwest, the 22nd Infantry Division and local forces of the Saigon Army were deployed along Road 4 in Ben Luc. Meanwhile, several units from airborne, tank, and armored forces, along with units from the Special Capital Zone (including Saigon, Gia Dinh and Con Son) and the 3rd Air Division were in charge of protecting important governmental agencies and military headquarters inside Saigon.
The Saigon Army also positioned forces to safeguard such big bridges as Bong, Sang, Binh Phuoc, Binh Trieu, and Xa Lo that crossed the Saigon River leading to downtown Saigon. Furthermore, a number of elite units protected the Independence Palace (where the President of the Saigon Palace used to live), the Headquarters of the Joint General Staff of the Saigon Army, Tan Son Nhat Airport, the Headquarters of the Special Capital Zone, and the National Police Headquarters.
In the Mekong Delta, the Saigon side also had three infantry divisions, one air force division, and five tank and armored regiments.
Although the adversary still had a large number of troops in their outer and inner defense lines to protect Saigon - Gia Dinh, most of their troops were in low spirits.
But our regular units participating in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign were three times larger than the adversary, not to mention local revolutionary forces and the great support from the North.
In addition, tank and armored units joined other forces in all of our five attacking directions: North, Northwest, Northeast, West-Southwest, and East. But our tank and armored units in different flanks were entrusted to different tasks by the Command of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. One tank and armored unit was ready to raid fleeing Saigon forces and prevent them from withdrawing to the sea while another tank and armored unit was tasked to attack the adversary in the outer defense line and deny them from joining other units of the Saigon Army in the inner defensive line. Meanwhile, most of the tank and armored force along with some infantry units was employed as a penetration element, which maneuvered as quickly as possible into Saigon center, bypassing insignificant targets on the way. The five major targets that the element was assigned to control were the Headquarters of the Joint General Staff of the Saigon Army, Independence Palace, Tan Son Nhat Airport, the Special Capital Zone, and the National Police Headquarters. The tank and armored force was also responsible for breaking through the defense lines of the Saigon Army.
The tank and armored force undertook the tasks in detail, as follows:
From the Northeastern direction, Tank Battalion 1 attached to Infantry Division 341 of Army Corps 4 broke through the outer defense line of the Saigon Army and then attacked adversary garrisons in Trang Bom. Tank Battalion 21 attached to Infantry Division 6 of Army Corps 4 fought the adversary stationed in Ho Nai, Bien Hoa province, and then joined Tank Battalion 22 and Infantry Division 7 to infiltrate into Saigon. The contingent of the Liberation Army was in charge of attacking and seizing the Presidential Palace of the Saigon Government and Radio Station.
In Northern Saigon, Tank and Armored Brigade 202 with 35 tanks, 39 armored cars, and three self-propelled artillery batteries, joined Army Corps 1. Particularly, Armored Battalion 66 and Tank Company 1 of Tank Battalion 3 were attached to Infantry Division 320B to launch attacks on the adversary in Tan Uyen and Lai Thieu. They joined friendly forces to infiltrate into Saigon to overpower Tan Son Nhat Airport, control the Headquarters of the Joint General Staff of the Saigon Army, and the Go Vap weapons factory.
From Northwest, Tank Regiment 273 of Army Corp 3 with 83 tanks and armored cars was divided into two elements. The first one, including Tank Battalion 3, was attached to Infantry Division 320 to attack the Dong Du military base of the Saigon Army and made an opening for friendly forces to maneuver into Saigon. The second section, including Tank Battalions 1 and 2, supported Infantry Division 10 to move on Road 1 and 15 to the city center. The flank joined friendly forces to attack Tan Son Nhat Airport, control the Headquarters of the Joint General Staff of the Saigon Army and the Presidential Palace of the Saigon Government.
Meanwhile, Regiment-sized Armored Unit 26 was in the formation of Corps 232 operating in the West-Southwest of Saigon. In this direction, a small number of armored cars were attached to Infantry Regiment 205 to attack the adversary garrisoned in An Hiep, Rung Dau, Tan My and Hau Nghia. A majority of the armored unit led friendly infantry forces across the Vam Co River and broke through the adversary’s outer defense line in Western-Southwestern Saigon. The element attacked adversary forces stationed in Phu Tho Racecourse, Bay Hien roundabout, the Headquarters of the Special Capital Zone, the Presidential Palace of the Saigon Government, and the National Police Headquarters.
From the East, Tank Battalion 2 of Tank Brigade 203 supported Infantry Division 3 of Army Corps 2 to fight the adversary garrisoned in Ba Ria, Vung Tau, Nuoc Trong, and Long Binh military bases. The contingent was tasked to break the outer defense line of the Saigon Army in the East so as to create a springboard for the remainders of Army Corps 2 and Tank Brigade 203 to attack major targets in Saigon - Gia Dinh, particularly the Naval Headquarters, the Central Bank, and the Defense Ministry of the Saigon Government.
In all directions, the tank and armored force was organized into battalion-level or regiment-level elements to support infantry units and break through the adversary’s defense lines. The tank and armored force was also tasked to lead penetration elements to attack major targets in Saigon. Especially, Company 4 of Battalion 2 of Tank Brigade 203 along with units of Army Corps 2 first entered the Independence Palace (the headquarters of the former Saigon Government) and placed the flag of the Provincial Government of the Republic of South Vietnam on the top of the palace, putting an end to the Saigon regime at 11.30 a.m. on April 30, 1975.
During the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, the Tank and Armored Corps employed 80% of its tanks and armored vehicles, the largest number of tanks and armored vehicles used in an operation.
It was also the first time the Tank and Armored Corps played a core role in breaking the adversary’s defense lines, attacking strongholds, separating and besieging adversary units for easy elimination, and intercepting and raiding fleeing adversary forces.
45 years has passed since the end of the war, but tactical experiences and lessons drawn from the Ho Chi Minh Campaign are still very valuable and useful for the tank and armored force while developing new operational tactics in modern warfare.
Written by Major General Do Dinh Thanh
Translated by Thu Nguyen