Hell in An Loc: The 1972 Easter Invasion and the Battle That Saved South Viet Nam

11. The ARVN 18th Division in An Loc

191 Colonel (later General) Le Minh Dao had a rather unremarkable career. In the early 1960s, he served as an aide-de-camp for a French-trained general who was one of the masterminds of the coup d’etat against President Diem. Dao subsequently attracted the attention of the “Delta Clan,” which awarded him the position of province chief of Chuong Thien and Dinh Tuong provinces. Gen. Nguyen Van Minh, III Corps Commander, appointed Dao to the important position of 18th Division commander despite the fact that Dao had no combat experience. Dao surprisingly rose to the occasion. He succeeded in transforming a young and ineffective division into a good fighting force. Dao also had a high sense of theatrics and public relations. It was reported that one day, as he was visiting his wounded soldiers at the Cong Hoa General Hospital, one soldier complained about the poor quality of his wheelchair, compared to the German-made wheelchair of a fellow soldier in his room. As the latter was willing to trade his for 30,000 dong (or about forty U.S. dollars), Dao pulled out his wallet and gave the money to the other soldier in front of about thirty patients in the room. The soldier straightened himself up in an erect posture in his wheelchair, saluted his division commander and, overwhelmed by emotion, started to cry.1 Every time he awarded decorations to soldiers who had distinguished themselves in battle, Dao never failed to give them a Eleven The ARVN 18th Division in An Loc 192 Hell in An Loc small envelope containing some cash and a lighter on which were engraved the words “Present from the 18th Division Commander.” By all accounts, Dao’s genuine concern for the welfare of his men had earned him their loyalty and respect. The 18th Division was one of the youngest ARVN divisions. Created in 1963—first as the ARVN 10th Division—it consisted of three independent regiments: 43rd , 48th , and 52nd . The 10th Division became the 18th Division in 1967 because the number “10” was considered an unlucky number (as opposed to the number “9” or any multiple of that number). From 1965 to 1969, the 18th Division was responsible for the 33rd Tactical Area consisting of the provinces of Bien Hoa, Long Khanh, Phuoc Tuy, Binh Tuy, and the Special Vung Tau Sector. In 1970, the 18th Division became a mobile force operating throughout MRIII. In the early months of that year, the 18th had participated in the III Corps-directed invasion of Cambodia; during that incursion, it had destroyed many COSVN secret bases after heavy engagements with the NVA forces in Chup, Pean Chaeng, Suong, Damber, Kandaol Chrum, and Phum Khuar. Colonel Dao assumed the command of the 18th Division toward the end of March 1972, just two weeks before the NVA launched their Easter Offensive. In April 1972, while the garrison of An Loc was fighting for its life, Dao was busy fighting VC independent regiments and provincial units in Binh Duong and Phuoc Tuy provinces with the 43rd and the 48th Regiments. (The 52nd Regiment, which had been attached to the 5th Division and had suffered heavy losses during the battle of Loc Ninh, was being refurbished and reorganized in An Loc.) The Communists’ plan in MRIII at that time was to create a diversion in the north by attacking the border outposts in Tay Ninh province and to pin down the 18th Division in the south to prevent it from reinforcing An Loc by attacking ARVN bases in Binh Duong, Hau Nghia, and Phuoc Tuy provinces. In April 24, the 43rd Regiment of the 18th Division battled the VC independent 101st Regiment in Cha Ray and Trung Lap in Binh Duong province, killing a total of 321 enemies in five days of intense fighting.2 During the same time, the Communists opened a new front in Phuoc Tuy 193 The ARVN 18th Division in An Loc province by attacking the district of Dat Do and occupying many hamlets of the district of Long Dien. Colonel Dao used the 48th Regiment and Phuoc Tuy territorial forces to engage the VC independent 274th Regiment and the provincial 445th Battalion. The enemy withdrew with heavy losses after a few days of combat. Toward the end of June, as the situation in An Loc had considerably improved, III Corps ordered the remainder of the 18th Division to...