324th Division (Vietnam)

The 324th Division (named as 324B Division during Vietnam War) is an infantry division of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) assigned to the 4th Military Region (Vietnam People's Army).

324th Infantry Division
Active~1955-present
Allegiance Vietnam
BranchVietnam People's Army
TypeInfantry
SizeDivision
Part of4th Corps
Garrison/HQBình Dương Province, Vietnam
EngagementsOperation Hastings
Con Thien
Operation Buffalo
Operation Kingfisher
Operation Kentucky
Easter Offensive
1975 Spring Offensive
Hue-Da Nang Campaign
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Tran Quy Ha

First Indochina War

Among the first divisions raised, the 324th Division participated in the Battle of Hòa Bình. Alongside the 320th Division and other units, this division had participated in laying ambushes on armoured and relief convoys intending to lift the siege of Dien Bien Phu alongside the battle itself.[1]

Vietnam War

Starting in 1955, the 90th Regiment, 324th Division began operating in Cambodia and training cadres and battalions from ethnic Khmer and Central Highlands groups.[2] These groups were to be trained as the nucleus for future revolutionary activities, in particular in securing the routes along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.[2] In 1961, the Division was placed along Xépôn and Route 9, on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

1966-7

In response to increasing U.S. airstrikes, the Division was deployed increasingly southwards alongside artillery regiments attached to it to harass U.S. forces in northern Quảng Trị Province.[3]

In April 1966 U.S. intelligence reported that the Division was digging in north of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).[4]:17 On the morning of 19 May, units from the 324B attacked isolated Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) outposts at Con Thien and Gio Linh south of the DMZ.[4]:39 On 6 July two soldiers from 812th Regiment of the Division were captured by Marines near the Rockpile, they revealed that their mission was to liberate Quảng Trị Province.[4]:17 In response to this, the Marines launched Operation Hastings which ran from 15 July to 3 August 1966. Losses among the Division amounted to 824 killed and 17 captured.[5]:159–75

On the early morning of 26 August the 812th Regiment of the 324B Division attacked Cam Lộ Combat Base killing nine Marines.[5]:186–7

At 04:00 on 8 May 1967 following an hour-long mortar and artillery barrage, the 4th and 6th Battalions of the 812th Regiment attacked the Marine base at Con Thien By 09:00 the Marines had repulsed the attack and the 812th Regiment withdrew leaving 197 dead and eight prisoners.[4]:65–73 On 14 May during Operation Prairie IV, the 1st Battalion 9th Marines (1/9 Marines) clearing Route 561 from Cam Lo to Con Thien were ambushed by the 6th Battalion, 812th Regiment, 28 Marines were killed for the loss of 134 PAVN.[4]:78–81

On 2 July the Marines launched Operation Buffalo, in which the 324B division also participated a sweep of the area north of Con Thien. As the 1/9 Marines moved along Route 561 in an area called the Marketplace, the 90th Regiment attacked the Marines inflicting severe casualties on Company B. This was the single worst day for Marines in Vietnam with 84 killed. Operation Buffalo concluded on 14 July at a cost of 159 Marines killed, while the 90th Regiment suffered 1,290 killed.[4]:112–25

On 16 July the Marines launched Operation Kingfisher in the western part of Leatherneck Square with the 324th also participating. The operation concluded on 31 October, in a series of skirmishes and ambushes the Division had lost 1,117 killed and five captured while 340 Marines were killed.[6]

In early November 1967, an Arc Light strike was hit the headquarters of the 812th Regiment 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Con Thien.[4]:277–8

On 1 November 1967, the Marines launched Operation Kentucky as part of the continuing operations to secure the DMZ around Con Thien. The operation concluded on 28 February 1969, and the Division and 320th Division lost a total of 3,839 killed and 117 captured while the Marines lost 520 killed.[7]

The entire Division participated in the Battle of Khe Sanh.[8]

1975

For the 1975 Spring Offensive, the 324B formed part of the PAVN 2nd Corps with the 304th and 325C Divisions.[9]:13 As part of the Hue-Da Nang Campaign on 19 March the 324B and the 325C attacked the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 1st Division and the 15th Ranger Group along Route 1 south of Huế.[10]:69 On the afternoon of 22 March the 324B pushed the 15th Rangers out of Phú Lộc cutting Route 1 and forcing the ARVN forces to withdraw back to a defensive line around Phu Bai Combat Base.[10]:70 On 24 March all ARVN forces were ordered to abandon Huế and regroup in Danang, a disorganised seaborne evacuation followed and by 25 March the VPA was in control of the city.[10]:70–4

For the attack on Danang, by 26 March the 324B was located southwest of the city, the 9th Regiment of the 304th was located northwest of Danang, while the rest of the 304th and 711th Divisions encircled from the south and the 325C Division advanced from the north. By the afternoon of 29 March the 2nd Corps had penetrated the ARVN defences and entered the city which finally fell on 31 March.[10]:77–83

gollark: I'm using nim as it is fairly okay.
gollark: I continue to write `onstat`™ by osmarks.net™ apiometrics. This is ONLY for purposes.
gollark: That could be fun. I wonder if there's a way to overwrite other people's submissions.
gollark: I wrote entry 1307674368000, bee.
gollark: Not #15, #15!.

References
  1. Fall, Bernard B. (2005-05-24). Street Without Joy: The French Debacle in Indochina. Stackpole Books. p. 200. ISBN 9780811741545.
  2. "Intelligence Report Communism and Cambodia" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. May 1972. p. 19. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  3. Duong, Van Nguyen (2017-03-03). The Tragedy of the Vietnam War: A South Vietnamese Officer’s Analysis. McFarland. pp. 107–110. ISBN 9780786483389.
  4. Coan, James (2004). Con Thien: The Hill of Angels. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0-8173-1414-8.
  5. Shulimson, Jack (1982). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: An Expanding War, 1966 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series). Marine Corps Association. ASIN B000L34A0C. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. Telfer, Gary I. (1984). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. pp. 125–39. ISBN 9781482538878. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. Shulimson, Jack (1997). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: 1968 The Defining Year. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. p. 449. ISBN 0160491258. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. RUBRIGHT, RICHARD W. (2015-02-01). The Role and Limitations of Technology in U.S. Counterinsurgency Warfare. Potomac Books, Inc. ISBN 9781612346762.
  9. Trinh Vuong Hong; Pham Huu Thang (2006). History of the Tri-Thien Campaign and Da Nang Campaign during Spring 1975. People's Army Publishing House.
  10. Dougan, Clark; Fulgham, David (1985). The Vietnam Experience: The Fall of the South. Boston Publishing Company. ISBN 0-939526-16-6.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.