The Battle of an Loc Vietnam

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THE BATLE OF AN LOC

Introduction
The Battle of An Loc Vietnam also regarded as the Easter offensive as it started the Thursday before Easter weekend and lasted 96 days. It preceded the TET offensive of 1968 and may have been one of the most prolific battles of the era. The Battle of An Loc showed the will and fortitude of the enemy as well as tested the perseverance of the defending forces of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Along with all this it showed a more modern form of battle using ground as well as air power, and set the stage for the superiority of the air power used today.1

History

In 1968 after the TET Offensive the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) along with their counterparts the Viet Cong (VC) were pushed back to the Cambodian border. Through political interventions the forces of South Vietnam including the United States counterparts were ordered not to advance into Cambodia to follow the NVA/VC. In the time between 1968 and 1972 the United States withdrew their forces from Vietnam in the hopes that the ARVN would be able to protect their own country. By 1972 the US forces were down to 100,000 troops of which only 5,000 were combat troops.
While the forces of the US were being withdrawn, the North Vietnamese Army was steadily building its forces in Cambodia. Once they reached a level of troops, over 200,000, the North Vietnamese sought assistance from Russia and China guaranteeing victory and the fall of Saigon. Backed by the Russians with 200 tanks, Anti-Aircraft Artillery, and Surface to air missiles the NVA/ VC attack was ready.
With an election coming up in the US and its involvement in an already unpopular conflict the NVA/VC felt this would be a prime opportunity to attack with the t...

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... and battle space was not forethought in the minds of the air power. Near the end the establishment of command and control flying over the battle was developed and can be seen in use today. Ensuring that all players are where they are supposed to be and eliminating friendly fire casualties was born from this battle.
Use of airplanes to place precise and effective resupply into a small targeted location was also developed in the form of HALO drops on pallets reducing the loss of aircraft and crew, and increasing the ability to provide support to the ground troops in the battle.
The final, and most important lesson learned to aviation today is the development of Aircraft Survivability equipment and techniques. Through trial and tribulations we are able to provide means to safely operate in an environment of modern technology that aim to disable aviation assets.

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