April 11, 1975: The battle in Xuan Loc was fierce.

Liberation Army cannons fire at Bien Hoa airport. (Photo: VNA)

At the Xuan Loc front, on April 11, 1975, the battle continued to be fierce and tense inside and outside Xuan Loc town. The 7th Division continued to attack the rear base of the 5th Armored Regiment, the 52nd Battalion, and the 18th Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, but were all stopped by the enemy.

The 341st Division advanced to the southwest junction of the 43rd Division's rear base and the airport, but was also blocked by the enemy. The 6th Division continued to attack the enemy in the assigned direction.

The enemy continued to send more reinforcements, concentrating on Xuan Loc-Long Khanh 50% of the infantry force, 60% of the artillery, almost all the tanks and armored vehicles of the 3rd Corps, with more than 80 aircraft support flights every day, even using CBU bombs, causing us much damage. The fighting here was fierce.

Faced with the above situation, the Regional Command suggested: “With the same force, switch to mainly attacking the enemy on the outside, leaving only one division with technical weapons to hold the occupied areas in the town and surround the remaining enemy areas, there is no need to increase another division” and instructed: “Change the way of fighting. That is, we switch to establishing a new battle formation, changing the direction of attack from attacking the front to concentrating forces to attack the enemy’s rear”.

At the same time, a large force of ours was ordered to cut Route 15 (Long Binh-Ba Ria), control Long Tau River and Bien Hoa airport.

At 4:00 a.m. on April 11, 1975, Group C.75, consisting of three ships 673, 674, 675 of Group 125, carrying Team 1 of the 126th Naval Special Forces Regiment, a fire squad of the water special forces of Battalion 471, Military Region 5, departed from Da Nang military port to liberate Song Tu Tay island in the northeast of Truong Sa archipelago. Our naval ships disguised themselves as fishing boats, without numbers, without flags, departed at dawn. At the Vinh Tra front (Military Region 9), following orders from the Regional Command, on the night of April 11-12, 1975, Regiment 1 (missing 1 battalion) heavily damaged the Ba Cang sub-region, destroying the enemy's artillery position.

Regiment 3 heavily damaged Binh Minh sub-region (Cai Von), destroyed Dong Thanh commune sub-region; destroyed and forced the withdrawal of 13 posts, liberated a section south of Hau River. In the north of Cai Von, Battalion 1 of Vinh Long province destroyed the rear base of the security battalion and My Thuan sub-region.

On April 11, the leading unit of the 2nd Corps arrived at Cam Ranh. The 3rd Division, with the help of the people of Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, and Khanh Hoa provinces, was able to move all its forces north of Phan Rang to organize the battle.

In the first three months of Spring 1975, Viet Bac and Tay Bac exceeded the target of three troop deliveries, and after training, they were promptly sent to the South.

Nhandan.vn

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ngay-1141975-chien-tran-o-xuan-loc-dien-ra-ac-liet-post871539.html