Major Battles - Battle of Ap Bac
2 January, 1963
A fierce battle on 2 January, 1963 at the small village of Ap Bac, approximatly 40 miles southwest of Saigon. Stung by the October 1962 loss of a Sout Vietnamese Ranger platoon and concerned about the ease with which the Vietcong were recruiting support in the Mekong Delta region, Lt. Col. John Paul Vann, senior advisor to the 7th Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), hope for a quick victory at Ap Bac and its sister hamlet, Ap Tan Thoi.
Aware that an ARVN attack was imminent, the Communist 261st Main Force Battalion of 320 men, augmented by about 30 regional guerrillas, assumed strong defensive positions in tree lines and along canals. They demonstrated superior weapons discipline throughout the day, Conversely, the 7th Division exhibited cowardice, confustion, and incompetence, and the mission quickly disintegrated as ARVN soldiers refused to advance under fire. By noon, five U.S. helicopters carrying ARVN soldiers were downed. Intermediate ARVN commanders refused to act. Finally, hoping to contain the Communist forces, ARVN paratroopers, dropped into the battle zone. The greatlt outnumbered Communist troops outfought ARVN forces, then escaped into the night.
General Paul Harkins, senior-ranking military officer in South Vietnam, stated that the mission was successful because AP Bac had been secured. He didn't mention that this occured after the enemy had escaped. However, reporters David Halberstam, Neil Sheehan, and Malcom Brown, covering the battle at the site, revealing a debacle. Even with U.S. technology and planning, the ARVN was an inferior fighting force. Communist forces lost 18 men killed and 39 wounded; the ARVN suffered about 80 dead and more than 100 wounded.
The battle at Ap Bac became symbolic of the ARVN's difficulties. Futhermore, the U.S. miltary damaged its credibility with the press corps, a problem that increased as the war continued.
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