communist forces

If you were a member of the 720th MP Battalion the primary enemy force chain of command you were fighting against during your tour worked throughout the III Corps Tactical Zone.

Central Office for South Vietnam (COSVN)

The Headquarters for the southern arm of the Communists in Hanoi, it maintained political and military control over the area of South Vietnam from Cam Ranh Bay, II Corps Tactical Zone down to the tip of the Ca Mau Peninsula in IV Corps Tactical Zone.

Enemy Military Zones

Southern Regional Headquarters controlled Military Regions 6 to 9 and the Saigon-Gia Dinh Special Zone. These were known collectively as the B-2 Theater.

Military Region 6 covered the rest of ARVN's II CTZ and the very northern part of III CTZ (Quang Duc, Tuyen Duc, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Lam Dong, and Binh Tuy provinces). (The westernmost elements of this and MR 7 fell into the VC's MR 10.)

Military Region 7 (or Eastern Nam Bo Region) covered the U.S. / ARVN III CTZ, roughly from Saigon to the north (Phuoc Long, Long Khanh, Phuoc Tuy, Binh Long, Binhy Dong, Bien Hoa, Tay Ninh, and Hau Nghia Provinces). In Oct 1967 this region took over the Saigon-Gia Dinh Special Zone. (This was roughly the VC's MR's 1 and 4.)

Military Region 8 was southwest of Saigon, running from Cambodia to the South China Sea (Long An, Kien Tuong, Sa Dec, Dinh Tuong, Go Cong and Kien Hoa Provinces). (This was largely the VC's MR 2.)

Military Region 9 covered the southernmost part of South Vietnam (Ghau Doc, An Giang, Vinh Long, Vinh Binh, Phong Dinh, Ba Xuyen, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu and An Xuyen Provinces). (This was largely the VC's MR 3.)

5th North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Division

The NVA 5th Infantry Division was perhaps the most versatile of all Communist divisions; at least it was called upon to perform missions of extreme diversity. A North Vietnamese Army (Regular) unit assigned primarily to operate within the U.S. / ARVN III & IV Corps Tactical Zone area.

When not in South Vietnam performing offensive operations its base of operation and training was located across the Cambodian border in the "Parrots Beak" area, west of Tay Ninh. While in Cambodia it also provided security for a part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Their uniforms were regular army of green cotton or tan khaki, North Vietnamese made or Chinese army issue web gear and canteens, rubber soled canvas foot wear or rubber (cut from tire treads) sandals, and cloth styled U.S. "Boonie" type hats or tropical style canvas pith helmets.

Their armaments were provided by China, or Russian Communist Block countries.

274th & 275th Viet Cong Main Force Regiments

VC Main Force units were composed of Viet Cong that were usually recruited and trained from outside the area of their operation. The NVA would supplement its ranks and provide its political indoctrination cadre, officers and NCO's, while the local VC elements would act as scouts.

They were much better trained, equipped and staffed by specialized support units (Rocket - Artillery - Sapper - Tank Killer - Communications - Medical) than the local VC. They operated under the authority and command and control of the 5th North Vietnamese Army Division.

Viet Cong Dong Nai Battalion

Operated as the dedicated reconnaissance element of the COSVN and included the...

Viet Cong D445 Battalion

Viet Cong Local Force unit whose area of operations was Dong Nai (river basin) which included parts of Long Khanh and Bien Hoa Provinces, it included the....

Viet Cong Local Squads & Platoons of the Battalion TAOR

Viet Cong Local Forces, the squads of the villages of An Hoa Hung - Long Binh Tan - Long Hung - An Xuan, and their civilian supporters operated jointly or separately as Local Squads. Their uniform was the standard civilian clothing so they could pass unnoticed in the villages and on the local rivers they lived and worked in and around. During nighttime operations they would often change into darker clothing as a matter of need for concealment.

Their organic arms were usually older Chinese or Soviet Block (Russian) military issue with some older and modern U.S. arms captured during ambushes of U.S. or Allied forces. Their small sampans and meager supplies and equipment were hidden in cashes in nearby small camps built just outside the villages along the many tributaries or main Dong Nai, Ben Go or Buong River's.

They were usually restricted to operations in the local provence's, cities or hamlets they worked and lived in unless called upon to supplement Main Force units that entered into their areas of operations for specific reconnaissance or offensive missions as they did in supporting the 275th VC Main Forge Regiment in the Tet New Years Offensive attack of Bien Hoa & Long Binh Post in 1968 and the 274th VC Main Force Regiment during the Post Tet attack on Long Binh Post on 23 February 1969.

Nguyen Van Thi - Platoon Leader

Le - Platoon Leader

Communist Allies

The Peoples Republic of China and the Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Russia and its Communist Soviet Block Countries of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania were the major providers of agricultural provisions, finances, weapons systems, ammunition, and technical support.

The USSR provided military trainers for the North's navy, aircrews, artillery crews, armored crews, intelligence, communication services and air defenses, and the Chinese military provided several thousand engineers and troops to assist North Vietnam in repairing bombed rail lines, highways and bridges, and building its anti aircraft defenses throughout the north.

As in Korea in the 1950's, we were once again fighting a surrogates war against the expansionism of the World Communist Movement.

NVA Flag	Regional Communist Forces Command 720th MP Battalion Tactical Area Of Responsibility	VC Flag
This Page Last Updated ~ 12 November 2017