The 2nd Infantry Division () was a division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)—the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975. It was part of I Corps that oversaw the northernmost region of South Vietnam.
History The 2nd Division's origins began with the 32nd Mobile Group, organised by the French on 1 February 1955 in the Red River Delta of North Vietnam. After 1954 Geneva accords, the group was transported to Đà Nẵng and reorganised as the 32nd Infantry Division. In 1960, the 2nd Field Division was redesignated the 2nd Infantry Division.
The 2nd Division was based in Chu Lai, south of Tam Kỳ, Quảng Tín Province and the 4th Cavalry Squadron was also located here. Each of the division's regiments was assigned a separate province: the 4th Regiment was based at Firebase Bronco () in Quảng Ngãi Province; the 5th Regiment was based at Hội An Base Camp in Quảng Nam Province and the 6th Regiment was based at Firebase Artillery Hill () in Quảng Tín Province. Given its large territorial responsibilities the division was supported by six Border Ranger Battalions.
1964 From 16 February until June 1964, the division conducted Operations Dan Chien I and II in Quảng Tín and Quảng Nam provinces respectively.
In April–May, a battalion from the division took part in Operation Quyet Thang 202.
On 9 August, two Viet Cong (VC) battalions attacked the command post of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry, which was performing pacification operations around Thanh My in southern Quảng Tín. The task force commander, Lieutenant colonel Nhan, personally led the relief force, which consisted of a rifle company and a troop of M114 armored fighting vehicles. The advance continued even after a recoilless rifle knocked out the command M114, with South Vietnamese artillery and United States Army (US Army) helicopter gunships hitting the flanking hills. After rockets started a grass fire among the VC positions, the VC broke and ran with the M114s in pursuit. The allies killed 74 VC.
On 20 November, the division engaged VC who were searching for food 14km west of Quảng Nam. ARVN losses were three dead, 19 wounded and three weapons lost. VC losses were 67 killed, 17 captured and 24 weapons captured.
On 9 December, a VC battalion attacked and overran an ARVN outpost on Hill 159 8km southwest of Tam Kỳ and attacked an outpost at Ky Long 5km further west. A division force, supported by US Marine and Army helicopters, counter-attacked Hill 159 forcing the VC to retreat. VC losses were 162 killed and two captured and five machineguns, a 57mm recoilless rifle, and 51 individual weapons captured. ARVN losses were 26 dead and 43 wounded, one US advisor was killed.
1965 On 7 January, the VC attacked a post 23km northwest of the city at Viet An, where an infantry company guarded a platoon of 155mm howitzers and the headquarters of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Infantry. The defenders fought stubbornly before being forced to withdraw. Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) aircraft then hit the post with 24 sorties. A relief force comprising a ranger and two infantry battalions and an armored cavalry troop was sent to the post. A VC ambush was detected and the ARVN successfully attacked forcing the VC to flee. ARVN losses were 37 dead, 45 wounded, and four missing and 33 individual and three crew-served weapons were lost. The VC left 230 dead, including a battalion commander, seven prisoners, and 35 individual and five crew-served weapons.
On 20 January, the division launched a block-and-sweep operation 18km northwest of Tam Kỳ. VC losses were 28 killed and 36 captured. The ARVN suffered one dead and four wounded.
On 17 February, the division attacked a VC battalion on a ridge 30km northwest of Tam Ky. Two battalions and a ranger company advanced south from Qui Son, while a detached company assumed a blocking position behind the VC. As the infantry approached the Nui Lac San Ridge, one of the battalion commanders violated instructions to remain concentrated. He dispersed his troops causing the attack to fall apart. The VC charged down the ridge and a melee ensued until the ARVN were able to withdraw covered by airstrikes. ARVN losses were 41 dead, 18 wounded, and seven missing along with 39 weapons. VC losses were unknown, but multiple sources indicated that the airstrikes had killed several hundred.
On 23 February, the 39th Ranger Battalion and 5th Infantry Regiment troops were landed by US helicopters to raid eight VC-held hamlets on a peninsula 32km southeast of Đà Nẵng. Assisted by armor and a Regional Forces (RF) company that came overland, the troops converged, killing 93 VC and capturing ten.
On 3 March, the division mounted an operation to evacuate the Viet An outpost in Quảng Tín province which had been under siege by the VC since 7 February. The allies killed 120 VC, with villagers reporting that the VC had carried off another 150 casualties. ARVN losses were 25 dead, 35 wounded and five missing.
On 31 March in Operation Quyet Thang 512, the division planned to sweep a 200 square km area near Viet An. After US helicopter gunships hit the wrong target, the VC were able to shoot down a US Army troop carrying helicopter as it approached the landing zone. Anticipating the assault, the VC engaged the troops of the 5th Airborne Battalion as they landed and hit many of the helicopters. At 14:00, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 5th Infantry, and M113 armored personnel carriers began moving toward the besieged airborne. The 3rd Battalion and the M113s got within 2km of the airborne when the commander ordered the infantry to secure a small hill instead, leaving the M113s to continue to the landing zone. Meanwhile, the VC forced the 2nd Battalion to fall back. A half hour later, five VNAF A-1s arrived to assist the 2nd Battalion and the airborne. The VC, however, staged a fierce attack on the 3rd Battalion, assisted by ARVN artillery that mistakenly hit the infantry. The 3rd Battalion broke, with the VC chasing the soldiers into an open field where they were dangerously exposed. Earlier reports had led COMUSMACV General William Westmoreland to invoke his emergency powers and at the critical moment, F–100s and B–57s zoomed in at low level and hit the VC, saving the 3rd Battalion from possible annihilation. Throughout the night, the VC probed the 5th Airborne's perimeter. At 05:00 on 1 April, they launched an assault that failed. They then faded back into the jungle. ARVN losses were 21 dead, 66 wounded, and 20 missing and 32 individual and two crew-served weapons. The US lost two dead and 19 wounded. The VC shot down two one Army and one Marine Corps helicopters and damaged all the others used in the operation. The allies found 70 VC dead and estimated that they lost an additional 270 men. Nineteen individual weapons and one 57mm recoilless rifle were recovered.
On 18 April, the division massed six battalions and six platoons of artillery backed by aircraft to target the headquarters of the VC 1st Regiment, four infantry battalions, and an artillery company in the Viet An area of Quảng Tín province. Two columns moved southwest from Thang Binh district town into the hilly piedmont. The southern axis met stiff and mounting resistance by an estimated two battalions deployed on three hills. After a series of airstrikes, a company from the 3rd Marine Battalion made a lodgment on one of the hills while the rest of the battalion and two troops of M113s swept around the VC southern flank and hit the main position on a second knoll. Considerable amounts of bloody clothing found near the combat hamlet of Thanh Yen supported villager reports that the airstrikes had killed about 150 VC. The ARVN spent the night on the battlefield. On the following afternoon an observation aircraft reported seeing VC moving further west toward the hamlet of Chien Son. After a brief artillery bombardment, the 3rd Marine Battalion and the two cavalry troops advanced in line across a field toward the hamlet. At 17:25, the VC unleashed a bombardment including heavy 4.2 inch mortars. Surprised by the large explosions the M113s turned about and drove off the battlefield, causing the marines to panic and flee. Friendly artillery stopped firing, and the USAF forward air controller on the scene was unable to persuade two VNAF A-1s on station to attack. The Marine officers and their advisers could not stop the rout, but they did manage to steer the mob toward an abandoned VC trench where the marines stopped to take shelter. Here, allied officers organized a defense. The respite was brief as VC troops adjusted their bombardment to hit the new position, and a large column maneuvered to attack. Four advisers fell wounded, and, despite the best efforts of the remaining officers and advisers, the marines broke again. The division headquarters again rejected calls for artillery support on the supposition that the VC was too close to the marines, but the division commander, General Hoàng Xuân Lãm, ordered a ranger battalion and an infantry battalion to come to their aid. That plan backfired when the panic that infected the marines spread to the new battalions, which quickly joined the rout. The debacle cost the allies 26 dead, 86 wounded, 28 missing, and eight crew-served and 25 individual weapons lost. The allies counted 53 VC dead and estimated they had killed 297 more, but MACV considered the latter number highly speculative.
On 12 June, the division sent two understrength battalions and two Regional Forces companies to attack two VC local force companies 20km south of Đà Nẵng. VC losses were 41 killed, three captured and ten weapons. The allies estimated the VC had evacuated another 58 dead.
On 19 June, the division launched an attack on the VC 38th Battalion and a local force company 10km south of Quảng Ngãi. After encircling the target, the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry, on loan from the 1st Infantry Division, and a troop of M113s entered the area. Heavy fire from Thuan Hoa village led to an air and artillery bombardment followed by a successful assault backed by the M113s. Inside the advisers found two rings of trenches protected by barbed wire and bunkers whose roofs were over a meter thick. After securing Thuan Hoa, the battalion encountered light mortar fire while advancing on Hoa Que hamlet and fell back to Thuan Hoa for the night. On the 20th, the 2nd Battalion and another battalion advanced again toward Hoa Que, and again fell back in the face of light VC resistance. The division then terminated the operation, without conducting the planned three days of searches meant to reestablish government control in the area. VC losses were 63 killed and 16 weapons captured. ARVN losses were five dead and nine missing.
On 23 June, the division launched a raid 3km northeast of Quảng Ngãi, in response to information as to the whereabouts of the VC 90th Battalion. Two battalions advanced, backed by an M113 troop. The force overcame strongpoints with air and artillery support. ARVN losses were three killed and three wounded. VC losses were 66 killed and 28 individual weapons and one 57mm recoilless rifle captured.
From 7 to 10 September, the 2nd Battalion, 4th Regiment participated in Operation Piranha on the Batangan Peninsula with the 3rd Marine Battalion and US Marine forces.