The Vietnamese Airborne Division or VNAD () or ) was one of the earliest components of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces (Vietnamese: Quân lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa – QLVNCH). The Vietnamese Airborne Division began as companies organized in 1948, prior to any agreement over armed forces in Vietnam. After the partition of Vietnam, it became a part of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). This division had its distinct origins in French-trained paratrooper battalions, with predecessor battalions participating in major battles including Dien Bien Phu and retained distinct uniforms and regalia. With the formation of an independent republic, the colonial paratroopers were dissolved, however regalia and aesthetics alongside the nickname "Bawouans" would be retained.
The Airborne Division, alongside the Vietnamese Rangers and the Marine Division were often regarded as among the most effective units, with former airborne advisor General Barry McCaffrey noting that "those of us privileged to serve with them were awestruck by their courage and tactical aggressiveness. The senior officers and non-commissioned officers were extremely competent and battle-hardened." Eight of nine battalions and three headquarters had earned US Presidential Unit Citation of which eight of these were earned by the Airborne between 1967 and 1968 which included the Tet Offensive period. Airborne commanders were often highly rated, with Airborne Commander Ngô Quang Trưởng once described by former Airborne-adviser and Gulf War commanding General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. as "the most brilliant tactical commander I have ever known".
History The Airborne Division had its origins in Indochinese-specific units raised under the "jaunissement" program, separating Indochinese members of French paratrooper units of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps forming separate battalions under the Vietnamese National Army, after the independent State of Vietnam was established with the Élysée Accords taking effect on 14 June 1949. Among these are the 1e BPVN, 3e BPVN and 5e BPVN who were airdropped into combat during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Most were killed afterward upon capture by the Viet Minh, then bargained as the French had been. Because they were regarded as "traitors" for fighting alongside the colonial soldiers, rather than join them in their fight for independence from French rule.Jean-Jacques Arzalier, Les Pertes Humaines, 1954–2004: La Bataille de Dien Bien Phu, entre Histoire et Mémoire, Société française d'histoire d'outre-mer, 2004. They were later reformed to become part of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces when the Republic of Vietnam was established to replace the State of Vietnam on 26 October 1955. Before that France recognized full sovereignty of the State of Vietnam on 4 June 1954; a month later, the country lost the North to the communists.
The division was among the elite fighting forces in the ARVN and placed as a reserve unit along with the Republic of Vietnam Marine Division. Division headquarters was located at Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon. The division would mobilize anywhere within the four corps at a moment's notice. The main use of the Airborne was to engage and destroy People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) forces, not hold a specific region like the infantry units.
1964 On 4 January a VC battalion massed near My Tinh An hamlet near the border with Định Tường province. The VC were soon surrounded by a Ranger company, two Civil Guard companies, and Self-Defense Corps elements. On the morning of the 5th the 8th Airborne Battalion supported by M113 armored personnel carriers attacked, but became bogged down. The Airborne withdrew and artillery and airstrikes hit the VC, with one airstrike accidentally hitting ARVN forces. By the morning of the 6th the VC had withdrawn leaving only one body, but radio intercepts and local villagers reported that the VC had evacuated about 100 corpses. The next day a shallow grave containing 41 VC dead was found. The ARVN lost ten killed and thirty-six wounded, with an M113 and seven aircraft damaged.
On 3 March the 1st and 8th Airborne Battalions commanded by Colonel Cao Văn Viên attempted to encircle the VC 502nd Battalion about 10 km north of Tan Chau, near the Cambodian border. Instead, at dawn the VC ambushed the Airborne from entrenched positions using automatic rifles, recoilless rifles, and mortars. Three more infantry battalions and artillery were deployed to support the Airborne. Restrictions on the use of aircraft near the border limited aerial support and the closeness of the combatants sometimes prevented the artillery from firing. The fighting raged until 09:00 when the VC broke contact and fled across the border. ARVN losses were 15 dead and 85 wounded, VC dead were estimated at 130.
On 14 March an airborne battalion and two ranger companies attempted to envelop two VC battalions near the Cai Cai canal. The operation killed 14 VC and captured 70.
On 21 June elements of the 7th and 9th Divisions massed eight battalions - five infantry, two airborne, and one Civil Guard, a battery of 105mm howitzers and two platoons of 155mm howitzers to encircle an area 15 km in diameter centered on the village of My Thien in western Định Tường province. Inside were an estimated 1,000 VC regulars of the 261st, the 502nd, and 514th Battalions, plus two additional companies. The operation began inauspiciously when an RVNAF A-1H fighter-bomber mistakenly attacked the 2nd Battalion, 15th Infantry, causing nine casualties. The major fighting started in the afternoon as the 3rd Airborne Battalion approached the hamlet of Bang Lang. The unit commander decided not to wait for artillery support and led his men in a bayonet charge across 137 meters of muddy paddy into the teeth of entrenched VC machine guns. The battle raged until dark, with fixed-wing aircraft conducting 14 strikes. VC gunners downed four U.S. helicopters. The VC successfully eluded capture that night and two additional days of searching achieved little. The South Vietnamese lost 29 dead and 85 wounded, VC dead numbered almost 100.
On 22 June the 1st and 3rd Airborne Battalions were on a search-and-destroy operation in support of the 7th Division near Bang Lang, Định Tường province, when they ran into the VC 261st and 514th Battalions. VC fire downed four US Army helicopters. US helicopter gunships lent their support to the fight, at one point accidentally inflicting nine casualties on the South Vietnamese. The paratroopers charging the VC multiple times. Hostile fire killed or wounded all nine platoon leaders in the 1st Battalion. The VC retreated at dusk after losing 58 killed, 26 captured and 20 weapons. The Airborne lost 29 killed and 89 wounded.
On 20 July three VC companies from the 261st, 263rd, and 514th Battalions attacked Cái Bè killing 12 Popular Force soldiers, ten women and 30 children. The ARVN deployed five battalions to engage the VC and the 6th and 8th Airborne Battalions saw intense fighting, losing 13 killed and 52 wounded. VC losses were 46 killed and 12 captured.
On 6 September the 7th Airborne Battalion entered a heavily fortified base near Phu Hoa, Binh Duong Province. The VC ambushed the paratroopers, then assaulted them, only to be repulsed. The paratroopers launched three successive counterattacks, none of which succeeded. By the end of the fight the airborne had lost seven killed and 39 wounded, VC losses were 30 killed.
From 18 to 22 November the ARVN mounted Operation Phong Hoa a 14+ battalion operation against VC bases in Boi Loi Woods, Long Nguyen Secret Zone and the Ho Bo Woods, an area covering more than 770 square km in Hau Nghia, Binh Duong, and Tay Ninh provinces. The initial operation in the Boi Loi Woods was regarded as a complete failure, with the VC C56 Regiment having already withdrawn from the area. On 20 November, VC hidden in tunnels ambushed the 3rd Airborne Battalion in an abandoned rubber plantation. ARVN losses were 22 dead, 67 wounded and one missing. VC losses were claimed as 168 killed and 68 captured.
1965 On 9 February two airborne battalions were deployed by US helicopters to two landing zones 24 km northeast of Binh Gia. The 6th Airborne Battalion met little resistance at Landing Zone Alpha, but the VC 272nd Regiment gave the first two companies of the 5th Airborne Battalion an unwelcome reception at Landing Zone Bravo northeast of the hamlet of Cu Bi, hitting 12 helicopters, downing three of them. As a fierce firefight developed, VC soldiers set the grass in the landing zone on fire. The forces at LZ Alpha moved overland towards Bravo arriving at 17:00 where they established a perimeter for the night. As darkness fell, the VC began a series of ground assaults interspersed with mortar bombardments. The fighting continued until dawn on the 10th when the VC withdrew. After evacuating its wounded and receiving resupply, the task force resumed its sweep, assisted on the 11th by the 7th Airborne Battalion. The VC avoided contact as the airborne uncovered a regimental hospital, a battalion training camp, and a supply dump. By the time Operation 21/Nguyen Van Nho ended, the VC had lost 91 killed and two soldiers and 36 weapons captured, including a 57mm recoilless rifle and two machine guns. The airborne lost 22 dead and 95 wounded. Three of the downed U.S. Army helicopters were destroyed. One American aviator died, and 11 others along with two advisers were wounded.
On 19 February as the 3rd Company, 11th Airborne Battalion searched Da Ngu 2 village near Vung Ro Bay, their US advisor was killed. The unit then stormed bunkers in the village and called in airstrikes that destroyed the village. VC losses were 54 killed and four captured. Allied losses were two killed and four wounded.
On 14 March two airborne companies were landed by US helicopters to raid a VC prisoner-of-war camp 56 km northwest of Qui Nhon. The troops killed seven VC and captured 11 more while liberating 35 ARVN prisoners. The VC had removed the two Americans living in the camp 12 hours before the raid.
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 M113s began moving toward the besieged airborne. The 3rd Battalion and the M113s got within 2 km 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 RVNAF 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 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.