Battle of Ap Bac
A map of the battlefield of the First Battle of Ấp Bắc.
Gate over the roadway leading to the site of the Battle of Ap Bac.
This is a victory monument dedicated to the NLF victory at Ap Bac in 1963. This was photographed in Tien Giang Province, Vietnam.
The map of the First Battle of Ấp Bắc, 1963.
Downed CH-21s and Huey in a rice paddy.
This UH-1 gunship was one of five helicopters shot down during the Battle of Ap Bac
This UH-1B gunship was one of five helicopters shot down during the Battle of Ap Bac
"Aboard rescue craft Capt. Don Toth heads toward helicopters downed at Battle of Ap Vac. Photo by Richard Tregaskis". From the Richard Tregaskis Collection (COLL/566) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH
Two downed U.S. CH-21 helicopters.
From the Richard Tregaskis Collection (COLL/566) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH
!["The area under Viet Cong fire, [Don] Toth (middle right) and his party make their way toward the downed choppers. Man at left has slipped in the mud. Photo by Richard Tregaskis".
From the Richard Tregaskis Collection (COLL/566) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division
OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Heading_Towards_Downed_Choppers%2C_3_January_1963.jpg)
"The area under Viet Cong fire, [Don] Toth (middle right) and his party make their way toward the downed choppers. Man at left has slipped in the mud. Photo by Richard Tregaskis". From the Richard Tregaskis Collection (COLL/566) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH
From the Richard Tregaskis Collection (COLL/566) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPH
Stamp commemorating the Battle of Ấp Bắc
Historical Overview
The Battle of Ấp Bắc was a major battle fought on 2 January 1963 during the Vietnam War in Định Tường Province, South Vietnam. On 28 December 1962, US intelligence detected the presence of a radio transmitter along with a sizable force of Viet Cong (VC) soldiers, reported to number around 120, in the hamlet of Tân Thới in Định Tường Province, home of the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam (ARVN) 7th Infantry Division. The South Vietnamese and their US advisers planned to attack Ấp Tân Thới from three directions to destroy the VC force by using two provincial Civil Guard battalions and elements of the 11th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. The infantry units would be supported by artillery, M113 armored personnel carriers (APCs), and helicopters. However, VC forces anticipated a major attack from the South Vietnamese government from a variety of sources including movement of supplies, an undercover VC agent, and decoded radio communications from the ARVN. Accordingly, the VC prepared for an attack by US and South Vietnamese forces.
Quick Facts
Viet Cong
- Commander: Lam Quang Quan
- Strength: 350 Mann
- Casualties: 18
S. Vietnam (ARVN)
- Commander: Huynh Van Cao
- Strength: 1.200 Mann
- Casualties: 80
Strategic Context
Testing the effectiveness of US helicopter tactics.
Related Literature
Historical Locations
Exact location not recorded in historical records