Battle of Kontum

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Battle of Kontum

Date	May 2-July 1, 1972
Location	14°21′22″N 108°0′28″E / 14.35611, 108.00778 (Kontum)Coordinates: 14°21′22″N 108°0′28″E / 14.35611, 108.00778 (Kontum) Kontum, South Vietnam
Result	South Vietnamese victory

Belligerents

South Vietnam

North Vietnam

Commanders

Col. Ly Tong Ba

John Paul Vann †

Casualties and losses

over 100

over 1000

v • d • e

Vietnam War

Ap Bac – Binh Gia – Pleiku – Song Be – Dong Xoai – Starlite – Gang Toi – Ia Drang – Hastings – Masher/White Wing – A Shau – Xa Cam My – Duc Co – Long Tan – Attleboro – Cedar Falls – Tra Binh Dong – Bribie – Junction City – Union – Hill 881 – Union II - Ong Thanh – Dak To – 1st Tet – Khe Sanh – 1st Saigon – Hue – Lang Vei – Lima Site 85 – Kham Duc – Speedy Express – Dewey Canyon – 2nd Tet – Hamburger Hill – Binh Ba – Cambodia – Snuol – FSB Ripcord – Tailwind – Chenla I – Son Tay Raid – Lam Son 719 – Chenla II – Ban Dong – FSB Mary Ann – Easter '72 – 1st Quang Tri – Loc Ninh – An Loc – Kontum – 2nd Quang Tri – Phuoc Long – Ho Chi Minh – Ban Me Thuot – Xuan Loc – Truong Sa – 2nd Saigon – SS Mayagüez
Air operations
Ranch Hand – Pierce Arrow – Barrel Roll – Pony Express – Flaming Dart – Rolling Thunder – Steel Tiger – Arc Light – Tiger Hound – Bolo – Igloo White – Commando Hunt – Menu – Freedom Deal – Linebacker I – Linebacker II – Shed Light

The Battle of Kontum was fought during North Vietnam's Nguyen Hue Campaign.

The North Vietnamese Army began their initial attacks by attempting to overrun ARVN fire support bases and Tan Canh (14°39′29″N 107°49′33″E / 14.65806, 107.82583 (Tan Canh)) during March and April. Hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, South Vietnamese soldiers were forced to abandon their positions, leaving behind the 105mm howitzers. This left the defence of Kontum to the South Vietnamese 22nd Division.

With their positions consolidated around Kontum two North Vietnamese divisions, well-supported by armour and artillery, launched the attack with a heavy barrage of artillery and rocket fire. During the early encounters, M-41 tanks of the South Vietnamese Army proved ineffective against Soviet-made T-54, forcing South Vietnamese tank crews to abandon their equipment. After the attackers came close to taking it all, by May 30, the tide of battle seemed to had turned in South Vietnam's favor. The North Vietnamese attack paused, giving the Saigon government troops time to regroup and dig in for the defense of the city. In direct if unofficial command of the ARVN army was an American, John Paul Vann, who pulled every available ARVN unit into the battle. What turned the tide, however, was not Vann's leadership but American firepower. In one three-week period, Vann ordered three hundred B-52 strikes in and around Kontum, then circled the huge craters they left, and called in Cobra gunships to quell the few remaining survivors. South Vietnamese troops were regaining their positions and by June sweeping operations were conducted to clear out the remaining pockets of enemy resistance.