User talk:Ernieacorn

Battle of Coral and Balmoral - May 1968. The 165th NVA Regiment was not commanded by Phan Viet Dong (sic) as cited in the Wikipedia entry. PAVN Lieutenant Colonel Phan Việt Dũng (aka Phan Mậu, Ba Mậu) was the operations officer of the 7th NVA Division until 6 May 1968 when he was moved to become the commander of the 165th NVA Regiment. However, he defected on 7 May 1968 and became a very high profile “rallier” exploited by the GVN and US. In the Coral Balmoral battles the commander of the 141st NVA Regiment was Lieutenant Colonel Doãn Khiết and the commander of the 165th Regiment was Major Tuyen. At footnote 6, the Wikipedia article states that: “Although years later the fighting at Coral and Balmoral did not rate even a mention in PAVN official history of the conflict.” However, those battles have been covered extensively in Vietnamese military histories in recent years. The Vietnamese refer to the Battle of Coral as “The Attack at Sở Hội” and refer to the Battle of Balmoral as the “Attack at Đồng Tràm”. Both battles are covered in the 2001 official Vietnamese history of the Anti-American Resistance War – Nguyễn Văn Minh - Colonel, Lịch sử Kháng chiến chống Mỹ cứu nước 1954-1975 - Tập (Vol) 5, NXBCTQG, Hanoi, 2001; in: Trần Xuân Ban - Colonel (ed), The History of the 7th Infantry Division 1966-2006, People’s Armed Forces Publishing House, Hanoi, 2006; and in: Trung tá (Lieutenant Colonel) Phạm Vĩnh Phúc, Một số trận đánh trong Kháng chiến chống Pháp, Kháng chiến chống Mỹ (A Number of Battles in the Resistance War Against the French and the Americans), Tập I (Volume I), 1991. A discrete book on the 141st NVA Regiment has also been written – but is yet to be publicly released: Trần Xuân Ban, Trung Đoàn 141: 1966-2010, NXBQĐND, Hà Nội, 2010. Regards, Ernieacorn Ernieacorn (talk) 06:03, 3 July 2017 (UTC) §§§§

Welcome!
Hi - I have just completed some detailed research on Vietnamese communist histories and articles - including on death certificates, and discussions with Vietnamese historian. I offer the following points: FSPB Coral was in Bien Hoa Province's Tan Uyen District ie not in Binh Duong Province. FSPB Balmoral was in Phu Giao District of Binh Duong Province. The assault on FSPB Balmoral on 26 May was by the 141st NVA Regiment and the assault on Balmoral on 28 May was by the 165 NVA Regiment (-) reinforced by the 1st Battalion of the 141st NVA Regiment. If interested, I have the confirmed names of the NVA commanders. Regards. Ernieacorn Ernieacorn (talk) 05:00, 3 July 2017 (UTC) Hello, Ernieacorn, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few links to pages you might find helpful: Please remember to sign your messages on talk pages by typing four tildes ( ~ ); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place  before the question. Again, welcome! AustralianRupert (talk) 09:36, 12 October 2013 (UTC)
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Hi All, The description of the Battle of Binh Ba is quite good indeed - in particular, the inclusion of participation by D440 (which is not included in the main text of the Official History 2012). I would like to offer the following which I have related in "The Viet Cong D440 Battalion: Their Story" published in April 2012 and which is "free-to-read" on the Internet. An explanation of the Binh Ba battle in the communists' June 1969 "High Point" Campaign would be useful in providing context. Only recently has information come to hand on the 33rd Regiment battle plan. Originally, D440 was tasked to occupy Binh Ba - but is was disrupted by the late May 1969 ambushes at Thua Tich (in which its 2ic was KIA), and damaged on 4 (or 5 June) when in its concentration area to the northeast of Binh Ba was attacked by Australian forces (6RAR). The task of occupying Binh Ba village was given to 1/33 Regiment (which - commanded by Triệu Kim Sơn, originally had been tasked to ambush Route 2); and the 2/3 (commanded by Quách Thái Sơn) was given the task of ambushing the expected Australian relief force as it moved north to Binh Ba. However 2/33 Regiment's ambush was not "sprung" - for various reasons. Recent Vietnamese communist sources on the Battle included several 33rd Regiment historical monographs, the D440 History (2011),the Chau Duc Party History, and interviews in Vietnam in recent years. The Chau Duc District Unit was not involved at the Battle of Binh Ba - rather C-41 attacked Hoa Long on 7-8 June 1969 (where, incidentally, I interrogated enemy PW). The foregoing was also recently outlined in an article in "The Bridges Review" (Vol 1, January 2013, p.91) - the "Journal of the Australian Intelligence Corps". Ernieacorn (talk) 04:33, 13 October 2013 (UTC)

Battle of Long Tan - some further comment. In the "Opposing Forces" section, the attack by 275 VC Main Force Regiment on a Ranger battalion "near Binh Gia" on 11 November 1965 is mentioned (with a footnote citing Ian McNeill's "To Long Tan" p.222 as a reference). That engagement by 275 Regiment's 3rd Battalion against the 52nd Ranger Battalion and an RF Company is described in some detail in the 5th VC Division History (2005). The ambush of the Rangers occurred not near Binh Gia (which is on Route 2) but at the Ba Hao bridge at Kim Hai Hamlet of Phuoc Hoa village on Route 15 (nowadays Route 51). Ernieacorn (talk) 22:32, 13 October 2013 (UTC)

Regarding the on-line free-to-read "D445: Their Story", regrettably it does not include the annexes (a technical problem at the time of uploading to Scribd). Copies of "D445: Their Story" can be found in most Australian military museums, with relevant government agencies, in some libraries etc. However, as with the "Long Tan - Reviewed" handout for the mid-August 2013 "Enemy" presentation at the War Memorial Conference, I am happy to pass - as an email attachment, a pdf of any annex from "D445: Their Story" that is requested. My email address can be found on the "ISBN page" of "D445: Their Story" or "D440: Their Story". Following the publication of the "33rd NVA Regiment: Their Story" in a couple of weeks, I will finish work on a compendium of the VC District/Unit histories in Phuoc Tuy ("Long Dat" History - which predates the more recently available "Dat Do History", is already on Scribd as free-to-read). Ernieacorn (talk) 23:06, 13 October 2013 (UTC)

274 VC Regiment element in Duc My on 11 August 1966 ? The "pre-Long Tan" section relates an attack on "Duc My" on 11 August 1966 by a battalion of 274 Regiment. Duc My is a hamlet on Route 2 on the southern approach to Binh Ba village - ie about 4km north of the Nui Dat 1ATF base. On 11 August 1966, 5RAR was conducted a cordon and search-type operation in Binh Ba - including handing out books and detaining over 160 suspects. However, on 11 August 1966, 274 Regiment reportedly attacked the village of Phu My - ie on Route 15 on the border of Phuoc Tuy/Long Thanh District (of Bien Hoa Province). The initial probing occurred on 10 August. Phu My was beyond the range of 1ATF artillery. References include the 1ATF Operations Log (Sheets 672, 673, 676 and 677)and the 1ATF INTSUMs No. 70 (10 Aug 66), 71 (11 Aug 66) and 72 (12 Aug 66). Ernieacorn (talk) 07:53, 14 October 2013 (UTC)

The NVA/VC Order of Battle at Long Tan - August 1966, Some changes.

There are several errors in the NVA/VC order of battle. The commander of 275 VC Regiment was LTCOL Nguyen Thoi Bung (aka Ut Thoi). Reference: Chamberlain, E., The Viet Cong D445 Battalion: Their Story, Point Lonsdale, 2011 Annex J - The 275th VC Regiment. There was no discrete NVA Battalion (suspected) - the confusion arises because in May 1966 when 275 Regiment restructured, it incorporated the D605 NVA Battalion to become its 3rd Battalion (which had been disbanded). Reference: Chamberlain, E., The Viet Cong D445 Battalion: Their Story, Point Lonsdale, 2011 Annex J - The 275th VC Regiment. 274 VC Regiment: There was no plan for 274 VC Regiment to ambush any Allied relief forces - ie 11ACR moving from the Blackhorse base. 11 ACR not arrive in-country and reconnoitre the Blackhorse base area at west of Route 2 at Long Giao until September 1966 during its Operation Atlanta - works on the Blackhorse base did not begin until the second half of October - Reference: Chamberlain, E., The Viet Cong D440 Battalion: Their Story, Point Lonsdale, 2013, p.19, f.30 citing 11ACR records. 274 Regiment's plans for August 1966 are known from the captured notebook of the Regiment's 2ic - Nguyen Nam Hung, that relates its activities in August 1966, including on 18 August 1966. Reference: Chamberlain, E., The Viet Cong D445 Battalion: Their Story, Point Lonsdale, 2011, p.39, p.41, f.122, f.131 and Annex N, f.22 and f.29. A more complete note on the NVA/VC order of battle at Long Tan is in Chamberlain, E.P., The Battle of Long Tan 18/8/66 - NVA/VC Revisited, Paper to the Conference: "Vietnam: International Perspectives on a Long War", Australian War Memorial - Canberra, 16 August 2013. Ernieacorn (talk) 05:03, 15 October 2013 (UTC)

October 2013
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Thanks, BracketBot (talk) 23:11, 14 October 2013 (UTC
 * the "Binh Gia Campaign" (early Dec 64-Jan 65)that involved 271 (Q761) and 272 (Q762) Regiments incidentally - Nguyễn Thới Bưng (aka Út Thới - who later commanded 275 Regiment at Long Tan was at

The 33rd Regiment commanders at the Battle of Binh Ba were: Regimental commander - Nguyen Van Thuong (not on the battlefield); 1st Battalion commander - Trieu Kim Son (ie occupied Binh Ba village); 2nd Battalion commander - Quach Thai Son (ie the Battalion's ambush of the 1ATF relief force at Duc My was not initiated). Sources: interviews with 33rd Regiment veterans in November 2012; Chamberlain, E.P., The Viet Cong D440 Battalion: Their Story (and the Battle of Binh Ba), Point Lonsdale, 2013, pp.62-67. Regards, Ernie Chamberlain Ernieacorn (talk) 00:46, 7 November 2013 (UTC) Regards, Ernie

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Failed ambush of 275 VC Regiment on 52 Ranger Battalion at Kim Hai
The entry on the 52nd Ranger Battalion in the Vietnam War states that when ambushed by element of the 275th Regiment on Route 15 north-east of Baria Town on 11 November 1965 that the US 11th Armored Cavalry Regimen (11 ACR) was involved. This is not so - as the 11th ACR was in the US in November 1965 and did not disembark in Vietnam (at Vung Tau) until 7 September 1966. The detail of the failed 275 Regiment ambush on Route 15 is detailed in footnote 181 in Chamberlain, E.P., The Viet Cong D445 Battalion: Their Story, 2016 - free to read on the Internet at: https://www.scribd.com/doc/306536690/The-Viet-Cong-D445-Battalion-Their-Story-and-the-Battle-of-Long-Tan. Most recently, the failed ambush has been detailed in: Boxall, R. & O'Neil, R. (eds), Vietnam Vanguard,, Australian University Press, 2020, pp.406-408 (ie: "The Rangers' Victory on Route 15 at Kim Hai") - also free-to-read on the Internet. Regards, Ernie Chamberlain