1975 spring offensive

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1975 spring offensive
Part of the Vietnam War
1975 spring offensive NVA's battle plans
Date 13 December 1974 – 30 April 1975 (4 months, 2 weeks and 3 days) Location South Vietnam Result North Vietnamese victory Dissolution of the Republic of Vietnam End of the Vietnam War
Belligerents
North Vietnam Supported by:  Soviet Union	South Vietnam Supported by:  United States
Commanders and leaders
Lê Duẩn Văn Tiến Dũng Lê Trọng Tấn Trần Văn Trà Lê Đức Anh	Nguyễn Văn Thiệu Cao Văn Viên Ngô Quang Trưởng Phạm Văn Phú Dư Quốc Đống (replaced by Nguyễn Văn Toàn) Nguyễn Khoa Nam Trần Quang Khôi
Units involved
Bình Trị Thiên Front Tây Nguyên Front Southern Regional Headquarters Southwestern Command	I Corps II Corps III Corps IV Corps
Strength
U.S. figures: In South Vietnam: 270,000[1] Total forces: 1,000,000[2] Vietnamese figures:: 270,000 men 1,076 artillery pieces, mortars and recoilless guns 320 tanks and 250 armoured vehicles 679 trucks Six A-37 Dragonfly aircraft[3][failed verification]	Sources 1:[citation needed] 1,110,000 men (710,000 regulars, 400,000 armed CIDG) 1,607 artillery pieces (105mm, 155mm and 175mm), 14,900 mortars, 200+ recoilless guns[4] 2,044 tanks and armoured vehicles 1,556 aircraft and helicopters 579 war ships On 26 April: In the perimeter around Saigon: 250,000 men (152,000 regulars) 407 artillery pieces 624 tanks and armoured vehicles 229 aircraft At 4th Tactical Zone: 175,000 men (66,000 regulars) 386 artillery pieces 493 tanks and armoured vehicles 118 aircraft[3] Sources 2:[citation needed] Regular Forces: 495,000 Regional Forces: 475,000 Popular Force: 381,000
Casualties and losses
Total:~23,999[5] ~8,000 killed 15,999 wounded	Total: ~1.19 million[6] ~30,000 killed 60,000 wounded ~1.1 million surrendered or captured More than $5 billion (1975 cost) in U.S. supplied hardware were captured
155,000 refugees killed or abducted[7]

The 1975 spring offensive (Vietnamese: chiến dịch mùa Xuân 1975), officially known as the general offensive and uprising of spring 1975 (Vietnamese: Tổng tiến công và nổi dậy mùa Xuân 1975), was the final North Vietnamese campaign in the Vietnam War that led to the capitulation of Republic of Vietnam. After the initial success capturing Phước Long Province, the North Vietnamese leadership increased the scope of the People's Army of Vietnam's (PAVN) offensive and captured and held the key Central Highlands city of Buôn Ma Thuột between 10 and 18 March. These operations were intended to be preparatory to launching a general offensive in 1976.

Following the attack on Buôn Ma Thuôt, the Republic of Vietnam realized they were no longer able to defend the entire country and ordered a strategic withdrawal from the Central Highlands. The retreat from the Central Highlands, however, was a debacle as civilian refugees fled under fire with soldiers, mostly along a single highway reaching from the highlands to the coast. This situation was exacerbated by confusing orders, lack of command and control, and a well-led and aggressive enemy, which led to the utter rout and destruction of the bulk of South Vietnamese forces in the Central Highlands. A similar collapse occurred in the northern provinces.

Surprised by the rapidity of the ARVN collapse, North Vietnam transferred the bulk of its northern forces more than 350 miles (560 km) to the south in order to capture the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon in time to celebrate their late President Ho Chi Minh's birthday and end the war. South Vietnamese forces regrouped around the capital and defended the key transportation hubs at Phan Rang and Xuân Lộc, but a loss of political and military will to continue the fight became ever more manifest. Under political pressure, South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu resigned on 21 April, in hopes that a new leader that was more amenable to the North Vietnamese could reopen negotiations with them. It was, however, too late. Southwest of Saigon IV Corps, meanwhile, remained relatively stable with its forces aggressively preventing VC units from taking over any provincial capitals. With PAVN spearheads already entering Saigon, the South Vietnamese government, then under the leadership of Dương Văn Minh, capitulated on 30 April 1975.