First Battle of Loc Ninh

This article is about the battle fought in 1967. For the battle fought in 1972, see Battle of Loc Ninh.
First Battle of Loc Ninh
Part of Operation Shenandoah II of the Vietnam War

Civilian Irregular Defense Group compound and Loc Ninh Airstrip with Battery A, 6th Battalion, 15th Artillery, position in the foreground.
Date29 October – 7 November 1967 (1967-10-29 – 1967-11-07)
Location
Lộc Ninh (now in Bình Phước Province), South Vietnam
Result American and South Vietnamese victory
Belligerents
 United States
 South Vietnam		 Viet Cong
Commanders and leaders
John H. Hay
Units involved
United States 1st Infantry Division
South Vietnam ARVN Rangers
South Vietnam South Vietnamese Regional Force
South Vietnam Civilian Irregular Defense Group		 9th Division
Casualties and losses
50 killed U.S body count: ~852[1]

The First Battle of Loc Ninh took place during the Vietnam War that occurred between 29 October and 7 November 1967, fought by the Viet Cong, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), Civilian Irregular Defense Group and the United States Army.

The battle was part of the Operation Shenandoah II campaign. This battle represented the first time that Central Office for South Vietnam (COSVN) had coordinated attacks from different divisions, and was intended as "rehearsal" to experiment with urban-fighting techniques to be used for the Tet Offensive.[2]

Operational goals of COSVN was in part, to draw US and ARVN forces away from the cities in an upsurge of activity, in preparation for the Tet Offensive the next year.[2]

  1. ^ Clodfelter, M. (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 9781476625850.
  2. ^ a b Willbanks, James H. (2008). The Tet Offensive: A Concise History. Columbia University Press. pp. 16–17. ISBN 9780231128414.