308 Division

308th Division
Active
Allegiance	Vietnam
Branch	Vietnam People's Army
Role	Infantry
Garrison/HQ	Xuan Mai, Chuong My, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nickname	Quân Tiên Phong (Vanguard)
Engagements	Battle of Dien Bien Phu Battle of Khe Sanh Southern Laos Campaign Easter Offensive

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The 308th Division is an infantry division of the People's Army of Vietnam, first formed in 1948-49.

As early as January 1946, the first regiment of the PAVN, the 102 'Capital' Regiment, was created for operations around Hanoi.^[1] It consisted of Regiments 88, 102, and 36, and soon became the 308 'Vanguard' Division. By late 1950 the 308 Division had a full three infantry regiments, one heavy weapons regiment, and support units.

Under Colonel Vuong Thua Vu, the division fought at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. It fought at the Battle of Khe Sanh in 1967-68.^[2] In October 1970, the division was in training in North Vietnam, and during the Tet Offensive it was working on flood protection dikes in North Vietnam.^[3] During Operation Lam Son 719 in 1971 the division fought as part of the B-70 Corps. In 1972 the division was commanded by Nguyễn Hữu An. It fought in the First Battle of Quang Tri. When the NVA I Corps was organized in the fall of 1973, the 308th, 312th, and 320B Divisions, having returned from the Quang Tri front, were all assigned to it.^[4]

In 1980s, the division was reorganized into a mechanized infantry division and became the rapid response force of the 1st Corps since then.

Today the division is part of the 1st Corps (Vietnam People's Army) located in the Red River Delta.

References

1. ^ Conboy, Bowra, and McCouaig, 'The NVA and Vietcong', Osprey Publishing, 1991, p.5
2. ^ Khe Sanh 1967-68 By Gordon L. Rottman, Howard Gerrard, Peter Dennis via Google Books
3. ^ Benjamin L. Harrison, Hell on a Hill Top, p.208, via Google Books
4. ^ http://www.riciok.com/Cease_Fire/cease_fire_in_mr_3_and_4.htm, accessed July 2009