Battle of Chan La

Battle of Cha La
Part of the Vietnam War
Date November 23, 1963 Location Cha La, South Vietnam Result United States/South Vietnamese victory
Belligerents
South Vietnam  United States	Viet Cong
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Nguyễn Hoài Pho
Strength
* One company of the 32nd/21st Division * One company of regional forces	* MR9's 306th battalion * U Minh 1 battalion * One AA MG battalion * Local irregulars
Casualties and losses
400+ KIA 18 aircraft	500+

The Battle of Cha La was a battle of the Vietnam War. The assault by Viet Cong forces was one in a series of attacks since the battle of Ap Bac back in January, in an attempt to recover momentum lost from the battle and its ensuing skirmishes.

The Viet Cong attacked what it called a vital weapons depot in Cha La (Vietnamese: Chà Là), Ca Mau Province. The ARVN defenders suffered more than four-hundred casualties as the Viet Cong pounded the base with a deluge of mortar and heavy machine gun fire. The US lost 18 aircraft and helicopters as they rushed in rescue the base providing close air support which left them vulnerable to Viet Cong machine positions. The siege was only broken after Viet Cong rebels withdrew after Americans severed their supply lines using pin point artillery fire to collapse in the walls of a narrow jungle canyon.

Sources

• Quoc Vinh, Tran(1965), Quan Doi Nhan Dan: Resolutely defeat the American aggressors. Hanoi, Vietnam.
• Lịch sử chiến thuật Quân đội Nhân dân Việt Nam 1944 - 1975 - Tập 2 (History of Tactics of the Vietnam People's Army 1944 - 1975 - Vol. 2, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2005.

External links

• Passage (in Vietnamese) from "History of Tactics of the Vietnam People's Army 1944 - 1975 - Vol. 2"

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