341:, the 316th's first action was on 15 March 1954 probing the French strongpoints at Dominique 5 after the capture of Strongpoint Beatrice by the 312th Division. Further south Battalion 888 of Regiment 176 was tasked with isolating Strongpoint Isabelle from the central French position in the valley. On 27 March the 98th and 174th Regiments were assigned the task of capturing the Eliane 1 and 4 strongpoints. The attack on Eliane commenced at 5pm on 30 March and the 320th succeeded in capturing Eliane 1 within 3 hours, but were unable to secure Eliane 2 in a fierce battle. Eliane 1 was recaptured by a French counterattack on 31 March but had to be abandoned again that day and was recaptured by the French on 10 April. On 31 March Regiment 98 was relieved by Regiment 102 of the 308th Division. On the night of 31 March Regiment 102 again attempted to take Eliane 2 but was beaten back and then replaced by Regiment 98 on 3 April. On 11 April Regiments 98 and 174 attempted to recapture Eliane 1 but were forced back. Following the failure of these attacks the Viet Minh resorted to choking off the French strongpoints by digging trenches and saps and, in the case of Eliane 2 a mine gallery under the hill. For the final assault on the French positions on the night of 6/7 May, Regiment 174 was tasked with taking Eliane 4 while Regiment 98 would make another attempt to take Eliane 2. At 6:45pm Regiment 98 began their attack and were held back by French artillery fire from Strongpoint Isabelle until Viet Minh counter-battery fire took effect. At approximately 9:30pm the Viet Minh exploded a mine under Eliane 2 and after some hesitation Regiment 98 renewed its attack at 11pm and by 5am on 7 May had finally succeeded in capturing Eliane 2. The 174th Regiment's attack on Eliane 4 commenced at 9:30pm and lasted throughout the night and the French were finally overrun at 9:30am on 7 May. Total estimated losses among the 316th Division at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ are 1250 killed.
28:
52:
463:
Following the
Vietnamese Politburo decision to capitalise on the opportunity presented by the collapsing ARVN, in early April the 316th was ordered to move out of the Central Highlands down Route 14 towards
456:, the 675th Artillery Regiment, the 312th Anti-aircraft Regiment, 198th Sapper Regiment, 273rd Tank Regiment, 545th Engineer Regiment and the 29th Signal Regiment under the command of Major General
831:
351:
In 1961 the 316th
Brigade was brought up to strength and assigned to the PAVN Northwest Military Region. In March 1962 two battalions from the 316th Brigade deployed to
300:
497:
269:
The 316th
Division was formed in February/March 1951 from various ethnic minorities in the high region bordering Laos and first saw action in April 1951 at the
303:
teams in the Song River valley and that were blocking Route
Provinciale 41. On 15 November the remainder of the 316th was ordered to move into the
338:
123:
433:
on 10 March the
Division's 174th Regiment attacked and captured the Mai Hac De district in western Ban Me Thuot, they were forced back by an
445:
793:
766:
738:
713:
665:
640:
610:
550:
319:
434:
334:
and the deployment of Groupe Mobile 7 to Luang
Prabang, the Viet Minh force withdrew towards Điện Biên Phủ on 20/21 February.
259:(PAVN). One of the 6 original "Steel and Iron Divisions", it was created in 1951 and consisted of some 10,000 to 15,000 men.
477:
441:
counterattack and airstrikes, but the
Division counterattacked an by the morning of 11 March controlled most of the city.
438:
469:
312:
233:
229:
225:
221:
256:
473:
195:
270:
113:
453:
378:
289:
67:
449:
480:
in place. On 29 April the
Division attacked the ARVN 46th and 49th Regiments, 25th Division at Phuoc Hiep,
430:
360:
190:
132:
415:
426:
411:
27:
516:
501:
151:
505:
493:
330:
on 1 February. Hampered by French airpower, the airdrop of the 1st
Colonial Parachute Battalion on
263:
141:
108:
170:
327:
315:, capturing Lai Chau on 12 December and by 17 December they were deployed east of Điện Biên Phủ.
277:
118:
481:
331:
789:
762:
734:
709:
661:
636:
630:
606:
546:
509:
371:
304:
783:
410:
In 1973/4 the
Division was ordered to return from Laos to North Vietnam and was stationed in
403:
From 17 December 1971 to 30 January 1972 the Division and the 312th Division participated in
540:
281:
205:
422:
356:
175:
137:
180:
825:
386:
323:
293:
457:
185:
397:
382:
352:
345:
308:
127:
404:
390:
367:
472:
in preparation for the assault on Saigon. By late April the Division blocked
288:
which was abandoned as indefensible by the French, by 23 April the 316th and
374:
and by mid-January 1968 they had succeeded in forcing the RLA from Nam Bac.
285:
706:
Victory in Vietnam: A History of the People's Army of Vietnam, 1954–1975
299:
From September–November 1953 Regiment 176 from the 316th engaged French
284:
and in the high region near Laos. In April 1953 the 316th moved towards
421:
In early 1975 the Division was moved by truck from Nghệ An Province to
307:. The 316th harassed the T'ai Federation forces as they retreated from
57:
465:
280:
as part of a Viet Minh offensive against French positions on the
603:
The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam
318:
In January 1954, a Battalion from Regiment 176 accompanied the
209:
366:
In December 1967 the Division was sent back to Laos to assist
255:, literally: Silvergrass Division) was a division of the
708:. trans. Pribbenow, Merle. University of Kansas Press.
396:
From 2 February to 30 April 1971 the Division launched
658:
Hell in a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu
785:
Chinese Military Strategy in the Third Indo-China War
400:
and temporarily gained control of the Plain of Jars.
276:
In October 1952 the 316th took part in the attack on
216:
163:
158:
147:
104:
89:
81:
73:
63:
45:
37:
20:
468:By 15 April the Division occupied positions near
377:In September 1969 the Division together with the
731:Black April: The Fall of South Vietnam, 1973-75
704:Military History Institute of Vietnam (2002).
32:Victorious Việt Minh soldiers at Điện Biên Phủ
759:The Vietnam Experience: The Fall of the South
292:had surrounded a French air-land base on the
8:
624:
622:
596:
594:
592:
590:
588:
586:
584:
582:
206:
26:
832:Divisions of the People's Army of Vietnam
580:
578:
576:
574:
572:
570:
568:
566:
564:
562:
817:. Hanoi: People's Army Publishing House.
752:
750:
635:. Oxford University Press. p. 838.
534:
532:
211:316th Infantry Division (Present) (1951)
699:
697:
528:
757:Dougan, Clark; Fulgham, David (1985).
695:
693:
691:
689:
687:
685:
683:
681:
679:
677:
632:Vietnam at War: The History, 1946-1975
496:of 1979, the 316th formed part of the
17:
7:
508:. This division participated in the
500:and was engaged in the defense of
14:
545:. Osprey Publishing. p. 64.
444:On 29 March 1975 the PAVN formed
733:. Encounter Books. p. 587.
50:
435:Army of the Republic of Vietnam
660:. Da Capo Group. p. 487.
1:
761:. Boston Publishing Company.
476:and Route 22 to fix the ARVN
629:Davidson, Philip B. (1991).
355:in northwest Laos to engage
848:
782:O'dowd, Edward C. (2007).
605:. Orion Publishing Group.
788:. Routledge. p. 62.
729:Veith, George J. (2012).
448:comprising the Division,
25:
601:Windrow, Martin (2004).
539:Conboy, Kenneth (2012).
257:People's Army of Vietnam
515:The 316th received the
506:Hoàng Liên Sơn Province
370:forces fighting in the
339:Battle of Điện Biên Phủ
234:176th Infantry Regiment
230:174th Infantry Regiment
226:148th Infantry Regiment
124:Battle of Điện Biên Phủ
656:Fall, Bernard (1985).
431:Battle of Ban Me Thuot
393:dry season offensive.
361:Battle of Luang Namtha
222:98th Infantry Regiment
133:Battle of Ban Me Thuot
542:The NVA and Viet Cong
68:Vietnam People's Army
517:Order of Ho Chi Minh
359:(RLA) forces in the
152:Order of Ho Chi Minh
815:Su Doan 316 Tap Hai
498:2nd Military Region
494:Sino-Vietnamese War
470:Dầu Tiếng Base Camp
322:on a probe towards
264:First Indochina War
194:Lieutenant General
142:Sino-Vietnamese War
109:First Indochina War
389:in support of the
119:Operation Lorraine
510:Battle of Lao Cai
502:Lai Châu Province
416:Hà Tĩnh Provinces
372:Battle of Nam Bac
271:Battle of Mạo Khê
249:Bông Lau Division
240:
239:
201:
200:
114:Battle of Mạo Khê
839:
818:
813:Vu, Lap (1986).
800:
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488:Post Vietnam War
425:to take part in
253:Sư đoàn Bông Lau
207:
189:Colonel General
184:Colonel General
179:Colonel General
56:
54:
53:
30:
18:
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807:Further reading
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484:and Go Dau Ha.
454:320th Divisions
423:Darlac Province
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96:(Silvergrass),
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379:312th Division
357:Royal Lao Army
348:
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320:308th Division
305:T'ai Highlands
266:
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245:316th Division
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169:Major General
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138:Fall of Saigon
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21:316th Division
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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827:
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795:9780415414272
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770:
768:0-939526-16-6
764:
760:
753:
751:
747:
742:
740:9781594035722
736:
732:
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715:0-7006-1175-4
711:
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642:9780195067927
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612:0-297-84671-X
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552:9781780967660
548:
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520:
518:
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507:
503:
499:
495:
487:
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479:
478:25th Division
475:
471:
467:
461:
459:
455:
451:
447:
442:
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439:23rd Division
436:
432:
429:. During the
428:
424:
419:
417:
413:
408:
406:
401:
399:
394:
392:
388:
387:Plain of Jars
384:
381:took part in
380:
375:
373:
369:
364:
362:
358:
354:
347:
344:
342:
340:
335:
333:
329:
325:
324:Luang Prabang
321:
316:
314:
313:Điện Biên Phủ
310:
306:
302:
297:
295:
294:Plain of Jars
291:
287:
283:
279:
274:
272:
265:
262:
260:
258:
254:
251:(Vietnamese:
250:
246:
235:
231:
227:
223:
219:
215:
208:
203:Military unit
197:
192:
191:Nguyễn Hữu An
187:
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36:
29:
24:
19:
16:
814:
784:
777:
758:
730:
724:
705:
657:
651:
631:
602:
541:
514:
491:
462:
443:
427:Campaign 275
420:
409:
402:
398:Campaign 74B
395:
383:Campaign 139
376:
365:
353:Luang Namtha
350:
336:
326:, capturing
317:
298:
275:
268:
252:
248:
244:
242:
196:Đàm Văn Ngụy
97:
93:
41:1951–present
15:
346:Vietnam War
337:During the
328:Muong Khoua
176:Chu Huy Mân
171:Lê Quảng Ba
148:Decorations
128:Vietnam War
105:Engagements
90:Nickname(s)
482:Trảng Bàng
405:Campaign Z
391:Pathet Lao
368:Pathet Lao
217:Components
166:commanders
159:Commanders
100:, Highland
46:Allegiance
519:in 1985.
446:3rd Corps
407:in Laos.
332:Muong Sai
282:Red River
826:Category
309:Lai Châu
286:Xam Neua
278:Nghia Lo
174:General
98:Bien Hoa
94:Bông Lau
85:Division
77:Infantry
492:In the
474:Route 1
458:Vũ Lăng
437:(ARVN)
412:Nghệ An
385:on the
186:Vũ Lăng
164:Notable
58:Vietnam
792:
765:
737:
712:
664:
639:
609:
549:
466:Saigon
181:Vũ Lập
154:(1985)
64:Branch
55:
38:Active
523:Notes
290:308th
790:ISBN
763:ISBN
735:ISBN
710:ISBN
662:ISBN
637:ISBN
607:ISBN
547:ISBN
504:and
452:and
450:10th
414:and
301:GCMA
243:The
82:Size
74:Role
460:.
311:to
247:or
828::
749:^
676:^
621:^
561:^
531:^
512:.
418:.
363:.
296:.
273:.
136:*
131:*
122:*
117:*
112:*
798:.
771:.
743:.
718:.
670:.
645:.
615:.
555:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
