January 2, 1963 Battle of Ap Bac

The American advisors to the Vietnamese believed that the South Vietnamese could beat the Vietcong if only they would fight. At the end of December 1962 a large contingent of Vietcong was located at Ap BaC about 40 miles south of Saigon. It was decided to hold off the attack until January 2, 1963. By that time the Vietcong know that the South Vietnamese were planning to attack and prepared their positions. The South Vietnamese outnumbered the Vietcong 10 to 1.

The Vietcong waited for the American helicopters to land, when the fourth wave did land they opened fire. They downed five helicopters. Meanwhile what was suppose to be a three pronged attack fell apart as the advancing South Vietnamese troops failed to advance. It soon became clear that the Vietcong were not going to be overrun. The battle ended by nightfall as the Vietcong troops slipped away. 61 government soldiers were killed and 100 wounded. Some claimed it was a victory since the Vietcong had left the area, but in reality it showed the inability of the South Vietnamese army to function.