Viet Nam Cong-Hoa Battle in An Lôc in the "Glorious City of Long Binh"

 

VIET NAM CONG-HOA (SOUTH VIETNAM) on 25 November 1972 issued a commemorative First Day Cover of two stamps celebrating the Battle in An Lôc in the "Glorious City of Long Binh". The postmark cancellation originated from Saigon.

 

In March of 1972, the North invaded in what was called the Easter Offensive by the U.S. and Mùa Hè Đỏ Lửa (Summer of Red Fire) by the South Vietnamese. Or, the Battle of An Lộc was a major battle of the Vietnam War that lasted for 66 days and culminated in a tactical victory for South Vietnam. The struggle for An Lộc in 1972 was an important battle of the war, as South Vietnamese forces halted the North Vietnamese advance towards Saigon.

Like Stalingrad, Dien Bien Phu, and Khe Sanh, An Loc was a classic siege with the garrison supplied entirely by air. Unlike Stalingrad and Dien Bien Phu, the end results were much better for the besieged at An Lôc. Through the coordinated efforts of the U.S. Army advisors under General Hollingsworth; the air resupply effort, B-52 attacks, and tactical air strikes by the Air Force; and the determined resistance of the besieged ARVN forces, the South Vietnamese and their American allies were able to withstand a massive assault by the NVA and save the city of An Lôc. However, the North gained territory that it was allowed to occupy in the Paris Peace Accords signed in January 1973.