Interview with NVA General Tran Van Tra

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VN: Where was the B-2 Front headquarters located?

Tra: It was north of Tay Ninh City in War Zone C. General Westmoreland knew this very clearly. Operation Junction City was Westmoreland’s attempt to destroy the B-2 Front headquarters. [At this point, I asked Tra if he would show the location on a map. I then spread out an old American tactical map of the III Corps Tactical Zone that highlighted such features as the war zones, the Iron Triangle, etc. Tra proceeded to indicate how Junction City was supposed to unfold, showing sure knowledge of the concept of operations. In discussing the concept behind Junction City, the question of the precise location of the B-2 Front got lost, or Tra simply decided not to answer the question.]

VN: With the Americans pushing so hard in Junction City, where did you go? Where did the headquarters go? Did you go north or west to Cambodia? East to War Zone D or the Iron Triangle?

Tra: Our staff soldiers became fighting soldiers. Everyone had to fight. As for me, I stayed in War Zone C. I moved from one place to another. We never stayed in one place very long. [He laughed when he said this and seemed to enjoy very much the idea that he and his headquarters had stayed and eluded the massive American search force.]

VN: Let me ask a question about the 1968 Tet Offensive. Did the B-2 Front have a forward command post during Tet, and if so where was it located?

Tra: Yes, there was a forward command post. The B-2 Front forward command post was at Hoc Mon. It is northwest and almost on the outskirts of Saigon. But I did not stay there all the time. We moved about.

VN: After your first major encounters with American soldiers in 1965, how did you evaluate their effectiveness? Did your evaluation make you change your approach to fighting American forces?

Tra: We had to change our plan and make it different from when we fought the Saigon regime, because we now had to fight two adversaries — the United States and South Vietnam. We understood that the U.S. Army was superior to our own logistically, in weapons and in all things. So strategically we did not hope to defeat the U.S. Army completely. Our intentions were to fight a long time and cause heavy casualties to the United States, so the United States would see that the war was unwinnable and would leave.

VN: Would it be fair, then, to say that you fought ‘a protracted war of attrition’? [I purposely used General Westmoreland's phrase in this question.]

Tra: Strategically it was a war of attrition. Tactically we tried to destroy U.S. units. We tried to cause heavy casualties and damage the U.S. units so much that the U.S. side would realize that there would be no retreat and that the U.S. was waging war against a whole nation. We were determined in this so that the world community would see that we were carrying out a just war to win independence for our country. On the other hand, regarding the Saigon army, it was our intention to defeat South Vietnam totally. When the U.S. Army first came in, we discussed whether we should fight the U.S. troops or the Saigon regime troops. After discussion and after the events I have talked about before [the early experience of fighting with the Americans], we came up with the decision to fight the U.S. and Saigon troops at the same time. We would fight the enemy according to each situation.

VN: How did you rate the 9th People’s Liberation Armed Forces (PLAF) [VC] Division? Our information suggests that it was the best unit in the B-2 Front. Do you agree with this assessment?

Tra: Yes.

VN: Which regiment was the best and why?

Tra: Each regiment had its own way of fighting. In their tactics and fighting they were each strong in one point. For example, the 1st Regiment was strong in the kind of fighting where their opponents were moving. The 2nd Regiment was strong at attacking fortified emplacements. The 3rd Regiment was strong at carrying out ambushes.

Tags: 20th - 21st Century, Historical Conflicts, Historical Figures, Vietnam War

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