THE BATTLE OF AN LOCIntroductionThe Battle of An Loc Vietnam is also considered the Easter Offensive because it began on the Thursday before Easter weekend and lasted 96 days. It preceded the TET Offensive of 1968 and was perhaps one of the most prolific battles of the era. The Battle of An Loc demonstrated the will and courage of the enemy and tested the perseverance of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) defense forces. Along with all this, it showed a more modern form of combat using land and air power, and paved the way for the superiority of air power used today.1HistoryIn 1968, after the TET offensive, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) along with their Viet Cong (VC) counterparts were pushed back to the Cambodian border. Through political interventions, South Vietnamese forces, including their American counterparts, were ordered not to advance into Cambodia to follow the NVA/VC. Between 1968 and 1972, the United States withdrew its forces from Vietnam in the hopes that the ARVN would be able to protect their own country. By 1972, U.S. forces numbered only 100,000 troops, including only 5,000 combat troops. As American forces withdrew, the North Vietnamese army gradually built up its forces in Cambodia. Once they reached a troop level above 200,000, the North Vietnamese sought assistance from Russia and China, ensuring victory and the fall of Saigon. Supported by the Russians with 200 tanks, anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles, the NVA/VC attack was ready. With the upcoming U.S. election and its involvement in an already unpopular conflict, the NVA/VC felt this would be the case. a great opportunity to attack with middle of paper......and the battlespace was not planned in advance in the mind of air power. Towards the end, the command and control establishment flying over the battle was developed and can be seen in use today. Ensuring all players are where they are supposed to be and eliminating friendly fire casualties was born from this battle. The use of aircraft to perform precise and efficient resupply in a small targeted location has also been developed in the form of HALO drops on loss-reducing pallets. aircraft and crew, and increasing the ability to provide support to ground troops in battle. The last and most important lesson learned by aviation today is the development of aircraft survivability equipment and techniques. Through trials and tribulations, we are able to provide means to operate safely in a modern technology environment aimed at disabling aviation assets..