Viet Cong Ap Bac 1963 Brass Pinback Insignia

The battle of AP BAC occurred near Saigon on January 2, 1963. It was supposed to be a one-sided battle where the South Vietnamese army along with US advisors, were to overwhelm a Viet Cong village with massive firepower. The village was defended by a 120 man security force. However, at the end of the battle, a Cobra gunship,  four Huey helicopters and several M113 armored personnel carrier's were destroyed. The Vietcong melted back into Cambodia. Because this was the first time that the Vietcong had defeated a large combined-arms attacking force of helicopters and armor, this battle became a rallying cry for other Viet Cong units to defend their area of operations.