Dư Quốc Đống

Lieutenant General Dư Quốc Đống (1932 – 22 April 2008) was an officer of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN).

In 1965 Đống served as commander of the Airborne which together with the Marines formed the South Vietnamese general reserve and had a significant political role to play in Saigon. Đống was allied with General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, while General Lê Nguyên Khang commanding the Marines was an ally of Đống's rival Air Vice Marshal Nguyễn Cao Kỳ. The general reserve troops represented the real muscle of the Saigon-based Directory members and also constituted a balance of power between the rival officer cliques.[1]:32

In 1966 US advisers reported that Đống was highly resistant to American advice. Because of his close relationship with Thiệu, Joint General Staff chief General Cao Văn Viên, his nominal superior, was reluctant to discipline Đống and instead passed on American misgivings to Thiệu. Thiệu valued the support of Đống's Saigon-based paratroopers highly, but, to appease his American critics, apparently reprimanded Đống in private over his lackadaisical approach to the job. The result was a supposed "changed attitude" in Đống but by the end of the year the Airborne senior adviser, Col. James B. Bartholomees, again reported that Đống "was still not applying himself to his job."[1]:191–2

In 1972 Thiệu finally moved both Đống and Khang out of their Divisions, transferring Đống to command the Capital Military District and Khang to a nebulous "special assistant" post under Viên on the Joint General Staff.[1]:487

He served as the commander of III Corps, which oversaw the region of the country surrounding Saigon, from 30 October 1974 until January 1975, when he was replaced by Lieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Toàn.[2]

References
  1. Clarke, Jeffrey (1998). The U.S. Army in Vietnam Advice and Support: The Final Years, 1965-1973 (PDF). U.S. Army Center of Military History. ISBN 978-1518612619. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. Tucker, Spencer (2000). Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. ABC-CLIO. pp. 526–33. ISBN 1576070409.
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