 The ARVN 3rd Infantry Division was responsible for the defense of Quảng Nam and that part of Quảng Tín lying within the Quế Sơn Valley.In June 1974, General Nguyen Duy Hinh, the 3rd Division commander, had his 2nd Infantry Regiment operating in the Go Noi () and Duc Duc areas while the 78th Ranger Battalion held Da Trach.Da Trach, a battalion-sized camp, was a strongpoint situated on a prominent hill about above the Sông Thu Bồn south of the subsector headquarters at Duc Duc.