Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
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Heavy Defeat For The South!
On February 8, 1971, more than 20,000 soldiers of the ARVN, South Vietnam's army equipped and trained by the USA, invaded neighboring Laos.
The aim of this "Operation Lam Son 719", which was planned and logistically prepared by US staffs under the leadership of Admiral John McCain, Lieutenant General James Sutherland and General Creighton Abrams, is to interrupt supply routes for the NVA, the army of North Vietnam and theirs allied guerrilla army fighting in the south, the "Vietcong"....:
The political aim of the initiative is to force North Vietnam to the negotiating table, to make the world public aware of the success of the "Vietnamization" of the war and to buy the Saigon regime time.
US soldiers are therefore not allowed to take part in the operation, they have strict orders not to cross the border into Laos!
For this, the South Vietnamese are sending the best troops they have:
The 1st Armored Brigade, the 1st Infantry Division (generally considered the ARVN's best fighting unit), the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades of the Paratrooper Troops, the 147th and 258th Brigades of Marines, the 39th, 37th .and 21st Ranger Battalion, the 101st Combat Engineer Battalion and other helicopter troops.
They are commanded by General Hoàng Xuân Lãm...:
But the company ends in disaster!
Although ARVN units manage to briefly occupy the small town of Xépôn, around 30 km from the border, which was seen as the main objective of the campaign, the ARVN troops then come under increasing pressure from Hanoi's well-armed divisions.
They must make a hasty retreat!
During the retreat, the southern soldiers were attacked with tanks and heavy artillery in their rear.
The previously victorious military leadership of the ARVN was completely overwhelmed by the surprising situation and was no longer able to issue clear orders!
Only massive bombardments by the American Air Force and helicopter gunships can prevent the complete annihilation of the ARVN troops...:
In addition, the USA are evacuating a large part of their ARVN allies with helicopters...:
Due to North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire, there are heavy casualties, especially among the slow helicopters...:
The battle ended on March 24, 1971, when the last ARVN soldier crossed the border.
It is generally stated that the devastating defeat during "Operation Lam Son 719" broke the military backbone of the South Vietnamese troops, and the south never recovered from the losses: 5,500 dead, 10,000 wounded and almost 1,000 prisoners of the ARVN elite troops were recorded.
Notably, this operation was the military operation in Vietnam in which the most helicopters were lost:
According to the XXIV US Corps, 108 helicopters were destroyed and 618 damaged - today it is known that the actual numbers were far higher.
The NVA, led by General Lê Trọng Tấn ...
... went into battle with 36,000 soldiers (3 infantry divisions, 3 infantry regiments, 8 artillery regiments, 3 engineer regiments, 3 tank battalions, 6 anti-aircraft battalions, 8 assault engineer battalions) lost 2163 dead and 6176 wounded during the fighting.
And the morale of the US soldiers still standing in South Vietnam, which was already badly damaged, sank to zero after the defeat!
On February 8, 1971, more than 20,000 soldiers of the ARVN, South Vietnam's army equipped and trained by the USA, invaded neighboring Laos.
The aim of this "Operation Lam Son 719", which was planned and logistically prepared by US staffs under the leadership of Admiral John McCain, Lieutenant General James Sutherland and General Creighton Abrams, is to interrupt supply routes for the NVA, the army of North Vietnam and theirs allied guerrilla army fighting in the south, the "Vietcong"....:
The political aim of the initiative is to force North Vietnam to the negotiating table, to make the world public aware of the success of the "Vietnamization" of the war and to buy the Saigon regime time.
US soldiers are therefore not allowed to take part in the operation, they have strict orders not to cross the border into Laos!
For this, the South Vietnamese are sending the best troops they have:
The 1st Armored Brigade, the 1st Infantry Division (generally considered the ARVN's best fighting unit), the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades of the Paratrooper Troops, the 147th and 258th Brigades of Marines, the 39th, 37th .and 21st Ranger Battalion, the 101st Combat Engineer Battalion and other helicopter troops.
They are commanded by General Hoàng Xuân Lãm...:
But the company ends in disaster!
Although ARVN units manage to briefly occupy the small town of Xépôn, around 30 km from the border, which was seen as the main objective of the campaign, the ARVN troops then come under increasing pressure from Hanoi's well-armed divisions.
They must make a hasty retreat!
During the retreat, the southern soldiers were attacked with tanks and heavy artillery in their rear.
The previously victorious military leadership of the ARVN was completely overwhelmed by the surprising situation and was no longer able to issue clear orders!
Only massive bombardments by the American Air Force and helicopter gunships can prevent the complete annihilation of the ARVN troops...:
In addition, the USA are evacuating a large part of their ARVN allies with helicopters...:
Due to North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire, there are heavy casualties, especially among the slow helicopters...:
The battle ended on March 24, 1971, when the last ARVN soldier crossed the border.
It is generally stated that the devastating defeat during "Operation Lam Son 719" broke the military backbone of the South Vietnamese troops, and the south never recovered from the losses: 5,500 dead, 10,000 wounded and almost 1,000 prisoners of the ARVN elite troops were recorded.
Notably, this operation was the military operation in Vietnam in which the most helicopters were lost:
According to the XXIV US Corps, 108 helicopters were destroyed and 618 damaged - today it is known that the actual numbers were far higher.
The NVA, led by General Lê Trọng Tấn ...
... went into battle with 36,000 soldiers (3 infantry divisions, 3 infantry regiments, 8 artillery regiments, 3 engineer regiments, 3 tank battalions, 6 anti-aircraft battalions, 8 assault engineer battalions) lost 2163 dead and 6176 wounded during the fighting.
And the morale of the US soldiers still standing in South Vietnam, which was already badly damaged, sank to zero after the defeat!
