Operation lam son 719 february 8 march 25, 1971 supported by us airpower, the offensive sought to destroy the communist supply dumps along the ho chi minh trail in cambodia and laos, as well as disrupt any offensive by the forces of the north vietnamese army nva and its peoples army of vietnam pavn, better known in the usa as the vietcong. In february 1971, the army of the republic of vietnam arvn launched an in. In 1992 the theme was the 717th air cav squadron, in 1993 it was dustoff and medevac, and for 1994 it is dewey canyon ii lam son 719. The story of dewey canyon ii lam son 719, vietnam 1971 nolan, keith william on.
But two journalist colleaguesthe authors of this bookreturned to laos. The primary objective of the operation, named lam son 719, was to destroy supply dumps and sever the ho chi minh trail, the logistical corridor running through eastern laos from north vietnam south to cambodia. Willbanks tells the story of the 60day siege of an loc. Lam son 719 at the rockpile and carried the colors of the 11th light infantry brigade 43 into battle. For some reason the usaf always called it ham ngai. Army ah1 cobra helicopters preparing to attack north vietnamese forces in laos. Youtube data api has not been used in project 290206694769 before or it is disabled. Lam son 719 is sometimes referred to as the battle that formed modern army aviation. Background landscape in 1968, the national front for the liberation of the south nfl, and the north vietnamese army nva, launched several attacks on various south vietnamese cities, including hue and the national capital saigon. Highly detailed limited edition print featuring all u. Introduction to the history of dewey canyon ii lam son 719. Map information comes from a variety of sources, but is primarily based on information from the u. Khe sanh was the staging area for the lam son 719 invasion because it was just 10 miles from laos.
The most stunning evidence of vietnamizations failure came when saigons best troops were dealt a shattering defeat in their extensive lam son 719. Mar 22, 2010 the 2d and 3d platoons of the 300th military police company were pulled from vandergrift and khe sanh, and standdown operations began at the a company, 504th military police battalion, area at phu bai. In fact, on the very first day of the operation we had two slick aircraft shot down. Dewey canyon i was the usmc operation into the khe sanh area in 1969. A joint venture into laos by the united states and the republic of south vietnam february 8, 1971 march 25, 1971 a soldiers story of lam son 719. Here is where the majority of the us support elements were deployed during the operation. What makes this account important is that robert d. In the aftermath of lam son 719, general abrams and his macv staff accelerated their efforts to increase the combat capability of south vietnamese armed forces.
Lam son 719 was a combined rvnafus operation conducted under several constraints. With the knowledge born of firsthand experience, james h. Photojournalist larry burrows of life died in helicopter c flickr. With the 715th artillery out of lz blackhawk we were called as fire support for rvn troops entering laos into lam son to take on the nva. Unfortunately, they would not have much time the north vietnamese were planning a major offensive in south vietnam for 1972. I was an army air traffic controller with 125 atc in vietnam from aug 70 to aug 71. Sander, a helicopter pilot who took part in the invasion of laos, offers his thoughts on why this operation was an epic failure. Sander served during the vietnam war as a helicopter pilot assigned to the 101st airborne division, and was part of the air support for the battle itself. The objective of lam son 719 was to cut the ho chi minh trail to disrupt an ongoing north vietnamese army supply buildup at techepone, laos. Oct 16, 2005 lam son 719 demonstrated what can happen when a large operation is insufficiently coordinated. Since the very beginning of the lam son 719 operation, which started on february 8, 1971, the bluestar and joker gunship aircraft of the 48 th ahc were at very high risk every time they crossed the vietnamese border into laos.
Lam son 719, for many veterans, is just a period of time in our lives many years ago that we wanted to forget. This book gives a detailed account of the battle of lam son 719. The campaign famously known as operation lam son 719, was a disaster for the arvn. Special thanks are given to mike for his efforts to record history correctly, from a101 avn and all aviation veterans. That day i had just returned from the states to report to my new assignment with the 48th ahc.
A closer view of the khe sanh staging area for lam son 719 and the border between laos and south vietnam. Tom marshall, the price of exit and his new book he is writing on lam son 719 the 1994 vietnam helicopter pilots association directory concerning lam son 719 joe kline in an article in vietnam concerning lam son 719. The vva veteran, a publication of vietnam veterans of america. Many lessons learned emerged from the battle that have a direct correlation on how army aviation flies and fights today.
The most stunning evidence of vietnamizations failure came when saigons best troops were dealt a shattering defeat in. Apr 22, 2017 a joint venture into laos by the united states and the republic of south vietnam february 8, 1971 march 25, 1971 a soldiers story of lam son 719. He has researched his subject diligently and presents it well in this book. Enemy units and replacements enroute south were diverted to the scene of the action. This section is to honor and recognize our brothers who fought in country in 1971 and especially those who participated in operation dewey canyon ll. The story of dewey canyon iilam son 719, vietnam 1971. When asked by bruce moore of the 506th association to do a narrative on the events of march 2, 1971 through april 9, 1971, i felt honored to be asked to do so.
Lam son 719 demonstrated what can happen when a large operation is insufficiently coordinated. Custom design any patch, pin, or cap for govt, military, police, fire, clubs, teams lodges, schools any organization. Operation lam son 719 or 9th route southern laos campaign was a limited objective offensive campaign conducted in the southeastern portion of the. On 7 april 1971, the 300th military police company lam son 719 mission was complete, and 1st platoon began their standdown at quang tri. Lam son 719 and millions of other books are available for instant access. A town called tchepone, twentyfour miles into laos, was a major depot and distribution point. Even though enemy armor was under daily attack from the air, fire support base 31 had been lost because of the enemys effective coordination of armor and infantry forces. The story of dewey canyon ii lam son 719, vietnam 1971. This is the vhpas first attempt to document a major operation. Firepower, as it turned out, was decisive, but it went in favor of the enemy. It was a test of the vietnamization policythe south vietnamese forces ability to stand on their own and execute a campaign. Lam son 719 was doomed in both the planning and executiona casualty of domestic and international politics, flawed assumptions, incompetent execution, and the resolve of the north vietnamese army. Photos provided by bill whitehurst whitey hmh463 7071. Operation lam son 719 or 9th route southern laos campaign was a limitedobjective offensive campaign conducted in the southeastern portion of the.
Jul 28, 2011 lam son 719 was an offensive against north vietnamese forces in laos. Jun 10, 2018 with the 715th artillery out of lz blackhawk we were called as fire support for rvn troops entering laos into lam son to take on the nva. Despite equivocal results in cambodia, less than a year later the americans pressed the south vietnamese to launch a second crossborder operation, this. Includes over 30 maps and illustrations for several year. In 1972, late in the vietnam war, a small group of south vietnamese held off three north vietnamese divisions and helped prevent a direct attack on saigon. It is a vhpa custom to present at least one major history in the annual membership directory and to relate the cover theme to the history section. Even though enemy armor was under daily attack from the air, fire support base 31 had been lost because of the enemys effective coordination of. Lam son 719 forestalled a communist offensive in the spring of 1971. The 2d and 3d platoons of the 300th military police company were pulled from vandergrift and khe sanh, and standdown operations began at the a company, 504th military police battalion, area at phu bai. Lam son 719 has been addressed in previous episodes but i like to revisit the subject primarily because i participated in that history making event that no seems to know about.
I was at ca mau, south of the mekong delta, and then near the dmz at dong. There was no joint command for the control of operations. Helicopter units involved in lam son 719 comanchero. When i arrived back in country fellow aviators had somber faces when i expressed that i was en route to the 48th to finish out my remaining 4 months in my tour. Lam son 719 attempted to slice through the ho chi minh trail behind the laotian border where the annamite mountains shielded hanois supply route to the south. Below is thirtyone minute video on lam son 719, providing background and contextual information.
Lam son 719 was a major operation of the army of the republic of south vietnam, arvn, into laos from 30 jan 24 mar 1971. The planners of lam son 719 had failed to give sufficient consideration to the threat of nva armor, and now this threat had become a reality. South vietnam pushed into laos, motivated by desires to disrupt supply buildups of the north vietnamese army there. Army aviation units that participated in lam son 719. The story of dewey canyon iilam son 719, vietnam 1971 nolan, keith william on. Robert sander has done a truly superb job of telling what really happened in lam son 719. In 1971, the war in vietnam was slowly drawing to an end for the u. Dewey canyon ii lam son 719 29 jan 19716 apr 1971 dewey canyon ii was the first phase of lam son 719, a large offensive operation against nva communications lines in laos.
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