1969–72 Laotian Civil War

a u.s. air force bell uh-1p 20th special operations squadron green hornets @ base in laos, 1970.

on 23 march 1969, royal lao army launched large attack (cu kiet campaign) against communists in plain of jars/xieng khoang areas, supported own air units , u.s. air force. in june, pathet lao , pavn launched attack of own , gained ground, august, royal laotian forces attacked again , regained had been lost. in these operations, u.s. air force flew hundreds of barrel roll missions; however, many canceled because of poor weather.

pathet lao forces supported pavn s 174th vietnamese volunteer regiment. september, 174th had fall regroup. in mid-september, launched counterattack , recovered plain of jars. forces participating in campaign included 316th , 312th infantry divisions, 866th infantry regiment, 16th artillery regiment, 1 tank company, 6 sapper , engineer battalions, 1 nghệ province local force battalion, , ten pl battalions.

on 11 february, offensive (campaign 139) opened. 20th, control of plain of jars secure. rlg forces withdrew muong xui. on 25 february, rlg abandoned xieng khoang city. xam thong fell on 18 march , long tieng threatened. on 25 april, campaign ended. after end of campaign, 316th division, 866th regiment, , number of specialty branch units ordered stay behind work our lao friends.

at beginning of 1970, fresh troops north vietnam advanced through northern laos. air force called in b-52s and, on 17 february, used bomb targets in northern laos. enemy advance halted laotian reinforcements, , remainder of year seesaw military campaign.

on 1 may, elements of svn pavn units (28th , 24a regiments) joined north vietnamese army , pathet lao seize attopeu.

although communist movements down ho chi minh trail grew during year, u.s. war effort reduced because authorities in washington, believing u.s. objectives in southeast asia being achieved, imposed budget limits, reduced number of combat missions usaf fly.

because of significant logistical stockpiling pavn in laotian panhandle, south vietnam launched operation lam son 719, military thrust on 8 february 1971. goals cross laos toward city of tchepone , cut ho chi minh trail, thwarting planned north vietnamese offensive. aerial support u.s. massive since no american ground units participate in operation. on 25 february, pavn launched counterattack, , in face of heavy opposition, south vietnamese force withdrew laos after losing approximately third of men.

combined offensive take plain of jars. on 18 december, pavn , pathet lao forces launched counteroffensive (campaign z) recover plain. volunteer forces included 312th , 316th divisions, 335th , 866th infantry regiments, , 6 artillery , tank battalions. xam thong fell , push continued toward long tieng.

lower laos – 968th infantry regiment , pathet lao forces reclaimed tha teng , lao nam areas, , captured bolaven plateau.

a royal lao air force (rlaf) north american t-28d-5 trojan armed trainer loaded bombs @ long tieng airfield in laos, september 1972

during dry season 1971–72, pl/pavn forces dug defensive positions , fought permanent control of plain of jars. units participating included 316th infantry division, 866th, 335th, , 88th regiments, , 9 specialty branch battalions under command of senior colonel le linh. 7 pl battalions participated.

on 21 may, rlg forces attempted seize plain. battle lasted 170 days (until 15 november 1972). communists claimed have killed 1,200 troops , captured 80.

when pavn launched nguyễn huệ offensive (known in west easter offensive) south vietnam on 30 march, massive u.s. air support required inside south vietnam , air strikes in laos dropped lowest point since 1965.

in northern laos, communists made additional gains during year failed overwhelm government forces. in november, pathet lao agreed meet laotian government representatives discuss cease-fire.

the war had resulted in large number of refugees peak number of 378,800 internally displaced persons under government control in october 1973.