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Operation Thao La
Operation Thao La (21 November–16 December 1971) was a Royal Lao Government (RLG) dry season offensive during the Laotian Civil War, aimed at severing the Ho Chi Minh Trail and retrieving the Lao Bolaven Plateau from the grip of the People's Army of Vietnam. Its objectives were the use of recently captured Salavan as a jumpoff point for occupying Tha Theng and Ban Phong. Key to the plan was a prearranged daily allotment of supportive tactical air power.
In the event, the Royalists captured their two objectives. However, they lost both Salavan and Paksong to the North Vietnamese; they also failed to find the Communist transshipment point whose conquest would have interdicted the Trail.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail was central to the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) strategy for the conquest of South Vietnam during the Second Indochina War. When a series of nine CIA-sponsored incursions from Military Region 3 (MR 3) and Military Region 4 (MR 4) of the southern panhandle of the Kingdom of Laos during 1969 and 1970 failed to interdict the Trail, the massive Operation Lam Son 719 was staged on 8 February 1971 to cut it. In the wake of this failure, CIA backed Laotian guerrillas and Royal Lao Government military irregulars made further attempts at severing the logistical lines of communication.
A string of Communist transshipment points, called Binh Trams, stretched the length of the Trail. Each garrisoned by approximately a PAVN regiment, and was responsible for construction and maintenance of an assigned Trail segment. A Binh Tram typically consisted of motor transport battalions, combat engineer battalions, antiaircraft units, as well as medical personnel, infantry units for security, and a communications section.
In mid-May 1971, Operation Phoutah failed to secure the forward airfield at Moung Phalane as a starting point for Royalist attacks against the Trail. The three-day blood bath of Operation Phiboonpol from 9–11 June 1971 was indecisive. From 28 July through 31 October 1971, Operation Sayasila managed to wrest control of Route 23 and the towns of Salavan and Paksong and their associated airstrips from the (PAVN), but failed to conquer the entire Bolaven Plateau. Also, from 1–9 November, Operation Bedrock weakened the PAVN troops on the Trail by denying them rice. It also left Groupement Mobile 41 (GM 41) field tested and ready for further operations.
Operation Thao La was planned to take advantage of improved flying weather during the nascent dry season in Laos. Its objective was Binh Tram 37, 30 kilometers east of Communist-held Thateng, Laos. U.S. Air Force (USAF) tactical air power was arranged, with 18 daily sorties allotted for the first two days, then 24 sorties daily for a fortnight. The dark hours would be covered by two gunship sorties per night. If Thao La was successful in smashing Binh Tram 37, it would both restrict supplies to Communist forces in South Vietnam and starve the Communists off the Bolaven Plateau. Like the preceding Operation Sayasila, Operation Thao La was aimed at regaining control of the Plateau for the Royal Lao Government (RLG). The towns of Thateng and Ban Phone were to be captured from the PAVN in a three column multi-battalion offensive. As a preliminary move, the gains of Operation Sayasila needed to be protected. On 8 November, Bataillon Infanterie 9 (BI 9) joined Bataillon Volontaire 46 (BV 46) and Bataillon Volontaire 48 (BV 48) in garrisoning Paksong. Four battalions from MR 3 returned to their base at Savannakhet.
Because of the American restrictions on Lao military planning, approval by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff did not come through until 15 November. On 16 November, just prior to Thao La's scheduled start, a purported four battalion force of PAVN were reported by Royalist guerrillas, 19 kilometers northwest of Salavan. Tactical air strikes on the concentration resulted in about 70 enemy troops killed.
On 20 November 1971, the operation was preceded by ten sorties of defensive land mines air-dropped by the U.S. Air Force. Commando Raiders occupied a helicopter landing zone (HLZ) north of Ban Phone. On 21 November, USAF F-4 Phantom IIs struck the HLZ, and the 1,150 Royalist guerrillas of the Groupement Mobile 33 (GM 33) regiment was lifted in unopposed from Salavan. By 1100 hours, it had secured the area with only minor opposition, and all four of its battalions encamped within two kilometers of the village.
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Operation Thao La
Operation Thao La (21 November–16 December 1971) was a Royal Lao Government (RLG) dry season offensive during the Laotian Civil War, aimed at severing the Ho Chi Minh Trail and retrieving the Lao Bolaven Plateau from the grip of the People's Army of Vietnam. Its objectives were the use of recently captured Salavan as a jumpoff point for occupying Tha Theng and Ban Phong. Key to the plan was a prearranged daily allotment of supportive tactical air power.
In the event, the Royalists captured their two objectives. However, they lost both Salavan and Paksong to the North Vietnamese; they also failed to find the Communist transshipment point whose conquest would have interdicted the Trail.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail was central to the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) strategy for the conquest of South Vietnam during the Second Indochina War. When a series of nine CIA-sponsored incursions from Military Region 3 (MR 3) and Military Region 4 (MR 4) of the southern panhandle of the Kingdom of Laos during 1969 and 1970 failed to interdict the Trail, the massive Operation Lam Son 719 was staged on 8 February 1971 to cut it. In the wake of this failure, CIA backed Laotian guerrillas and Royal Lao Government military irregulars made further attempts at severing the logistical lines of communication.
A string of Communist transshipment points, called Binh Trams, stretched the length of the Trail. Each garrisoned by approximately a PAVN regiment, and was responsible for construction and maintenance of an assigned Trail segment. A Binh Tram typically consisted of motor transport battalions, combat engineer battalions, antiaircraft units, as well as medical personnel, infantry units for security, and a communications section.
In mid-May 1971, Operation Phoutah failed to secure the forward airfield at Moung Phalane as a starting point for Royalist attacks against the Trail. The three-day blood bath of Operation Phiboonpol from 9–11 June 1971 was indecisive. From 28 July through 31 October 1971, Operation Sayasila managed to wrest control of Route 23 and the towns of Salavan and Paksong and their associated airstrips from the (PAVN), but failed to conquer the entire Bolaven Plateau. Also, from 1–9 November, Operation Bedrock weakened the PAVN troops on the Trail by denying them rice. It also left Groupement Mobile 41 (GM 41) field tested and ready for further operations.
Operation Thao La was planned to take advantage of improved flying weather during the nascent dry season in Laos. Its objective was Binh Tram 37, 30 kilometers east of Communist-held Thateng, Laos. U.S. Air Force (USAF) tactical air power was arranged, with 18 daily sorties allotted for the first two days, then 24 sorties daily for a fortnight. The dark hours would be covered by two gunship sorties per night. If Thao La was successful in smashing Binh Tram 37, it would both restrict supplies to Communist forces in South Vietnam and starve the Communists off the Bolaven Plateau. Like the preceding Operation Sayasila, Operation Thao La was aimed at regaining control of the Plateau for the Royal Lao Government (RLG). The towns of Thateng and Ban Phone were to be captured from the PAVN in a three column multi-battalion offensive. As a preliminary move, the gains of Operation Sayasila needed to be protected. On 8 November, Bataillon Infanterie 9 (BI 9) joined Bataillon Volontaire 46 (BV 46) and Bataillon Volontaire 48 (BV 48) in garrisoning Paksong. Four battalions from MR 3 returned to their base at Savannakhet.
Because of the American restrictions on Lao military planning, approval by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff did not come through until 15 November. On 16 November, just prior to Thao La's scheduled start, a purported four battalion force of PAVN were reported by Royalist guerrillas, 19 kilometers northwest of Salavan. Tactical air strikes on the concentration resulted in about 70 enemy troops killed.
On 20 November 1971, the operation was preceded by ten sorties of defensive land mines air-dropped by the U.S. Air Force. Commando Raiders occupied a helicopter landing zone (HLZ) north of Ban Phone. On 21 November, USAF F-4 Phantom IIs struck the HLZ, and the 1,150 Royalist guerrillas of the Groupement Mobile 33 (GM 33) regiment was lifted in unopposed from Salavan. By 1100 hours, it had secured the area with only minor opposition, and all four of its battalions encamped within two kilometers of the village.