Perhaps this is because it involved primarily soldiers of the army of the republic of vietnam arvn, with the united states providing only air and logistical support. This unit was most active inside laos during this period. Sloniker has coauthored andor assisted on the following books. Lam son 719 south vietnam invades laos, 1971 historynet. As willbanks rightly points out, lam son 719 was the crucial test of americas vietnamization program. Ltc jim fulbrook, phd had a series of articles printed about the operation lam son 719 in army aviation magazine. Additionally, the newest release is a book titled rattlers and firebirds, by chuck carlock and ron seabolt.
A good book on operation lam son 719 my salute and congratulations to author robert d. Army command and general staff college, fort leavenworth, kansas. A raid too far operation lam son 719 and vietnamization in laos james h. 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. Willbanks is professor emeritus of military history at the u. Operation lam son 719 was conducted by i corps with substantial u. Operation lam son 719 and vietnamization in laos 2014. This book is an excellent read for someone who is also interested in it was easy to read and flowed in a logical sequence to where it built into the battle. The operation, dubbed lam son 719, went very well for the first few days, but as movement became bogged down the nva rushed reinforcements to the battle and the arvn forces found themselves under heavy attack. Operation lam son 719, was the last major military operation in the vietnam war. Operation lam son 719or 9th route southern laos campaignvietnamese. A powerful work of military and political history, this book offers eloquent. Book recommendations, author interviews, editors picks, and more. Read lam son 719 illustrated edition online by majorgeneral.
The united states provided logistical, aerial, and artillery. Lam son 719 was one of the bloodiest battles of the vietnam war. Robert sander has done a truly superb job of telling what really happened in lam son 719. This is an excellent account of operation lam son 719 using both american and north vietnamese sources. Lam son 719 was a key battle as the us began to hand over the war to the republic of viet. The operation, dubbed lam son 719, went very well for the first few days, but as movement became bogged down the nva.
Despite the term invasion in the books title, lam son 719 was designed as a. Lam son 719 was designed as a test of the army of the republic of vietnams ability to carry on the war despite the us drawdown. This video is the first of two with sanders point of view of the. He has researched his subject diligently and presents it well in this book. Sander served during the vietnam war as a helicopter pilot assigned to the 101st airborne division, and was part of. The operation, dubbed lam son 719, went very well for the first few days, but as movement became bogged down the nva rushed reinforcements to the battle and. These photos of the illfated operation lam son 719 were provided by david harrington who was an operations officer with the 101st airborne division, which provided assistance to the arvn forces invading laos as part of lam son 719. During this two month invasion into laos there was a more concentrated loss of aircraft crews in the sixty day window of lam son 719. The invasion, operation lam son 719, was intended to test arvns ability as u. The 1971 invasion of laos is one of the forgotten episodes of the vietnam war. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most.
As a test of vietnamization, this operation was to demonstrate also the progress achieved in combat effectiveness by the republic of vietnam armed forces. Operation lam son 719 or 9th route southern laos campaign was a limitedobjective offensive campaign conducted in the southeastern portion of the. Operation lam son 719 project gutenberg selfpublishing. Airmobile operations in support of operation lam son 719, vol. At least one other book manuscript is in existence. Lam son 719 at the rockpile and carried the colors of the 11th light infantry brigade 43 into battle. Operation lam son 719 was a crucial test of vietnamization that began on 8 february 1971. Lam son 719, author robert sander notes, republic of vietnam arvn 1st corps, appears to have su. The united states provided air and artillery support for 16,000 elite troops from army of the republic of vietnam arvn who crossed the border into laos and raided the ho chi minh trail. For its part, the government of saigon had been planning an operation into. A baptism by fire for modern army aviation article by dr.
Lam son 719 was the first major operation of its kind, a crossborder activity in which large south. Lam son 719 ts banking group iowa illinois north dakota. Operation lam son 719, was the last major military operation in the vietnam. Lam son 719 was designed as a test of the army of the republic of vietnams ability. The campaign famously known as operation lam son 719, was a disaster for the arvn. Sander for his accomplishments in invasion of laos 1971. This book gives a detailed account of the battle of lam son 719. The author provides enough detailed information on the operational and tactical levels to keep the military history enthusiast interested without confusing the novice. It proved disastrous, with southern troops fleeing in panic.
In february 1971, the army of the republic of vietnam arvn launched an incursion into laos in an attempt to cut the ho chi minh trail and destroy north vietnamese army nva base areas along the border. Colonel sloniker has collected volumes of records, interviews, audiotapes, photographs and other information on lam son 719. Read the fulltext online edition of a raid too far. The most stunning evidence of vietnamizations failure came when saigons best troops were dealt a shattering defeat in their extensive lam son 719. Keith william nolans into laos, a nonfiction work set during the tail end of the vietnam war, is a deeply detailed and finely written account of the lam son 719 incursion into laos in early 1971. Lam son 719 was doomed in both the planning and executiona casualty of domestic and.
The book itself is an interesting study of lam son 719 and provides a good overview especially for someone with little knowledge of the operation like me. Read lam son 719 illustrated edition by majorgeneral nguyen duy hinh for free with a 30 day free trial. He would go on to serve a total of four tours in vietnam returning in 1971 to cover operation lam son 719, in 1973 for the release of the pows, and in 1975 for the fall of cambodia and. He retired from cgsc in april 2018 after fortynine years of combined federal service.
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. In short lam son 719 fills a huge gap in our historiographical understanding of the vietnam war. The raid into laos, codenamed lam son 719, is the subject of robert sanders recent book invasion of laos, 1971. The significance of operation lam son 719 has often been overshadowed by the horrific events in vietnam, but this essay will show that not only was the country of laos greatly and adversely affected by this operation, but also the vietnam war as a whole. A101 ahb comancheros were one of the aviation units in this operation, along withbeing the sole 101stairborne aviation unit supporting the specialoperations group in i corp during the month of february 1971.
Willbanks effectively, the objective of occupying enemy base areas in laos had been abandoned in favor of a largely meaningless effort to get south vietnamese forces into tchepone, for political. The campaign was carried out by the armed forces of the republic of vietnamsouth vietnam between 8 february and 25 march 1971, during the vietnam war. Author robert sander, a helicopter pilot in lam son 719, explores why an. In the final days of the operation, i watched at khe sanh as every uh1. Currently, there are two active and three inactivate battalions in. Sander, a helicopter pilot who took part in the invasion of laos, offers his thoughts on why this operation was an epic failure. At last, a comprehensive, narrative history of operation lam son 719 is written. What makes this account important is that robert d. The book is a historical look at operation lam son 719 during the vietnam war. Patch from the period, march 1972 through to october 1972 operational period of task force 1.
Lam son 719 was amajor operation of the army of the republic of south vietnam, arvn, into laosfrom 30 jan 24 mar 1971. A monument standing at one of ts banking groups locations in council bluffs, iowa serves as a reminder of operation lam son 719. American losses are harder to estimate but were at least 250 americans died in support of the operation. Charles holleymike sloniker, primer of the helicopter war. The primary objective of the operation, named lam son 719, was to destroy. After a short stand down at bronco, at 0912 on the morning of february 8, 1971,cs were loaded and a combat assault was in progress with a. Operation lam son 719 or 9th route southern laos campaign was a limited objective.
My only observation is that the author spends too much time on the air component often down to individual flights and crews and not enough time on the ground operations at a similar level. You can find more information on lam son 719 from mike sloniker o n the 48th ahc web site. The regiment has been involved with american conflicts dating back to then us involvement in the mexican civil war and more recently with the war on terrorism. Lam son 719 illustrated edition ebook by majorgeneral.
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