DEWEY CANYON II / LAM SON 719
29 JAN 1971-6 APR 1971

DEWEY CANYON II was the first phase of LAM SON 719, a large offensive operation against NVA communications lines in Laos. (DEWEY CANYON I was the USMC operation into the Khe Sanh area in 1969.) (LAM SON was the birthplace of a famous Vietnamese patriot who defeated an invading Chinese army in 1427. The numerical designation of 719 came by combining the year [1971] and the main highway to be used, Route 9.) The operation called for ARVN troops to drive west from Khe Sanh, cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail, seize Tchepone in Laos and, after destroying NVA forces and supplies, return to Vietnam. The ARVN would provide and command the ground forces that entered Laos, while U.S. Army and Air Force units would furnish aviation airlift and supporting firepower. The 101st Airborne Division commanded all U.S. Army aviation units in direct support of the operation. Most of the first part of the operation (Phase 1), which began 0400 hours 29 January 1971, was conducted by U.S. ground forces, in large part made up of the 1st BDE 5th DIV (MECH). Their mission was to open Route 9 to the Laotian border.
On 8 February Phase 2 began and ARVN started their push into Laos. The NVA reacted fiercely, but the ARVN continued its attack supported by U.S. airstrikes and troop lifts by US Army helicopters. South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu ordered a helicopter assault on the town of Tchepone and this key road junction was captured on 6 March 1971. With the seizure of Tchepone Phase 2 of Lam Song 719 was ended.
The last Phase started 16 March and was the withdrawal from Laos by all units. Two weeks of hard combat were necessary for the ARVN task force to fight its way back to Vietnam.
Losses were heavy in Lam Son 719 both for the Army of Vietnam and the US Army supporting helicopter crews. The ARVN lost almost 50% of their force. U.S. aviation units lost 168 helicopters; another 618 were damaged. Fifty-five U.S. aircrewmen were killed, 178 wounded, and 34 were missing in action as a result of the operation, which lasting until 6 April 1971.
And as so often was the case in Vietnam, the political results of the operation were a disaster. The invasion of a "neutral" country and the loss of human life fueled the protest movement in the US and brought us one step closer to withdrawal from the conflict.
The operations of the 1st BDE 5th DIV are mostly overlooked or a footnote in the descriptions of Lam Son 719. However the dead and wounded dispute any idea that 1/5 was not active during the period. And although the 1/61 as a BN was not a participant in Lam Son 719, its rifle companies were. It was these Infantrymen that provided the real combat power for TF 1/77 Armor. To aid in understanding the ground combat role of the 1st BDE 5th DIV, a map depicting Highway QL 9 as it passes through the Khe Sanh high ground and continues to the Laotian Border is shown below.

With the terrain in mind click here for a description of the Mission, Maneuver and Losses for the 1st BDE 5th DIV during Lam Song 719.

A first person account of one day of the "Support" operation is at

A DAY ON THE ROAD

Pictures from Lam Son 719 and Dewey Canyon II can be found in

Thumbnails "LAM SON 719"

Other web sites giving the view from pilots of US helicopters can be found at:

Richard Biddle B/158 (Lancers) 101st DIV

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