Operation Maharat II
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Operation Maharat II (31 December 1972 – 5 February 1973) was a Royalist offensive against
Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
insurrectionists during the
Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War ...
. The Royalists planned a two pronged convergence on four Pathet Lao battalions holding the intersection of routes 7 and 13. With neither side particularly avid for combat, the situation was resolved by the Royalist reinforcement of its attack forces until the Communists faced overwhelming odds. The Pathet Lao then decamped. Operation Maharat II ended on 5 February with an artillery fire base supporting an irregular regiment occupying the road intersection. On 22 February 1973, a ceasefire took effect.


Overview

The French Protectorate of Laos saw a Communist-led insurrection following World War II. The
Viet Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...
-allied
Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
(PL) rebellion flourished as Laos moved towards independence. The new nation was left with a minimal road network, principally oriented toward connecting inland Laos with the Vietnamese coast. Route 13 was the sole north–south highway of any length. Route 7 branched eastwards from Route 13 at the Sala Phou Khoun intersection; the road ran through the strategic
Plain of Jars The Plain of Jars ( Lao: ທົ່ງໄຫຫິນ ''Thong Hai Hin'', ) is a megalithic archaeological landscape in Laos. It consists of thousands of stone jars scattered around the upland valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of ...
into northern
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. The Route 7-13 junction at Sala Phou Khoun would become a nexus of conflict during the
Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War ...
. Indeed, it was fought over in July 1964 and again in
January 1972 The following events occurred in January 1972: January 1, 1972 (Saturday) *Kurt Waldheim of Austria became the fourth Secretary General of the United Nations, succeeding U Thant. Waldheim served two five-year terms. It would only be after ...
.


Background

On 31 December 1972, four Pathet Lao battalions pushed west along Route 7 from the Plain of Jars toward the intersection with north-south Route 13.
Royal Lao Army The Royal Lao Army (french: Armée royale du Laos – ARL), also designated by its anglicized title RLA, was the Land Component of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (FAR), the official military of the Kingdom of Laos during the North Vietnamese invasio ...
troops abandoned their gear and departed southwards along Route 13. This left the Communists in control of the road linking
Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...
with
Luang Prabang Luang Phabang, ( Lao: ຫລວງພະບາງ/ ຫຼວງພະບາງ) or ''Louangphabang'' (pronounced ), commonly transliterated into Western languages from the pre-1975 Lao spelling ຫຼວງພຣະບາງ (ຣ = silent r) ...
.Conboy, Morrison, p. 389.


Offensive

The Royal Lao Army (RLA)
general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
launched a two pronged reprisal reminiscent of the original
Operation Maharat Operation Maharat (30 December 1971–16 March 1972) was a military offensive of the Royal Lao Government aimed at Communist insurrectionists. At stake was the sole road junction in northern Laos well in the rear of Royalist troops fighting i ...
. The southern contingent of attackers would move north along Route 13 from Moung Kassy. It comprised four Royalist battalions from Military Region 5 (MR 5), an allied battalion from Forces Armee Neutralistes (FAN), two
M24 Chaffee The M24 Chaffee (officially Light Tank, M24) was an American light tank used during the later part of World War II; it was also used in post–World War II conflicts including the Korean War, and by the French in the War in Algeria and the Firs ...
tanks, three 155mm howitzers, supporting elements of both the 12th and 13th brigades, and six American advisers from
Project 404 Project 404 was the code name for a covert United States Air Force advisory mission to Laos during the later years of the Second Indochina War, which would eventually become known in the United States as the Vietnam War. The purpose of the missi ...
. The northern contingent consisted of the 11th
Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...
; it was airlifted over the Communists and landed north of them. The two columns converged on Sala Phou Khoun and the 7-13 road junction. In the event, the northern column made scant progress. However, by 6 January, the southern column was 12 kilometers south of the intersection. However, a battalion commander was killed by Communist artillery, and the column retreated. By January 8, they had receded to Moung Kassy. On 9 and 10 January, the southern Royalist force was reinforced by three Thai
mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
battalions. On 12 January, a Raven Forward Air Controller operating beneath an overcast sky, spotted a Communist force moving south on Route 13. In the absence of any other air power, the Raven fired a marking rocket at one of a pair of
PT-76 tank The PT-76 is a Soviet amphibious light tank that was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armed forces. It was widely exported to other friendly states, like In ...
s; the sonic boom of the rocket frightened the Pathet Lao infantry into retreat. The Thai infantry scattered before the oncoming tanks. One of the PT-76 tanks engaged a Royalist M-24 Chaffee tank before turning to retreat. However, the Thai infantry rallied and destroyed both Communist PT-76s, ending that assault. At this point, the Royalist offensive stalled and outside troops were ordered in to revive it. On 20 January, ''Groupement Mobile 31'' (GM 31), a regiment of 1,166 men, was airlifted into action five kilometers southeast of Sala Phou Khoun. Despite sporadic ground fire at the landing zone, they landed successfully. They spent the next four days slowly approaching the road junction, only to find it vacated by the four Communist battalions.Conboy, Morrison, p. 390.


Results

Once Sala Phou Khoun was occupied by GM 31, the two Royalist columns raced toward it to link up, clearing Route 13 as they came. On 31 January, ''Groupement Mobile 203'' (GM 203) brought another four battalions in to garrison the intersection. On 2 February, GM 31 returned to MR 3. On 5 February 1973, an artillery fire base manned by Thai mercenaries arrived to back up the GM 203 garrison.


Aftermath

On 22 February 1973, the ceasefire that ended the Laotian Civil War went into effect.Stuart-Fox, pp. 41–42.


Notes


References

* Anthony, Victor B. and Richard R. Sexton (1993). ''The War in Northern Laos''. Command for Air Force History. . * Castle, Timothy N. (1993). ''At War in the Shadow of Vietnam: U.S. Military Aid to the Royal Lao Government 1955–1975''. . * Conboy, Kenneth and James Morrison (1995). ''Shadow War: The CIA's Secret War in Laos''. Paladin Press. . * Dommen, Arthur (1995). "Chapter 1: Historical Setting". In Savada, Andrew Matles. ''Laos: A Country Study''. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress . * Stuart-Fox, Martin (2008). ''Historical Dictionary of Laos''. Scarecrow Press. ISBNs 0810864118, 978-0-81086-411-5. {{coord missing, Laos Maharat II