Combat· Vietnam War
Lam Son 719 Phase I (Dewey Canyon II)
The opening phase of Lam Son 719, known on the American side as Dewey Canyon II, was the preparatory operation to reopen and secure the route toward the Laotian border in advance of the South Vietnamese drive into Laos.
The cross-border offensive itself was conducted by South Vietnamese ground forces, a major test of Vietnamization, with American support confined largely to airpower, aviation, artillery, and logistics on the South Vietnamese side of the border. This initial phase reestablished the corridor west toward the frontier, reoccupying the area around the old Khe Sanh base and opening the road to the jumping-off point for the invasion of Laos. The Marine role in the operation was limited, the effort falling chiefly to United States Army and South Vietnamese forces. Lam Son 719 would prove a costly and only partly successful undertaking, exposing the difficulties the South Vietnamese faced in conducting large operations as American support was withdrawn.
Record no. 707