1971 in the Vietnam War
| 1971 in the Vietnam War | |||
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← 1970
1972 →
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 Fire Support Base Lolo falls to PAVN forces during Operation Lam Son 719 |
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| Belligerents | |||
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Anti-Communist forces:  South Vietnam United States South Korea Australia New Zealand Khmer Republic Thailand Kingdom of Laos Republic of China
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Communist forces:  North Vietnam Viet Cong Khmer Rouge Pathet Lao Soviet Union
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| Strength | |||
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South Vietnam: 1,046,250 |
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| Casualties and losses | |||
| US: 2,357 killed South Vietnam: Killed |
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Anti-Communist forces:
Communist forces:
South Vietnam: 1,046,250
United States: 156,800 (end of year)
South Korea: 45,700
Thailand: 6000
Australia : 2000
Philippines: 50
U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam totaled 334,600 on 31 December 1970.
The United States Congress adopted the revised Cooper-Church Amendment which prohibited the introduction of U.S. ground troops or advisers into Cambodia and declared that U.S. aid to Cambodia should not be considered a commitment to the defense of Cambodia.
United States Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird said that the "Vietnamization" of the war was running ahead of schedule and that the combat mission of the U.S. troops would end in summer 1971.
The last herbicide spraying by the United States to defoliate forests in South Vietnam and kill crops used to feed communist soldiers and supporters was carried out in Ninh Thuan province. Operation Ranch Hand was finished.
300 South Vietnamese paratroopers with U.S. air support and advisers raided a suspected camp holding American prisoners of war in Cambodia. No POWs were in the camp but 30 communist soldiers were captured.
Operation Lam Son 719 (Vietnamese: Chiến dịch Lam Sơn 719 or Chiến dịch đường 9 – Nam Lào) was an invasion by 20,000 soldiers of the armed forces of South Vietnam of southeastern Laos. The objective of the operation was the disruption of the Ho Chi Minh Trail (the Truong Son Road to North Vietnam) which supplied communist armed forces in South Vietnam. Although claiming victory, the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) withdrew from Laos in disorder and suffered 9,000 casualties. The U.S. supported the operation and had 253 soldiers killed and many helicopters destroyed.
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Wikipedia