Into Laos; The Story of Dewey Canyon II/Lam Son 719, Vietnam 1971

Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1986. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Very good/Good. Shelby Stanton (Map). xv, [3], 388, [2] pages. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. DJ has some wear, soiling, chips and tears. Corners of several pages creased. An eyewitness account of the last major operation the Americans fought in Vietnam, focusing on the soldiers as individuals and on the previously neglected aspects of the battles that were not reported by the press. Keith William Nolan (May 7, 1964 - February 19, 2009) was an American military historian, focusing on the various campaigns of the Vietnam War. He was born in Webster Groves, Missouri, and lived in southeastern Missouri as well as in the St. Louis suburbs for the entirety of his life. Nolan's father was the son of Irish immigrants and became a junior college history instructor who after was serving also serving his country as a Marine. As a child, Nolan was deeply affected by the visions of war that he would see on the nightly news as he grew into a young man; he would later say that these images are what sparked his interest in writing about the Vietnam conflict. His first book was published when Nolan was only 19 years of age. Mr. Nolan obtained a history degree from Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri. Any offensive planning by the U.S. was, however, limited by the passage on 29 December 1970 of the Cooper-Church Amendment, which prohibited U.S. ground forces and advisors from entering Laos. Dewey Canyon II would, therefore, be conducted within territorial South Vietnam in order to reopen Route 9 all the way to the old Khe Sanh Combat Base, which had been abandoned by U.S. forces in 1968. The base would be reopened and would then serve as the logistical hub and airhead of the ARVN incursion. U.S. combat engineers were tasked with clearing Route 9 and rehabilitating Khe Sanh while infantry and mechanized units secured a line of communications along the length of the road. U.S. artillery units would support the ARVN effort within Laos from the South Vietnamese side of the border while Army logisticians coordinated the entire supply effort for the South Vietnamese. Air support for the incursion would be provided by the aircraft of the United States Air Force (USAF), Navy and Marine Corps and U.S. Army aviation units were tasked with providing complete helicopter support for the ARVN. The operation was supposed to disrupt PAVN Base Area 604 near Tchepone and Base Area 611 near Mung Nong, however the operation had only touched the northern boundary of Base Area 611 before being prematurely terminated. In order to save face, the ARVN planned a series of raids into Base Area 611. On the morning of 31 March B-52 strikes and tactical airstrikes were conducted against an area of the Laotian Salient and at 11:30 the Hac Bao Reconnaissance Company supported by the 2nd Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry was landed in the area. The Hac Bao found 85 PAVN dead and 18 destroyed weapons. That night vehicles were heard moving to the south and a FAC called in airstrikes destroying five vehicles. On the morning of 1 April the Hac Bao found a destroyed fuel dump and tunnel complex housing armored vehicles. The Hac Bao were extracted on the afternoon of 2 April. On 6 April the Hac Bao conducted a further raid into the Laotian Salient finding 15 PAVN dead and a destroyed tunnel complex, during the operation USAF airstrikes destroyed three anti-aircraft gun positions. During a 7 April televised speech, Nixon claimed that "Tonight I can report that Vietnamization has succeeded." and announced the withdrawal of a further 100,000 troops from South Vietnam between May and November 1971.