Cambodian Campaign (also known as Cambodian Incursion and Cambodian Invasion) was a series of military operations conducted in eastern Cambodia during the 1970s by the United States and The Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) as an extension of the Vietnam War and the Cambodian Civil War. Invasion is President Richard Nixon's policy; 13 major operations were undertaken by the Vietnam Republic Army (ARVN) between 29 April and 22 July and by US forces between 1 May and 30 June.
The goal of this campaign was the defeat of about 40,000 Vietnamese People's Army (PAVN) and the National Front for the Liberation of Southern Vietnam (NLF, also known as Viet Cong) in the eastern border region of Cambodia. Cambodian neutrality and weakness make it a safe zone where Vietnamese communist troops can build bases for border operations. With the US shifting towards Vietnamisation and withdrawal policies, the country sought to shore up the South Vietnamese government by eliminating cross-border threats.
Changes in the Cambodian government allowed an opportunity to destroy the base in 1970, when Prince Norodom Sihanouk was ousted and replaced by pro-US General Lon Nol. The operation was also in response to a North Vietnamese attack on March 29 against the Cambodian Army that captured much of eastern Cambodia. Allied military operations failed to eliminate many communist forces or to seize their elusive headquarters, known as the Headquarters for Southern Vietnam (COSVN) but the transport of material captured in Cambodia sparked a successful claim.
Video Cambodian Campaign
Preliminaries
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The People's Army of Vietnam has utilized a large part of eastern Cambodia that is relatively uninhabited as a refuge where they can withdraw from the struggle in South Vietnam to rest and rearrange it without being attacked. These base areas are also used by Vietnamese communists to store weapons and other materials that have been transported on a large scale to the region on the Sihanouk Line. The PAVN troops had begun to move through Cambodia as early as 1963. In 1966, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the ruler of Cambodia, who believed in a communist victory in the end in Southeast Asia and feared the future of his government, had ended the deal with the People's Republic of China. China which enabled the establishment of a permanent communist base on Cambodian soil and the use of Sihanoukville port in Cambodia for distribution.
During 1968, the indigenous Cambodian communist movement, labeled Khmer Rouge (Red Khmers) by Sihanouk, began a revolt to overthrow the government. Although they received very limited material aid from North Vietnam at the time (the Hanoi government had no incentive to overthrow Sihanouk, satisfied with its sustained "neutrality"), they were able to protect their troops in areas controlled by the PAVN/NLF Forces.
The US government is aware of this activity in Cambodia, but refrains from taking military action openly in Cambodia in the hope of convincing the windy Sihanouk to change its position. To achieve this, President Lyndon B. Johnson permitted confidential cross-border surveillance operations conducted by the Secret Study and Observation Group to gather intelligence information on PAVN/NLF activities in the border region (Project Vesuvius). This intelligence data will then be presented to the prince in an attempt to change his mind.
Menu , coup and North Vietnamese attack
The new commander of the US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), General Creighton W. Abrams, recommended to President Richard M. Nixon shortly after his inauguration that the Cambodian Base Territory was attacked by air bombardment using the B-52 Stratofortress bomber. The President initially refused, but the culmination came with the launch of the "Mini-Tet" PAVN Attack of 1969 in South Vietnam. Nixon, angered at what he considers to be a "treaty" breach with Hanoi following the cessation of the North Vietnamese bombing, which legitimized the secret air campaign. The first mission of Operation Menu was sent on March 18 and by the time it was completed 14 months later, more than 3,000 attacks had been flown and 108,000 tonnes of weapons had been dropped in eastern Cambodia.
While Sihanouk was overseas in France for a healing break in January 1970, government-sponsored anti-Vietnam demonstrations were held throughout Cambodia. Continuing unrest pushed Prime Minister/Defense Minister Lon Nol to seal Sihanoukville ports to communist supplies and to issue an ultimatum on March 12 to North Vietnam to withdraw their troops from Cambodia within 72 hours. The prince, angry that his "modus vivendi" with the communists had been disturbed, immediately arranged a trip to Moscow and Beijing in an attempt to gain their approval to pressure Hanoi to keep his troops in Cambodia.
On March 18, the Cambodian National Assembly overthrew Sihanouk and named Lon Zol a temporary head of state. This made Sihanouk soon form a government in exile in Beijing and united himself with the North Vietnamese, Khmer Rouge, NLF, and Laotian Pathet Lao. By doing so, Sihanouk lends its name and popularity in rural Cambodia to a movement where it has little control. The North Vietnamese response to the coup was quick. PAVN began directly supplying large numbers of weapons and advisors to the Khmer Rouge, and Cambodia fell into civil war.
Lon Nol sees a Cambodian population of 400,000 ethnic Vietnamese as a possible hostage to prevent the attacks of the PAVN and order their arrest and detention. Cambodian troops and civilians then relinquished terror, killing thousands of Vietnamese civilians. On April 15, for example, 800 Vietnamese men have been arrested in the village of Churi Changwar, tied together, executed, and their bodies dumped into the Mekong River. They then flew downstream to South Vietnam. Cambodian action has been criticized by both North and South Vietnamese governments.
Even before the supply channel through Sihanoukville is closed, PAVN has begun to expand its logistics system from southeastern Laos (Ho Chi Minh line) to northeast of Cambodia. PAVN also launched an attack (Campaign X ) against the Cambodian army, quickly seized most of the eastern and northeastern parts of the country, isolating and besieging or occupying a number of Cambodian cities including Kampong Cham. The communist forces then approached within 20 miles (32 km) of the capital, Phnom Penh, spurring President Nixon into action.
On March 29, 1970, North Vietnam took its own actions and launched an attack on Cambodian soldiers with documents found from Soviet archives revealing that the attack was launched at the explicit request of the Khmer Rouge after negotiations with Nuon Chea. The power of the North Vietnamese quickly flooded much of the eastern Cambodian region which reached up to 15 miles (24 km) from Phnom Penh. After defeating the troops, North Vietnam converts the recently-won territory into local rebels. The Khmer Rouge also established "free" areas in the south and southwest of the country, where they operate independently from North Vietnam.
Planning
In response to events in Cambodia, President Nixon believes that there is a distinct possibility for a US response. With Sihanouk gone, conditions are ripe for strong action against the Basic Territory. He also insisted that some measures were taken to support "The only government in Cambodia in the last twenty-five years who has the courage to take a pro-Western stance." The President then requested a proposal for action from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and MACV, which gave him a range of options: quarantine navy on the coast of Cambodia; the launching of South Vietnam and American air raids; expanding hot pursuit across the border by ARVN forces; or ground invasion by ARVN, US troops, or both.
In a televised address on April 20, Nixon announced the withdrawal of 150,000 US troops from South Vietnam for a year. This planned withdrawal implies a restriction on US offensive action in Cambodia. In the spring of 1970, MACV still retained 330,648 US Army and 55,039 Marine Corps troops in South Vietnam, most of which concentrated in 81 infantry battalions and tanks. Many of them, however, are preparing to leave the country or are expected to leave in the near future and will not be available for combat operations soon.
On April 22, Nixon allowed the planning of the South Vietnamese attack on Parrot's Beak (named for its perceived form on the map), believing that "Giving the South Vietnamese operation alone will be a great boost to their spirit as well as providing practical demonstrations on Vietnam's success." The next day , Secretary of State William P. Rogers testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee that "the government has no intention... to increase the war We acknowledge that if we rise and engage in Cambodia with our ground forces our entire [Vietnamis] program is defeated. "
South Vietnamese troops have been training for such operations since the end of March. On April 27, the ARVN Ranger Battalion had advanced to Kandal Province to destroy the communist base. Four days later another South Vietnamese trooper drove 16 kilometers to the Cambodian territory. Lon Nol, who initially sought to follow his own neutralist policy, called for military assistance and assistance from the US government on April 14. On that day, the South Vietnamese troops then made the first of three short cross-border operations under the auspices of Operation Toan Thang (Victory Complete 41 , sent the armored cavalry unit into the territory of Svay Rieng Province in Cambodia was called the Angel of the Wing and the Crow's Nest. On April 20, 2,000 South Vietnamese troops advanced to Parrot's Beak, killing 144 PAVN troops. On April 22, Nixon endorsed American air support for South Vietnam operations. All these invasions into Cambodian territory are only surveillance missions in preparation for the larger-scale efforts being planned by MACV and its ARVN counterparts, subject to authorization by Nixon.
President Nixon then authorized General Abrams to start planning US operations in the Fishhook area. The preliminary operational plan had actually been completed in March, but was kept so close that when Abrams handed the assignment to General Michael Davison, commander of the Army II, he was not informed of prior planning and starting a new one. from the beginning. Seventy-two hours later, Davison's plan was submitted to the White House. National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger asked one of his assistants to review it on April 26, and the NSC staff was shocked by his "carelessness".
The main problem is the pressure of time and the US president's desire for secrecy. The Cambodian monsoon, whose torrential rains will hamper operations, is only two months away. By order of the president, the State Department did not inform the Cambodian table at the US Embassy, ​​Saigon, Phnom Penh Embassy, ​​or Lon Nol from the plan. Operational security is as tight as General Abrams can do. No previous US logistical preparations in the border area might serve as a signal to the communists. The US brigade commander was told only a week before the attack, while the battalion commander only received two or three days notice.
Decision
Not all members of the government agree that the invasion of Cambodia is either militarily or politically. Defense Secretary Melvin R. Laird and Secretary Rogers both oppose such an operation because of their belief that it will lead to strong domestic opposition in the US and that it may be able to thwart the ongoing peace negotiations in Paris (they both oppose the Menu bomb for the same reason). Both were sentenced by Henry Kissinger for their "bureaucratic foot dredging". As a result, Laird was bypassed by the Joint Chiefs in advising the White House about planning and preparation for Cambodian operations.
On the night of April 25, Nixon dined with friends, Bebe Rebozo and Kissinger. After that, they screened one of Nixon's favorite movies, Patton , a biographical depiction of General George S. Patton, Jr. the controversial, which he had seen five times before. Kissinger then commented that "When he is pressed against the wall, his romantic romance [Nixon] appears and he will see himself as a beleaguered military commander in the Patton tradition."
The next night, Nixon decided that "We will go for bankruptcy" and authorize for the attack. The combined U.S./ARVN campaign will begin on May 1 with a stated target: reducing allied casualties in South Vietnam; ensure continued withdrawal of US troops; and improve the position of the U.S./Saigon government in peace negotiations in Paris.
To keep the campaign as close as possible, General Abrams suggested that the commencement of regular attacks be announced from Saigon. At 9:00 pm on April 30, however, President Nixon appeared on all three US television networks to announce that "This is not our strength but our will and character being tested tonight" and that "the time has come to act." He announced his decision to launch American troops into Cambodia with the special intention of capturing COSVN, "the headquarters of the entire communist military operation in South Vietnam." COSVN as the sole headquarters to control the operation of PAVN in South Vietnam may not exist, or, at least, never be found.
Maps Cambodian Campaign
Operation
Previous ARVN Attacks
Coordination with Lon Zero ARVN forces attacked the PRG headquarters complex. Moving across the border in Cambodia on 30 March PRG and NLF elements were surrounded in their bunker by South Vietnamese troops flown by helicopter. Surrounded they waited until nightfall and then with the security provided by their 7th NLF division out of the siege and fled north to join COSVN in Kratie province in Cambodia which became known as Escape of the Provisional Revolutionary Government. Tr ?? ng Nh? T? Ng is the Justice Minister in PRG and he tells us that during the march to the northern bases were day by day the forced marches were broken up by B-52 raids. Just before the column crossed route 7 on the way north they received word that on April 3rd the 9th Division had fought and won the battle near the town of Krek, Cambodia against ARVN troops.
Years later Trng will remember how to "close [South Vietnam] to destroy or capture the core of the South's resistance - our elite front-line fighting unit along with civilian and many military leadership". After several days of loud parades, PRG reached the northern base, and relative safety, in the Kratie region. Light victims and parades even saw the birth of a baby for D'Ang Qu? Nh Hoa, deputy health minister in the Provisional Revolutionary Government (PRG). The column takes days to recover and Tr'ng itself takes weeks to recover from the long march.
Parrot's Beak
South Vietnamese troops have crossed the border on April 30, launching Operation Toan Thang 42 ( Victory Total ), also labeled Operation Rock Crusher . 12 ARVN Battalions about 8,700 troops (two armored cavalry squadrons from the Corps III and two from Division 25 and 5th Infantry Division, infantry regiment from the 25th Infantry Division, and three Ranger and Armored Kavaleri Regt battalions Ranger and ARVN Armored Kavaleri Regt from Ranger 3rd Group) crossing into Parrot's Beak region in Svay Rieng Province. The attack was under the command of Lieutenant General ?? Cao TrÃÆ', commander of the Corps III, who has a reputation as one of the most aggressive and competent ARVN generals. During their first two days in Cambodia, the ARVN unit had several intense meetings with the PAVN troops. However, the North Vietnamese, who were warned by previous ARVN attacks, have only delayed actions to allow most of their troops to flee west.
The ARVN operation was soon completed to become a search and destruction mission, with South Vietnamese troops combing the countryside in a small patrol seeking PAVN supplies. Phase II operation begins with the arrival of elements of the 9th Infantry Division. Four tank-infantry task forces attacked to Parrot's Beak from the south. After three days of operation, ARVN claimed 1,010 PAVN soldiers had been killed and 204 prisoners were taken over the loss of 66 ARVNs and 330 were injured.
Fishing
On May 1, a larger operation, in parallel with Toan Thang 42 , known by ARVN as Operation Toan Thang 43 and by MACV as Operation Stone Crusher , is in progress as 36 B-52s dropped 774 tons of bombs along the southern edge of Fishing Line. This was followed by an hour of mass artillery fire and another hour of attack by tactical bombers. At 10:00, the Cav First Air Division, the 11th Layer Cavalry Regiment, the 1st ARVN Steel Cavalry Regiment, and the ARVN 3rd Air Brigade then enter Kampong Cham, Cambodia Province. Known as the Task Force Shoemaker (after General Robert M. Shoemaker, Assistant Division Commander of 1st Cavalry Division), the troops attacked an old communist fort with 10,000 US troops and 5,000 South Vietnamese soldiers. The operation uses mechanical infantry and armored units to push deep into the province where they will connect with US air and air units from ARVN that has been unplugged by helicopter.
The opposition to the attack is expected to be severe, but the PAVN/NLF forces have started to move west two days before progress begins. On May 3, the MACV reported only eight Americans were killed and 32 wounded, low casualties for such major operations. There were only scattered and sporadic contacts with the delayed forces as experienced by the 11th US Lapis Baja Cavalry just three kilometers inside Cambodia. The PAVN troops opened fire with small arms and rockets only to be detonated by tank fire and tactical airstrikes. When the smoke cleared, 50 PAVN soldiers were killed counted on the battlefield while only two US soldiers were killed in the action.
1st Battalion/7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division 1st is on Fishing in early May to 30 June when they cross the river back to Vietnam. There was a very heavy battle during that period. Losing America is very heavy, with all units relying on a large inflows to try to keep at least half the strength in the field. In one company, of all people entering Cambodia, only nine remained on 30 June, the rest have been killed or wounded and evacuated. This unit was awarded a Uniform Unit Award, equivalent to an Individual Silver Star, for their combat performance on Pancing.
North Vietnam has a lot of notices about the upcoming attacks. A March 17 directive from the B-3 Front Base, captured during the attack, ordered the PAVN/NLF troops to "escape and avoid firing back... Our goal was to save as many troops as possible." as we can. "The only surprise among the participants in the attack seemed to be Lon Nol, who had been informed by both Washington and Saigon about the impending invasion of his country.He only found the facts after a telephone conversation with the head of the US mission , who had known for themselves from radio broadcasts.
The only conventional battle fought by American forces occurred on May 1 in the town of Snoul, a suspected terminal of the Sihanouk Route at the intersections of Routes 7, 13 and 131. Elements of the 11th Armored Kavalry and supporting helicopters were under fire PAVN as it approached the city and its airfield. When the massive American offensive was filled with heavy resistance, the Americans retreated, summoned air support and criticized the city for two days, reducing it to rubble. During the action, Brigadier General Donn A. Starry, commander of 11th Lapis Cavalry, was injured by grenade fragments and evacuated.
Supply cache hunting
The following day, elements of the U.S. Aerial Cavalry division first entering what became known as "City", southwest of Snoul. The two square mile PAVN complex contains over 400 thatched huts, storage sheds, and bunkers, each of which is full of food, weapons, and ammunition. There are truck repair facilities, hospitals, wooden yard, 18 mess rooms, pig farms, and even a swimming pool. Forty kilometers to the northeast, another 1st Cavalry Division element found a larger base on May 6th. Nicknamed "Rock Island East" after the USS Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois, the region contains over 6.5 million rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition, 500,000 rounds of rifles, thousands of rockets, several General Motors trucks, and a large number of communications equipment.
On patrolling 20 kilometers northeast of "Rock Island East" on May 23, a man nicknamed Shakey (Chris Keffalos) of 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, tripped metal plates buried just beneath the ground. The police were later killed by PAVN defenders, but the stops he found were the first of 59 bunkers of storage buried in what became known as "The Hill of Shakey". The bunkers contain thousands of weapons and ammunition cases, all handed to the Cambodian army. Most of the captured enemy material was handed over to the MACV Special Support Group for Cambodia where it was retained and subsequently issued to Lon Nol Force. The group was ordered by Lieutenant Colonel Will H. Horn.
One thing that is not found is COSVN. On May 1, Nixon's announcement of the attack was played for General Abrams, "who must have been horrified" when he heard the president claim that the headquarters arrest was one of the main purposes of the operation. MACV intelligence knows that moving and widespread headquarters will be hard to find. In response to a White House request before the facts, MACV has responded that "COSVN's main elements are scattered around 110 square kilometers of forest" and that "the eligibility to capture the main elements is far away".
After the first week of operation, additional battalion and brigade units committed to the operation, so between 6 and 24 May, as many as 90,000 Allied troops (including 33 US maneuver battalions) conducted operations inside Cambodia. Due to increasing political and domestic turmoil in the US, President Nixon issued a directive on May 7 that limits the distance and duration of US operations to a depth of 30 kilometers (19 mi) and sets a June 30 deadline for withdrawal of all US. troops to South Vietnam.
The South Vietnamese army is not limited by the time and geographical limitations placed on US units. From the provincial capital of Svay Rieng, the ARVN element headed west to Kampong Trabek, where on May 14th the 8th and 15th Cavalry Cavalry Regiment they defeated the 88th PAVN Infantry Regiment . On May 23, South Vietnam pushed past the deepest US penetration and attacked the town of Krek.
Binh Tay and Cuu Long
In the area of ​​II Corps, Binh Tay I Operation (Operation Western Cheek ) was launched by the 1st and 2nd Brigades of the US 4th Infantry Division and the ARVN Infantry Regiment to -40 to Base Area 702 (communist headquarters B-2 Front) in northeast of Cambodia from May 5-25. After the air strikes, the early American troops, attacked through a helicopter, were pushed back by an intense anti-aircraft fire. The following day, the 3rd Battalion, Infantry 506 (loan from the US 101th Airborne Division), landed without a fight. His brother's unit, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry was also not opposed. The 3rd Battalion of the 8th Infantry, however, only included 60 people before the intense PAVN fire (which fired one helicopter and damaged the other two) closed the landing zone, keeping them stranded and besieged overnight. The next morning, PAVN troops have left the area.
On the 7th, the 2nd Brigade division included three battalions without a fight. After ten days (and only one significant shooting) American troops returned to South Vietnam, leaving the area to ARVN. Historian Shelby Stanton has noted that "there is a lack of aggressiveness" in combat attacks and that the division seems to "suffer from almost total combat paralysis." During Operation Binh Tay II , Division 22 ARVN moved against Base Area 702 from May 14-26. The second phase of the operation was performed by ARVN forces against Base Area 701 between May 20 and June 27 when the ARVN Division 22 element performed operations on Base Area 740.
On May 10, the Bravo Company, the 3rd Battalion, 506th Regiment, the 101st Airborne Division, was ambushed by the much larger North Vietnamese forces in Se San Valley. Eight US troops were killed and 28 wounded. Among those killed were Spc. Leslie Sabo, Jr. (posthumously promoted to sergeant), recommended for the Medal of Honor, but the document was lost until 1999. Sabo was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 16, 2012 by President Barack Obama.
In the III Corps Tactical Zone, Operation Toan Thang 44 (Operation Bold Lancer ), performed by the 1st and 2nd Brigades of the 25th US Infantry Division between May 6 and 30 June. Operating objectives are Base Areas 353, 354 and 707 located in the north and northeast of Tay Ninh, South Vietnam. Once again, the hunt for the COSVN unit was done, this time around the town of Memot in Cambodia and, once again, the search was in vain. During its operation, the 25th Infantry killed 1,017 PAVN and NLF troops while losing 119 of its own forces were killed.
Along with the launch of Toan Thang 44 , the second battalion of the 3rd Brigade, the 9th US Infantry Division, crossed the 48 kilometer border southwest of Fishing into an area known as the Dog Face from 7 to 12 Probably. The only significant contact with the PAVN troops took place near Chantrea hamlet, where 51 North Vietnamese people were killed and 21 others arrested. During the operation, the brigade lost eight people and 22 wounded. It's too late for the thousands of ethnic Vietnamese who were killed by Cambodia's oppression, but there are tens of thousands of Vietnamese still in the country who can now be evacuated to safety. South Vietnamese President Nguy? N V? N Thi? U set up with Lon Zero to repatriate as many as willing to go. However, the new relationship does not prevent the Cambodian government releasing Vietnam from their homes and other private properties before they leave.
Thieu then authorized Operation Cuu Long, where ARVN ground forces, including mechanized and armored units, drove west and northwest to the eastern side of the Mekong River from May 9 to July 1. A joint force of 110 Vietnamese Navy and 30 US ships began to board the Mekong to Prey Veng, allowing the Corps IV ground forces to move west to Phnom Penh and to help Vietnamese ethnic flights looking to South Vietnam. Those who do not want to be discharged are then forcibly evicted. Surprisingly, North Vietnamese troops are not opposed to evacuation, although they can easily do so.
Other operations carried out from IV Corps include Operation Cuu Long II (May 16-24), which continues the action along the western side of the Mekong. Lon Nol has requested that ARVN assist in recapturing Kompong Speu, a city along Route 4 southwest of Phnom Penh and 90 miles (140 km) inside Cambodia. A 4,000-man ARVN armor task force is linked to Cambodian ground forces and then reclaim the city. The operation of Cuu Long III (May 24-June 30) was an evolution from previous operations after US troops left Cambodia.
After rescuing Vietnam from Cambodia, ARVN is in charge of rescuing Cambodians from North Vietnam. The goal is to lighten the city of Kompong Cham, 70 kilometers northwest of the capital and the headquarters of Cambodia's Military Region I. On May 23, General Tri led a column of 10,000 ARVN troops along Route 7 to 180-acre (0.73 km 2 ) Chup rubber plantation, where PAVN resistance is expected to be heavy. Surprisingly, no fighting took place and the siege of Kompong Cham was lifted at a cost of 98 PAVN soldiers killed. Air support and logistics
The air operations for the attack started slowly. Flight reconnaissance in the operational area is restricted because MACV believes that they may serve as a signal of intent. The role of the Air Force in planning for the attack itself is minimal, among other things, to maintain the confidentiality of the Menu which is then regarded as a buffer against the thrust of crossing the border.
On 17 April, General Abrams requested that the president approve Operation Teras, a tactical airstrike cloaked in support of the Study Group and Observation Group Group "across the fence" in Cambodia. This authorization is given, allowing US aircraft to penetrate 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Cambodia. This limit is extended to 29 miles (47 km) along the entire border on 25 April. Patio was suspended on May 18 after 156 sudden attacks. The last Menu mission was flown on May 26th.
During the attack itself, US ground units and ARVN were supported by 9,878 air strikes (6,012 US/2,966 Vietnam Air Force), averaging 210 per day. During the operation on the Fishing Line, for example, the USAF flew 3,047 sudden strikes and the Air Force of the Republic of Vietnam 332. This tactical airstrike coupled with 653 B-52 missions in the border region (71 support Binh Tay operations), 559 for Toan Thang operation, and 23 for Cuu Long ). May 30 saw the inauguration of the Operation Freedom Agreement (named as of June 6), a continuous US air ban campaign undertaken in Cambodia. These missions are limited to a depth of 48 kilometers between the borders of South Vietnam and the Mekong River.
However, within two months, the border area of ​​operation extended past the Mekong, and the US tactical aircraft immediately supported Cambodian troops in the field. The mission is officially rejected by the US and false coordinates are given in official reports to hide their whereabouts. The Defense Department's records indicate that of the more than 8,000 combat attacks flown in Cambodia between July 1970 and February 1971, about 40 per cent were flown outside the Liberation Agreement.
The real struggle for US and ARVN forces in Cambodia is the effort to maintain the availability of their units. Again, the need for pre-operative security and speed with units transferred to the border areas precludes detailed planning and preparation. This situation is exacerbated by bad road networks in border areas and the possibility of ambush for night road convoys requires delivery to be made only during the day. Air supply, therefore, becomes the main method of charging logistics for advanced units. Military engineers and aviators continued to move along the attack zone.
Due to the rapid rate of operation, placement, and resettlement, the coordination of their artillery and fire units became an alarming confusion during the operation. This is made more problematic by the confusion generated by the lack of adequate communication systems between the rapidly progressing units. The combined nature of the operation adds another level of complexity to the already stretched communications network. Regardless, because of the ability of US logistics experts to innovate and improvise, food supplies, water, ammunition, and spare parts arrive at their destination without any disadvantage that hinders combat operations and communications systems, although complicated, works quite well during the short duration of US operations.
Aftermath
Prior to the end of the August 15, 1973 bombing, a legal challenge to the bombing had escalated in the United States Federal Court in the case of Schlesinger v. Holtzman . Congressman Elizabeth Holtzman voted against the Church-Case Amendment, as he wanted to immediately end the bombing, and then filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York seeking orders for such a request. On July 25, 1973, US District Judge Orrin Grimmell Judd gave a summary assessment to Holtzman and issued an order to order the military not to participate in military activities in Cambodia. The order would be effective on July 27, but, on that day, the three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit unanimously kept its orders. Holtzman then attempted to obtain US Supreme Court Justice Supervising the Second Circuit, Judge Thurgood Marshall, to vacate his stay. Judge Marshall refused to vacate his stay, issuing opinions in the room. Holtzman then turned to Justice William O. Douglas who granted the Holtzman movement to vacate his stay on August 4, 1973, and he ordered the US Military to stop all bombings in Cambodia. The military ignored his orders, and six hours later, the other eight Judges of the Supreme Court unanimously reversed Douglas's orders.
The North Vietnamese response to the attack was to avoid contact with allied forces and, if possible, to retreat westward and regroup. The PAVN troops were well aware of the planned attack and many of the COSVN/B-3 military units were far north and west doing operations against Cambodia when the attacks began. During 1969, the PAVN logistics units have begun the largest expansion of the Ho Chi Minh trail undertaken during the entire conflict. In response to the loss of Cambodia's supply route, North Vietnamese troops captured the Laotian town of Attopeu and Saravane during the year, pushing what has been a 60 mile (97 km) corridor to a width of 90 miles (140 km) and opening the entire Kong River system to Cambodia. A new logistics order, Transportation Group 470 , was created to handle logistics in Cambodia and a new "Liberation Route" ran through Siem Prang and reached the Mekong in Stung Treng.
As expected by Secretary Laird, the fall of the invasion came quickly on American university campuses, as protests erupted against what was perceived as an extension of the conflict to other countries. On May 4 the riots escalated into violence when Ohio's National Guard shot and killed four unarmed students (two of whom were not protesters) during the shootings in the State of Kent. Two days later, at the University in Buffalo, police wounded four other demonstrators. On May 15 the city and state police killed two and wounded twelve at Jackson State College (now Jackson State University) in Jackson, Mississippi. Earlier, on May 8, 100,000 protesters gathered in Washington and another 150,000 in San Francisco in just ten days. Across the country, 30 ROTC buildings were burned or bombed while 26 schools witnessed clashes between students and police. The National Guard unit is mobilized on 21 campuses in 16 states. Student strikes spread nationwide, involving more than four million students and 450 universities, colleges, and high schools mostly peaceful protests and walkouts.
At the same time, public opinion polls during the second week of May showed that 50 percent of the American public approved of President Nixon's actions. Fifty-eight percent blame the students for what happened at Kent State. On both sides, emotion ran high. In one instance, in New York City on May 8, the pro-administrative construction workers hardened and attacked the students who were demonstrating. Such violence, however, is an aberration. Most of the demonstrations, both pro and anti-war, are peaceful. On May 20, 100,000 construction workers, merchants, and office workers marched peacefully through New York City to support the president's policy.
The reaction in the US Congress against the attack was also quick. Senators Frank F. Church and John S. Cooper proposed amendments to the Foreign Military Sales Act that would cut funding not only for ground operations and US advisers in Cambodia but would also end US air support for Cambodian troops. On June 30, the United States Senate passed the law with the included amendments. The bill was defeated in the House of Representatives after US troops withdrew from Cambodia on schedule. However, the recently revamped act canceled Southeast Asia Resolution (better known as Tonkin Gulf Resolution) in which President Johnson and Nixon have conducted military operations for seven years without a declaration of war.
The Cooper-Church Amendment was resurrected during the winter and incorporated into the Supplementary Foreign Assistance Act of 1970. This time it passed through both congressional assemblies and became law on December 22. As a result, all ground troops and US advisers were barred from participating in military action in Laos or Cambodia, while air warfare carried out in both countries by the US Air Force was ignored.
Conclusion
President Nixon proclaimed the attack as "the most successful military operation of the entire war." General Abrams was like a mind, believing that time had been purchased for the security of rural South Vietnam and that US troops and ARVN had been made safe from any outbreaks of Cambodia during 1971 and 1972. "A decent interval" has been obtained. for the last American withdrawal. ARVN General Tran Dinh Tho is more skeptical: "although the results are spectacular... it must be acknowledged that the Cambodian attack proved, in the long run, to cause a slight temporary disruption to North Vietnam towards the dominance of all Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam."
John Shaw and other historians, military and civilians, have based their conclusions on their work on the premise that the North Vietnamese logistic system in Cambodia has been severely damaged and ineffective. The next large-scale North Vietnamese attack, the 1972 Nguyen Hue Attack (called Easter Attack in the West) will be launched from southern Northern Vietnam and western Laos, not from Cambodia, cited as positive proof that Cambodia's operations have been successful. The fact that the PAVN troops are occupied in Cambodia and has no offensive plans (to the best known) seems irrelevant. Logistically, northern attacks (especially conventional ones supported by heavy armor and artillery) will be launched closer to the source of power and its supply also appears to be of little consequence.
Logistical capture discovered, erased, or destroyed in eastern Cambodia during the operation was indeed remarkable: 20,000 individuals and 2,500 weapons served by the crew; 7,000 to 8,000 tons of rice; 1,800 tons of ammunition (including 143,000 mortars, rockets, and bullets of recoilless rifles); 29 tons of communications equipment; 431 vehicles; and 55 tons of medical supplies. MACV Intelligence estimates that the PAVN/NLF forces in southern Vietnam require 1,222 tons of all inventory each month to maintain normal operating rates. Due to the loss of Cambodia's supply system and continued air interdiction in Laos, MACV estimates that for every 2.5 tons of equipment delivered south through the Ho Chi Minh line, only a ton reaches its destination. However, the actual loss rate may be only about ten percent. General Abrams claimed 11,000 enemy soldiers were killed and 2,500 arrested, but his figures were denied by the CIA, which insisted that civilian deaths were thought to belong to Abrams.
The South Vietnamese troops had done well during the attacks but their leadership was uneven. General Tri proves a clever and inspirational commander, making the nickname "Patton Parrot Paruh" from the American media. General Abrams also praised the skills of General Nguyen Viet Thanh, commander of the IV Corps and Parrot's Beak operation planner. Unfortunately for the anti-communists, the two officers were killed in a helicopter crash - Thanh on May 2 in Cambodia and Tri in February 1971. However, other ARVN commanders did not do well. Even in the final moments of this conflict, the appointment of ARVN officers is driven by political loyalty rather than professional competence. As a test of Vietnamization, the attack was praised by American generals and politicians, but the Vietnamese did not really appear on their own. The participation of US ground and air forces has blocked such claims. When called to conduct a solo attack operation during an attack on Laos (Operation Lam Son 719) in 1971, the continued weakness of ARVN would become too obvious.
The Cambodian government was not informed of the attack until it was already under way. However, the Cambodian leadership welcomed the intervention of the PAVN base and the weakening of the military capabilities of the PAVN. Leadership expects a permanent US occupation of PAVN protection because FANK and ARVN forces can not fill the void in these areas after the US withdrawal. It has been argued by some experts that the attacks are heating up civil wars and helping the guerrilla Khmer Rouge collect the recruits for their purposes.
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Source
Unpublished government document
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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