Attacks on Cambodia & Laos
History: Cambridge International GCSE The Twentieth Century (Option B), topic 5.3.11
Attacks on Cambodia, 1970
In March 1970 a pro-American South Vietnamese army general, Lon Nol, took over Cambodia.
General Lon Nol
- In March 1970 a pro-American army general, Lon Nol, took over Cambodia.
- The North Vietnamese who had been running the Ho Chi Minh trail in Cambodia allied with Cambodian communist guerrilla fighters.
Secret American support
- To help Nol, Nixon sent 50,000 ARVN and 30,000 US troops to invade Cambodia and ordered secret bombing raids.
- He knew this would be unpopular with the American public, so limited the troops to 19 miles over the border and they had to withdraw by the end of June.
- He kept the bombing raids secret
Successes for the US
- 11,000 communists were killed and Nol’s government stayed in power to fight the communists.
- Huge damage was done to the Ho Chi Minh trail and tonnes of weapons and supplies were captured.
- However, this didn’t stop the North Vietnamese using parts of the trail that went through Laos to supply South Vietnam.
Reality
- In reality, the ARVN couldn’t invade 19 miles into Cambodia as they would be cut off from US supplies, so the communists just stayed beyond the 19 mile limit.
Protests
- There was public outrage in the USA which led to many protests.
- Congress cancelled the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, limited military funding and called for Vietnamisation to be sped up.
Attacks on Laos, 1971
After the attacks on Cambodia the North Vietnamese were using the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos more, so the ARVN asked the US to provide air support.
US air support
- After the attacks on Cambodia the North Vietnamese were using the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos more, so the ARVN asked the US to provide air support for an invasion of Laos with 21,000 troops.
Attack on Tchepone
- The North Vietnamese raised 36,000 troops to attack the city of Tchepone, which the ARVN had captured.
Defeat for the ARVN
- In the fierce fighting, the ARVN retreated and lost many casualties, despite US air support.
- The trail remained in North Vietnamese control.
- This made people doubt that Vietnamisation would ever work as the ARVN did not seem like a capable fighting force.
Test yourself on Attacks on Cambodia & Laos
Who took control of Cambodia in March 1970?
When did the pro-American army general, Lon Nol, take over Cambodia?
When was the ARVN attack on Tchepone?
Where is the city of Tchepone?