Operation Phou Phiang II
| Operation Phou Phiang II | |||||||
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| Part of Laotian Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of LaosSupported by  United States
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 North Vietnam
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Vang Pao James Parker Raymond Seaborg † George Bacon |
Vũ Lập |
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| Units involved | |||||||
| Groupements Mobile 24 Groupements Mobile 23 Groupements Mobile 22 Task Force Vang Pao Bataillons Guerrier 105 Bataillons Guerrier 110 Bataillons Guerrier 209 Bataillons Guerrier 228 Bataillons Guerrier 233 Bataillons Guerrier 224 Groupements Mobile 30 Groupements Mobile 31 Groupements Mobile 15 Groupements Mobile 27 Groupements Mobile 26 Bataillon Guerrier 103 Bataillon Commando 607A Bataillon Commando 609 Groupements Mobile 32 Groupements Mobile 28 12th Brigade 13th Brigade Commando Raiders  Two Thai battalions 21st Special Operations Squadron RLAF air support |
174th Regiment 866th Independent Regiment 148th Independent Regiment 335th Independent Regiment 88th Regiment 42nd Artillery Battalion 27th Dac Cong Battalion 421st Dac Cong Battalion |
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| Operation Phou Phiang II | |
|---|---|
| Operational scope | Limited-objective offensive |
| Planned | 26 July 1972, Udon Royal Thai Air Force Base |
| Planned by | Vang Pao, CIA, Thai general |
| Objective | Relieve the siege of Long Tieng |
| Date | Began August 6, 1972 |
| Outcome | Offensive fails |
Operation Phou Phiang II (6 August – 25 October 1972) was one of the final battles of the Laotian Civil War. It was an attempt to relieve the siege on the guerrilla headquarters at Long Tieng on the Plain of Jars. Planned with the backing of Henry Kissinger, it was designed as a two phase attack consisting of five task forces of Thai mercenaries and Royalist guerrillas upon the People's Army of Vietnam invading Laos. Air superiority was used to direct over 100 air strike sorties daily to support the offense, and air mobility to shuffle attacking troops. A new radar bombing program by F-111 Aardvarks and B-52 Stratofortresses failed to cripple the Communist forces. Designed to overwhelm Communist defenses with its multiplicity, the five Lao task forces were defeated in detail by the Communists despite two new columns being improvised and introduced into the fray.
Key to the Lao defeat was the lack of competent staff work to coordinate the operation, the immaturity and carelessness of their troops, as well as a widespread outbreak of trench foot.
The Kingdom of Laos contained a Communist insurrection from its moment of independence. U.S. financial and military support of Laos began in 1953, and intensified through the succeeding years as the Laotian Civil War heated up. In 1961, the Central Intelligence Agency began arming and training hill tribes guerrillas on and around the strategic Plain of Jars. The Hmong soldiers of L'Armée Clandestine would fight the invading People's Army of Vietnam until the ceasefire of February 1973.
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