Operation Thao La

Operation Thao La
Part of Laotian Civil War; Vietnam War
Date 21 November — 16 December 1971 Location Southern Laos Result Pyrrhic victory for Kingdom of Laos Territorial changes Royalists took Tha Theng and Ban Phong, lost Salavan
Belligerents
Kingdom of Laos Supported by:  United States	North Vietnam Supported by:  Soviet Union  People's Republic of China
Units involved
Bataillon Infanterie 9 Bataillon Volontaire 46 Bataillon Volontaire 48 Bataillon Volontaire 41 Commando Raiders Groupement Mobile 33 Groupement Mobile 41 Royal Lao Air Force Raven Forward Air Controllers U.S. Air Force	9th PAVN Regiment Five PAVN battalions
Casualties and losses
399 killed 1,376 wounded 343 missing	1,204 killed 763 wounded

Operation Thao La (21 November–16 December 1971) was a Royal Lao Government (RLG) dry season offensive during the Laotian Civil War, aimed at severing the Ho Chi Minh Trail and retrieving the Lao Bolaven Plateau from the grip of the People's Army of Vietnam. Its objectives were the use of recently captured Salavan as a jumpoff point for occupying Tha Theng and Ban Phong. Key to the plan was a prearranged daily allotment of supportive tactical air power.

In the event, the Royalists captured their two objectives. However, they lost both Salavan and Paksong to the North Vietnamese; they also failed to find the Communist transshipment point whose conquest would have interdicted the Trail.