The battle ended in a communist takeover of the Nakay Plateau, marking a second major defeat for the Royal Lao Government within two years.
Key Facts
- Conflict duration
- November 1963 – January 1964
- Commanding general (RLG)
- General Phoumi Nosavan
- Elite units neutralized
- 11th and 55th Parachute Battalions
- Territory lost
- Nakay Plateau
- Opposing force
- People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
General Phoumi Nosavan, holding military authority in the Kingdom of Laos, launched a northward offensive from Nhommarath toward the Vietnamese border to counter North Vietnamese incursions across the northern panhandle. He proceeded despite a lack of support from the U.S. Embassy and explicit CIA warnings that North Vietnamese retaliation was likely.
The Royal Lao Army advanced northward and then eastward toward the Vietnamese border, but met stiff resistance and showed a tendency to flee rather than fight. Through December 1963, the elite 11th and 55th Parachute Battalions were rendered ineffective by communist forces and a faulty parachute drop, and a volunteer battalion was dispersed by the PAVN.
The Royal Lao Armed Forces abandoned the operation in early 1964, ceding control of the Nakay Plateau to communist forces. Combined with the earlier defeat at the Battle of Luang Namtha, this represented two catastrophic military losses for the Royal Lao Government within two years, significantly weakening its position in the civil war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General Phoumi Nosavan.
Side B
1 belligerent