February 8, 1972

1972: Operation LAM SON 719. South Vietnamese troops from three divisions, supported by US planes and artillery, cross the border into Laos to cut the Ho Chi Minh trail and interdict the flow of supplies from the north. Extensive US air support prevents the operation from turning into a disaster when South Vietnamese forces find themselves overextended and outnumbered, which forces them to conduct a fighting withdrawal from Laos.