Hoang Xuan Lam

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Hoàng Xuân Lãm (1928-) was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and a native of the city of Hue. Given responsibility for the I Corps Tactical Zone in 1967, Lam coordinated the South Vietnamese offensive known as Operation Lam Son 719 which aimed at striking the North Vietnamese logistical corridor known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail in southeastern Laos during 1971. A great deal of the blame for the failure of the operation rested on his shoulders, since he displayed little operational control over his forces and could not cope with the massive People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) counterattack that pushed South Vietnamese units back over the border.

Due to his political connections with President Nguyen Van Thieu, however, Lam was still serving as I Corps commander when the North Vietnamese launched the Nguyen Hue Offensive (called the Easter Offensive in the West) during the spring of 1972. Once again, Lam's ineptitude and constant interference with his subordinates resulted in confusion and the collapse of ARVN forces in the northern three provinces. Lam was recalled to Saigon on 2 May 1972 by Thieu, who relieved him of his command. He was promoted to the Ministry of Defense to head an anti-corruption campaign. The most severe criticism of Lam came from his replacement as I Corps commander, Lieutenant General Ngo Quang Truong - "I had served in I Corps under General Lam and the disaster that occurred there was no surprise to me. Neither General Lam nor his staff were competent to maneuver and support large forces in heavy combat."[1]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ LtGen Ngo Quang Truong, The Easter Offensive of 1972. Washington DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1984, p. 50.

[edit] References

  • Andrade, Dale. Trial by Fire: The 1972 Easter Offensive, America's Last Vietnam Battle. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1993.
  • Fulgham, David, Terrence Maitland, et al, South Vietnam on Trail: Mid-1970 to 1972. Boston: Boston publishing Company, 1984.
  • Truong, Lieutenant General Ngo Quang. The Easter Offensive of 1972. Washington DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1984.