6:35 - Meanwhile the US arm the local tribesman defending these exposed camps with outdated American weapons (2:47) - as they do to the South Vietnam Army in early 60's, the NVA and Vietcong has cut edge weapons of URSS and China.
This is an excellent history lesson. The narrative is even handed and neutral in its portrayal of the parties involved. This is rarely done in historical context. I view this as the twilight of the US Advisory and support phase. As US ground forces had been performing stand alone offensive actions since August 65’ without the ARVN taking the lead To me this type of battle is what the NLF and PAVN would have desired in 1963/64 but did not have sufficient resources to conduct this type of extended battle . By this point the had a nearly monolithic small arms issue of excellent quality. Examples first generation AK 47 SKS , B 40 rocket launchers and mortars . Dshk 12.7 heavy machine guns for anti helicopter duty. Plus dedicated sappers and a highly functional intelligence system. The Ho Chi Minn supply trail was being to have maximum impact You can also see the ARVNs frustration in have the US dictate how the battle should be conducted. The idea that trained Rangers and Paratroopers cannot be quickly replaced with equally trained personnel . The ARVN command knowing this action was designed to draw them into ambush zones where they could be bled white. Therefore caution was expressed. One can see the difficulty in bringing a large long convoy into densely covered terrain. To keep security and communication would test any army including the PAVN or US Army. The US Army looking at this as a opportunity to draw the enemy forces in the open. Then be able to apply maximum firepower to destroy entire conventional units in one swipe. The use of jet fighter bombers, gunships and flare ships was impressive. I agree with a previous comment wondering how the war would have played out if the First Cavalry had deployed in Thailand and operated sorties against the Ho Chi Minn trail as the Soviet Union suggested (Irony). Again this is a very interesting and informative piece and I really appreciate the time taken to use first source material to provide an alternative perspective. Thank you
You can view this as the handover from the French to the American paradigm. There's even a French plantation caught up in the situation. The PAVN was expecting a French model road relief, with limited air support. The Americans instead delivered overwhelming air support, and an airmobile tactic that didn't allow them to simply retreat, rest and refit.
