Undercover Armies - CIA FOIA - Central Intelligence Agency

C05303949
THE "MEO HEARTLAND'O
not press its advantage. Having come within a hair's-breadth of losing Long
Tieng, Souvanna Phouma finally made good on his promise, given three
months earlier, to let the station reinforce Yang P!10. On the 19 th , the station
began to fly in SOU battalions from Savannakhet, Pakse, and Nam Yu. These
started clearing the Long Tieng perimeter while the bedraggled Hmong handled
the secondary mission of flank security to the east and west."D
At this point, elements of the NVA 316" Division were carrying the burden
south ofthe plain. This left the 312'h Division available either to join the attack
or to frustrate any spoiling operation with which Yang Pao might try to cut the
supply lines of the 316"'. Meanwhile, with SOUs from outside MR 2 just
beginning operations, the communists had taken a secondary base northeast of
Long Tieng. Validating Larry Devlin's prediction, thegow threatened the
entire arc of strong points south and west of the plain. 48U
A Controversial DeploymentD
The station estimated that 5,000 to 6,000 men of the 316" Division were
positioned to hit Long Tieng itself, with no more than 2,000 demoralized
IHm'"" SOU ~p" r~i"" .=.
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