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| Operation Chenla I | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofCambodian Civil War,Vietnam War | |||||||
 Map showing the areas under Communist control. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 State of Cambodia (1970) Khmer Republic (1970-1971) |  Viet Cong North Vietnam | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Um Savuth | Trần Văn Trà | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000+ | Unknown | ||||||
Operation Chenla I orChenla One was a major military operation conducted by theKhmer National Armed Forces (FANK) during theCambodian Civil War. It began in late August 1970 and ended in February 1971, due to the FANK High Command's decision to withdraw some units from Tang Kauk to protectPhnom Penh afterPochentong airbase was attacked.
Following the overthrow of the Cambodian head of state, PrinceNorodom Sihanouk, in acoup d'état in March 1970 and its replacement by the pro-USKhmer Republic, the re-christenedKhmer National Armed Forces (FANK) focused on expelling allPeople's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) andViet Cong (VC) forces from their border sanctuaries in northeastern Cambodia after the new President of the Khmer Republic, MarshalLon Nol, issued an ultimatum. However, from May 1970, the ill-prepared FANK was quickly placed at a strategic disadvantage following the seizure of the northeastern areas of the country (the provinces ofStung Treng,Ratanakiri,Kratie, andMondulkiri) by the PAVN in response to the ultimatum and the loss to theKhmer Rouge insurgents of several peripheral eastern and southwestern Cambodian provinces (Kampot,Koh Kong,Kampong Cham,Preah Vihear, plus portions ofSiem Reap,Oddar Meanchey,Kampong Thom,Prey Veng, andSvay Rieng Provinces) during that same year.
The FANK High Command made the decision in July 1970 to retake sizable tracts of prosperous rice-growing territory in northeastern Cambodia that were not under the control of the Khmer Rouge in order to regain strategic initiative and boost the morale of the FANK troops during a lull in PAVN/VC activity. Lon Nol made preparations for an offensive plan codenamed 'Chenla' to be launched in late August of that same year. An ANK task-force consisting of a dozen infantry battalions – which included several 'repatriated'Khmer Krom volunteer battalions recruited inSouth Vietnam – supported by armour and artillery was assembled for the operation, which relied on limited ground and air support from theArmy of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and theRepublic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF).[1][2]
Initially, Operation Chenla I went on as planned. The offensive began in late August, when the FANK task-force under the command ofBrigadier generalUm Savuth converged onRoute 6 and its objectives were two-fold: firstly, sweep away PAVN and VC forces along the road and recapture the rice paddies around Kampong Cham.[1]: 6 Secondly, clearRoute 7, which was repeatedly attacked by Khmer Rouge forces, in order to reconnectSkoun and Kampong Thom. The FANK task-force succeeded in catching the PAVN/VC by surprise, retakingTang Kauk during early September with ease and opened 15 miles of Route 6 for a short time and the Cambodian troops then helped resettle refugees and raised local self-defense forces.[1]: 6
In response to this offensive, the PAVN/VC forces mounted a series of counter-attacks along Route 7, intended to block the advance of the FANK units; the areas around Kompong Cham andPrey Totung saw significant fighting during the closing months of 1970. As a result of the pressure exerted by the PAVN's9th Division, the FANK couldn't advance further beyond Tang Kauk.Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) units then linked with the Cambodian task-force east of theMekong River in December, allowing the FANK to reopen Route 7 without making contact with enemy troops.
However, on the night of 21–22 January 1971, a hundred or so-strong PAVN 'Commando' force (Vietnamese:Đắc Cộng or 'Sappers') managed to pass undetected through the defensive perimeter of the Special Military Region (French:Region Militaire Spéciale – RMS) set by the FANK aroundPhnom Penh and carried out a spectacular raid onPochentong airbase, virtually destroying the thenKhmer Air Force (AAK) on the ground. The surrounding areas around the airbase were also targeted. PresidentLon Nol extended the 'State of Emergency' for another six months as some FANK units fighting at Tang Kauk were recalled and redeployed to protect Phnom Penh, effectively bringing Chenla I to an end.[2]: 217–8 [1]: 19–20 [3]
Despite early gains, the FANK only achieved a limited strategic success, with the cost of sacrificing some of the more experiencedKhmer Krom battalions; the PAVN and VC still controlled a large portion of territory east of Phnom Penh.Lon Nol was evacuated by U.S. aircraft for treatment at theTripler General Hospital inHawaii after suffering a severe stroke.