Hoàng Xuân Lãm

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Hoàng Xuân Lãm
Born(1928-10-10)10 October 1928
Huế, Annam
Died2 May 2017(2017-05-02) (aged 88)
Davis, California
Military career
Allegiance
Service/branch
Years of service1950 – April 30, 1975 (Army of the Republic of Vietnam)
Rank
Lieutenant General (Trung Tướng)
Commands held2nd Division
I Corps
Battles/warsBattle of Khe Sanh
Tet Offensive
Operation Lam Son 719
Easter Offensive
AwardsNational Order of Vietnam;

Hoàng Xuân Lãm (10 October 1928, Huế–2 May 2017, Davis, California) was a general in the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN).[1]

Military career

In late 1965, while Lãm was serving as commander of the

COMUSMACV General William Westmoreland and his chief of staff of operations, General William E. DePuy, blamed the division's temerity on its "less aggressive" commander, who had been either unwilling or unable to get the division moving during the year.[2]
: 113–4 

During the Buddhist Uprising he was given command of I Corps on 30 May 1966, becoming the sixth corps commander in less than three months.[2]: 138–9 

During the Battle of Khe Sanh the 1,500 civilians, 400 of which were ethnic Bru, of the area were looking for refuge. Lãm authorized the evacuation of the 1,100 Vietnamese, but the Bru were told to stay, Hoang Xuan Lam insisting that, 'there was no place for minority refugees.[citation needed]

On 14 February 1968, in the midst of the

President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and Chairman of the Joint General Staff General Cao Văn Viên to make several controversial command changes under the cloak of military necessity. They tentatively agreed to replace all four corps commanders with the II and IV Corps commanders to be replaced immediately.[2]
: 308 

Lãm commanded

Ho Chi Minh Trail in southeastern Laos during February-March 1971.[2]
: 473 

Due to his political connections with Thiệu, he was still serving as I Corps commander when the North Vietnamese launched the 1972 Easter Offensive. During the First Battle of Quảng Trị, Lãm had provided little support to General Vũ Văn Giai, commander of the

Saigon on 2 May 1972 by Thiệu, who relieved him of his command. Lãm was named as a "special assistant" at the Ministry of Defense.[2]
: 483–4 

Lãm's replacement as I Corps commander, Lieutenant General Ngô Quang Trưởng, said "I had served in I Corps under General Lãm and the disaster that occurred there was no surprise to me. Neither General Lãm nor his staff were competent to maneuver and support large forces in heavy combat."[3]: 50 

Other awards

National Honours

Foreign honours

References

  1. ^ "Trung Tướng Hoàng Xuân Lãm, tư lệnh Hành Quân Lam Sơn 719, qua đời". Nguoi Viet Online (in Vietnamese). 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1518612619.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain
    .
  3. ^ Ngo, Quang Truong (1980). The Easter offensive of 1972 (PDF). U.S. Army Center of Military History. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 13, 2020.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.