MAA No 217 THE WAR IN LAOS 1960-1975

As World War II drew to a close, the Imperial Japanese military seized control of Laos, a French protectorate, and encouraged nationalist movements to forestall the revival of French power in the region. Despite these efforts the French re-entered Indochina and methodically retook the protectorate. By 1957, the government of Laos and the core of the Communist Laotian forces, known as the Pathet Lao, entered an uneasy truce, which plunged the country into fifteen years of war. This text explores the resulting war, providing a summary of events and profiling the Laotian government forces, the government Allied forces and the Communist forces. Contents: The Course of the War * Laotian Government Forces * Government Allied Forces * Communist Forces * Colour plates by Simon McCouaig.