WI Laos turned into a ground war for the US

[raharris1973]

in the early 60s?

This was feared at the time. It was avoided through compromise in OTL.

WI the red side was intransigent enough about just trying to win there that the U.S. was faced with open loss of the country or sending troops?

If they send troops, how do they fare against the opposition? A big worry was Chinese intervention. China is next door. But, speaking of that, would the Chinese have intervened and how effectively?

Some developments in China could lead to a weaker PLA in the 1961-1963 timeframe than the 1950 PLA. China was licking massive self-inflicted wounds from the Great Leap Forward, large-scale famines, and was facing uprisings/mutinies in Tibet, Xinjiang and Honan province, while also fully breaking from the USSR and losing its tech support.

OTOH, the PLA at this time was still good enough to beat India in 61-62. And still on track to develop its nuke by '64.

 

[chris N]

The United States support the government of Laos and supplied its Royal army and air Force with a variety of weapons including the T-28D counter insurgence aircraft, The United Stes Govt. was a strong supporter of the Royal Laotian govt and miltary.

During the mid 1960's the US considered carrying out an operation which would have resulted in US and South Vietnamese forces sealing from the South China Sea to the Mekong River in Thailand. It would have resulted in the greatest construction of fortifications since the Maginot line and would have prevented the resupply of Viet Cong forces in the south.

 

[Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy]

The United States support the government of Laos and supplied its Royal army and air Force with a variety of weapons including the T-@*D counter insurgency aircraft.

An aircraft whose name was a curse word? I assume you meant the T-28D but didn't take your finger off the shift key.

 

[raharris1973]

Mid-60s proposals

Yes - two mid-60s proposals I am aware of for a line through Laos were the JASON study's proposal in early 1966, and Military Assistance Command Thailand (MACTHAI)'s proposal from around the same time. Both were posed as alternatives (JASON) or supplements (MACTHAI) to the bombing of North Vietnam and surfaced in the early 1966 bombing pause.

These plans involved Laos, but centered on defense of South Vietnam.

Presumably any intervention in Laos in the early 1960s,
prompted by red gains on the Plain of Jars or their besiegement of
Vientiane or Luang Prabang (in the northwest of Laos), would have required intervention in northern Laos as well as southern Laos, and that brings up the risk of Chinese intervention.

 

[chris N]

From what I recall the chances of Chinese military intervention in Indochina were quite small. In fact the chinese military was only able to modernize its forces due to the theft of Soviet Military equipment being sent to North Vietnam through china.

The US did carry out military advisory mission and inteeligence missions but I don't recall any plans for a massive Military intervention on the ground other than they two plans mentioned. The USAF and the CIA were both willing to use airpower in support of the Royal Laotian Army.

The only other idea that I know of was the massive expansion of native forces armed , trained and equipped to fight the Communist Laotain and North Vietnamese forces operating in Laos.