Battle of Ban Houei Sane - The Next Target

The Next Target

For Captain Frank C. Willoughby, commander of the Lang Vei CIDG camp, the arrival of the Laotian refugees also brought some disturbing development on the battlefield. For the first time the North Vietnamese deployed tanks in battle, and it was only fifteen kilometres away from Lang Vei. Fearing a repeat of the deadly North Vietnamese attacks, BV-33 soldiers were allowed to assist local forces by conducting patrols around the CIDG camp. As the Laotians settled down in Lang Vei, the U.S Air Force conducted airstrikes targeting the Ban Houei Sane airfield to prevent the North Vietnamese from utilising the airfield for operations against Khe Sanh. On 30 January, Captain Willoughby's fears were confirmed when a North Vietnamese soldier defected to the special forces at Lang Vei, and informed them of the whereabouts of the North Vietnamese 304th Division. On 6 February 1968, the North Vietnamese struck Lang Vei.