| Operation Diamond Arrow | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Laotian Civil War; Vietnam War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of Laos |
 North Vietnam | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Bataillon Volontaires 46 Bataillon Infanterie 7 U.S. Air Force Royal Lao Air Force Raven Forward Air Controllers Nail Forward Air Controllers | Three infantry battalions from Group 968 | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Battalion-size | Battalion-size | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
40 killed 100 wounded 30 missing | Estimated 500 | ||||||
Operation Diamond Arrow was a battle in southern Laos, waged from 20 September 1969 through 9 March 1970. The struggle centered on a Royal Lao Army stronghold at the strategic road intersection of Routes 16 and 23. Due to intervention by U.S. and Lao tactical air strikes, and an air bridge supply effort, the Royal Lao Army troops survived besiegement in a fixed defensive position, only to abandon their position post-battle.