Atlas of Battles

campaign, Cold War

Operation Counterpunch

Operation Counterpunch was a campaign fought in 1970 at Plain of Jars, in what is now Laos. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Plain of Jars. It was part of the Laotian Civil War, which ran from 1959 to 1975. The recorded result: North Vietnamese communist offensive forestalled for month.

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Fought1970
WherePlain of Jars, Laos19.431N, 103.153E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeNorth Vietnamese communist offensive forestalled for month
BelligerentsLaos; Thailand; Supported by; United StatesagainstNorth Vietnam; Supported by: Soviet Union; People's Republic of China
Part ofLaotian Civil War1959 to 1975

Where it sits in the Laotian Civil War

Battle of Ban Pa Dong, 1961Battle of Luang Namtha, 1962Operation Pigfat, 1968Operation Raindance, 1969Operation Off Balance, 1969Operation Counterpunch, 1970Operation Phalat, 1971Operation Phou Phiang III, 197319611973Operation Counterpunch, 1970
8 placed engagements of the Laotian Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1970 (year precision)
PlacePlain of Jars, Laos
19.431N, 103.153E
KindCampaign, Cold War
Operation CounterpunchOperation CounterpunchBattle of Ban Pa DongBattle of Lima Site 85Battle of Ban DongBattle of Ban Pa DongBattle of Lima Site 85Battle of Ban DongLouangphrabangXaignabouriXam Nua100 km19.431N, 103.153E
Placed at Plain of Jars; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1970

Operation Counterpunch is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 15 in present-day Laos.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q23138701, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Counterpunch, revision 1379285846, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.