-
Period: to
Vietnam War Timeline
-
Dien Bien Phu
Vietnamese forces occupy the French command post at Dien Bien Phu. Vietnamese victory shattered France's resolve to carry on the war. Battle lasted 55 days. -
Ho Chi Minh Trail
A specialized North Vietnamese Army unit (Group 559) is formed to create this supply route from North Vietnam to Vietcong forces in South Vietnam. Became known as Ho Chi Minh Trail. -
US Active Involvement
Kennedy orders help for the South Vietnamese government. U.S. gets new equipment and more than 3,000 military advisors and support personnel. American helicopters arrive in South Vietnam with 400 U.S. personnel. -
Operation Ranchhand
Goal - to clear vegetation alongside highways, making it more difficult for the Vietcong to conceal themselves for ambushes. As the scope of Ranchhand increased, forests were sprayed with "Agent Orange," an herbicide containing the deadly chemical Dioxin, exposing Guerrilla trails, base areas, and crops that might feed Vietcong units to destruction. -
Gulf of Tonkin Attack
South Vietnamese commandos attacked two small North Vietnamese islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. The U.S. 'Destroyer Maddox', an electronic spy ship 123 miles south electronically simulated an air attack to draw North Vietnamese boats away from the commandos. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
U.S. congress passesd this resolution, giving President Johnson the power to take whatever actions he deems necessary to defend southeast Asia. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
President Johnson authorizes this operation - a limited but long lasting bombing offensive. Aim - to force North Vietnam to stop supporting Vietcong guerrillas in the South. Navy and Air Force planes hit bridges, road and rail junctions, truck parks and supply depots. Lasted about 6 weeks. -
US Offers Peace for Economic Aid Proposal
The U.S. offers North Vietnam economic aid in exchange for peace. The offer is rejected, and two weeks later President Johnson raises America's combat strength in Vietnam to more than 60,000 troops.
Allied forces from Korea and Australia are added for international support. -
President Johnson Commits Over 60,000 Troops to Vietnam
This occurs when the U.S. offer for economic aid in exchange for peace is rejected by North Vietnam. -
First Major Battle of Vietnam War for American Units
Deserter from the 1st Vietcong regiment reveals that an attack is imminent against the U.S. Marine base at Chu Lai. American army then launches Operation Starlite, the first major battle of the Vietnam War.
The U.S. has a victory, when ground forces, artillery from Chu Lai, ships and air support combine to kill 700 Vietcong soldiers. U.S. forces sustain 45 dead and more than 200 wounded. -
Operation Junction City
One of the largest air-mobile assaults that has ever occured.
240 helicopters swept over Tay Ninh province, beginning this operation.
Goal - to destroy Vietcong bases and the Vietcong military headquarters for South Vietnam.
These are located in War Zone C, north of Saigon.
Around 30,000 U.S. troops and 5,000 men of the South Vietnamese Army take part in the mission.
The operation lasted 72 days. American forces succeeded in capturing large quantities of stores, equipment and weapons. -
Vietcong Attack Khe Sanh
At 5:30 a.m, the Vietcong attack sthe Marine base at Khe Sanh. Eighteen Marines are killed instantly and 40 are wounded. The initial attack continues for two days. -
Tet Offensive Begins
On the Tet holiday, Vietcong units attack South Vietnam.
Wave after wave of supporting troops follow shock attacks by Vietcong commandos in more than 100 cities and towns.
37,000 Vietcong troops deployed for Tet were killed after the city battles.
Some were wounded and captured, and the fighting created more than 500,000 civilian refugees.
Casualties included most of the Vietcong's best fighters, political officers and secret organizers. -
Another Attack by Vietcong on Khe Sanh
Over 1,300 artillery rounds hit the Marine base at Khe Sanh and its outposts, more than on any previous day of attacks.
To withstand the constant assaults, bunkers at Khe Sanh are rebuilt to withstand 82mm mortar rounds. -
My Lai Massacre
U.S. Charlie Company kills about two hundred civilians in My Lai, Vietnam.
Only one member of the division is tried and found guilty of war crimes, but the repercussions are felt throughout the Army. These acts undid the benefit of countless hours of civic action by Army units and individual soldiers.
Also raised unsettling questions about the conduct of the war. -
Khe Sanh Hit Again
Without warning, a massive North Vietnamese barrage attack Khe Sanh.
More than 1,000 rounds hit the base, at a rate of a hundred every hour.
At the same time, electronic sensors around Khe Sanh indicate NVA troop movements.
American forces respond with heavy bombing. -
Nixon Takes Office
President Nixon takes office.
Nixon promises to achieve "Peace With Honor." with regard to Vietnam.
His aim was to negotiate a settlement that would allow the half million U.S. troops in Vietnam to be withdrawn, while still allowing South Vietnam to survive. -
Operation Menu
President Nixon authorizes this Operation in spite of government restrictions.
This was the bombing of North Vietnamese and Vietcong bases within Cambodia.
Over the next four years, U.S. forces dropped more than a half million tons of bombs on Cambodia. -
All but 133,000 US Troops Came Home
Only 133,000 U.S. servicemen remain in South Vietnam.
Two thirds of America's troops had gone in two years.
The ground war became almost exclusively the responsibility of South Vietnam, which had over 1,000,000 men enlisted in its armed forces. -
Peace Talks Break Down
In December, talks of peace between the North Vietnamese and the Americans breakdown in Paris. -
Peace Talks Resume
In January, North Vietnam and the United States resume peace talks in Paris. -
Cease Fire Signed
All warring parties in the Vietnam War sign a cease fire. -
Nixon Resigns
President Richard M. Nixon resigns office.
This leaves South Vietnam without its strongest advocate. -
Final US Casualties and Evacuation
Two U.S. Marines, the last Americans to die in the Vietnam War, are killed in a rocket attack at Saigon's Tan Son Nhut airport at 4:03 a.m.
The last Marines of the force guarding the U.S. embassy lift off at dawn.
Looters ransack the embassy only hours later, and North Vietnamese tanks role into Saigon, ending the war.
In 15 years, nearly a million NVA and Vietcong troops and a quarter of a million South Vietnamese soldiers died. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in the war.