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Dien Bien Phu
climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries. culminated in a comprehensive French defeat that influenced negotiations over the future of Indochina at Geneva.The longest, most
furious battle of the French Expeditionary Corps in the Far East. -
Creation of the Ho Chi Minh trail
was a network of roads built from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia, to provide logistical support to the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese Army. Helped Vietnam soldiers and supplies to arive at destination points safely. -
United States becomes actively involved.
US entered to prevent Communist take over in South Vietnam. without Americas help in this war communism would have spread. -
Operation Ranchhand
to clear vegetation alongside highways, making it more difficult for the Vietcong to conceal themselves for ambushes. This allowed to South Vietnamese troops to not be ambushed by the Vietcong. This had an impact on the war because crops and other necessary things were destroyed. The Vietcongs suffered from this. -
Gulf of tonkin attack
On this night, South Vietnamese commandos attack two small North Vietnamese islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. The U.S. destroyer Maddox, an electronic spy ship, is 123 miles south with orders to electronically simulate an air attack to draw North Vietnamese boats away from the commandos.The captain of the U.S.S. Maddox reports that his vessel has been fired on and that an attack is imminent. -
gulf of tonkin resolution
Gave President Johnson the power to take whatever actions he sees necessary to defend southeast Asia. He could decide what he thought was right to do. Even if it was not right -
Rolling Thunder
a limited but long lasting bombing offensive. Its aim is to force North Vietnam to stop supporting Vietcong guerrillas in the South. the bombing tended to be directed against the flow of men and supplies from the North, thus damaging the enemy militarily.it lasted approximately 3 1/2 years -
peace for economic aid proposal
the offer is summarily rejected. Two weeks later, President Johnson raises America's combat strength in Vietnam to more than 60,000 troops. -
President Johnson commits over 60,000 troops to Vietnam
Allied forces from Korea and Australia are added as a sign of international support. -
1st major battle of Vietnam War for American Units
After a deserter from the 1st Vietcong regiment reveals that an attack is imminent against the U.S. Marine base at Chu Lai, the American army launches Operation Starlite. In this, the first major battle of the Vietnam War, the United States scores a resounding victory. Ground forces, artillery from Chu Lai, ships and air support combine to kill nearly 700 Vietcong soldiers. U.S. forces sustain 45 dead and more than 200 wounded -
Operation Junction City
the only major airborne operation of the Vietnam War.The goal of Junction City is to destroy Vietcong bases and the Vietcong military headquarters for South Vietnam, all of which are located in War Zone C, north of Saigon. Some 30,000 U.S. troops take part in the mission, joined by 5,000 men of the South Vietnamese Army. After 72 days, Junction City ends. American forces succeed in capturing large quantities of stores, equipment and weapons, but there are no large, decisive battles. -
Khe Sah Attacked by Vietcong
By the end of the city battles, 37,000 Vietcong troops deployed for Tet have been killed. Many more had been wounded or captured, and the fighting had created more than a half million civilian refugees. Casualties included most of the Vietcong's best fighters, political officers and secret organizers; for the guerillas, Tet is nothing less than a catastrophe. But for the Americans, who lost 2,500 men, it is a serious blow to public support. -
Tet offensive begins
a series of surprise attacks by the Vietcong (rebel forces sponsored by North Vietnam) and North Vietnamese forces, on scores of cities, towns, and hamlets throughout South Vietnam. It was considered to be a turning point in the Vietnam War.
. Vietnamese lose the Tet offensive. -
My Lai Massacre
Charlie Company kills about two hundred civilians. Although only one member of the division is tried and found guilty of war crimes, the repercussions of the atrocity is felt throughout the Army. -
Nixon takes office
With regard to Vietnam, he promises to achieve "Peace With Honor." His aim is to negotiate a settlement that will allow the half million U.S. troops in Vietnam to be withdrawn, while still allowing South Vietnam to survive. -
Operation Menu
the bombing of North Vietnamese and Vietcong bases within Cambodia. Over the following four years, U.S. forces will drop more than a half million tons of bombs on Cambodia -
all but 133000 troops come home
Two thirds of America's troops have gone in two years. The ground war is now almost exclusively the responsibility of South Vietnam, which has over 1,000,000 men enlisted in its armed forces. -
peace talks break down
this means that we dont think the war will end any time soon and its more serious then we thought. -
peace talk resumes
the war is coming to an end and everyone thinks it appropiate to end it. -
Cease fire signed
no more fighting for the vietnam war. -
Last casualties for the US and final Evacuation
The last American combat soldiers leave South Vietnam, though military advisors and Marines, who are protecting U.S. installations, remain. For the United States, the war is officially over. Of the more than 3 million Americans who have served in the war, almost 58,000 are dead, and over 1,000 are missing in action. Some 150,000 Americans were seriously wounded. -
Nixon Resigns
When he resigns this leaves South Vietnam without its strongest advocate.