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The French command post at Dien Bien Phu was occupied by Vietnamese forces. After a battle that lasted 55 days, the French commander ordered his troops to cease fire. This victory by the Vietnamese ended France's resolve to carry on the war.
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This is the span of the vietnam war from the flee of the French from Vietnam to the last men killed in the war
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The Geneva Accords included the French, Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian representatives and began on May 8, 1954. The agreement was finally signed on July 21 and provisioned for a cease-fire line along the 17th parallel. Each side was given 300 days to withdraw its troops to its side of the line, for the communist troops and guerrillas to evacuate Laos and Cambodia, and finally for free elections to be held in 1955.
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After President John F. Kennedy ordered U.S. help in the form of 3,000 military advisors, support personnel, and new equipment in order to help the South Vietnamese government in its war against the Vietcong guerrillas, American helicopters and 400 U.S. personnel arrive at docks in South Vietnam.
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The objective of this operation was to clear vegetation in hopes of making it difficult for the Vietcong to ambush. Agent Orange is used to expose roads and trails used by Vietcong forces. This will end in 1971 after spraying approximately 11 million gallons of Agent Orange and laying to waste more than one seventh of the country's total area.
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On February 13, 1965, President Johnson authorized Operation Rolling Thunder. This war strike was bombing offensive that would be limited but long lasting. The purpose was to attempt to force North Vietnam to stop supporting Vietcong guerrillas in the South.
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The first bombing raids of Rolling Thunder are flown after a series of delay.
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North Vietnam is offered economic aid in exchange for peace. North Vietnam rejects the offer. This leads to President Johnson raising America's combat strength as well as Korea and Australia being added as Allied forces.
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Operation Crimp is launched by the U.S. Almost 8,000 troops are deployed, making it the largest American operation of the war. The operation was in hopes of capturing the Vietcong's headquarters for the Saigon area. However, American forces failed to locate any significant Vietcong base.
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Operation Rolling Thunder ends after three-and-a-half years. It cost 900 American aircraft, 818 pilots, and hundreds in captivity. Nearly 120 Vietnamese planes were destroyed, 182,000 North Vietnamese civilians were killed, and 20,000 Chinese support personnel deaths,
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Nixon is innagurated as the new President of the United States and promises to achieve "Peace With Honor." Nixon wants to negotiate a settlement that will allow a half million of U.S. troops in Vietnam to be withdrawn.
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A U.S. strategic air command bombing campaign that was performed in eastern Cambodia and Laos until May 26,1970, The attacks target Base Areas and sanctuaries of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and forces of the Viet Cong. These bases and sancutaries were used for resupply, training, and resting between battle campaigns by North Korea.
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South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu and President Nixon meet on Midway Island. 25,000 U.S. troops are announced to be withdrawn immediately.
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The United States and North Vietnam resume peace talks in Paris.
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All warring parties in the Vietnam War sign a cease fire in Paris.
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South Vietnam's third largest city (Hue) falls to the North Vietnamese Army.
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Two U.S. soldiers are killed in a rocket attack at Saigon's Tan Son Nhut airport at 4:03 am. By sunrise, the last soldiers guarding the U.S. embassy lift off from Vietnam. A few hours later, North Vietnamese tanks role into Saigon and officially ended the war.
