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Following the surrender of Japan to Allied forces, Ho Chi Minh and his People's Congress create the National Liberation Committee of Vietnam to form a provisional government. Japan transfers all power to Ho's Vietminh.
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France recognizes Vietnam as a "free state" within the French Union. French troops replace Chinese in the North.
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French General Etienne Valluy attempts, and fails, to wipe out the Vietminh in one stroke
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The US Military Assistance Advisor Group (MAAG) assumes responsibility, from French, for training South Vietnamese forces.
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Troops:184,300
KIA:
MIA:76,400 -
Calling the US "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world," Martin Luther King publicly speaks out against US policy in Vietnam. King later encourages draft evasion and suggests a merger between antiwar and civil rights groups.
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In a show of military might that catches the US military off guard, North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces sweep down upon several key cities and provinces in South Vietnam, including its capital, Saigon. Within days, American forces turn back the onslaught and recapture most areas. From a military point of view, Tet is a huge defeat for the Communists, but turns out to be a political and psychological victory. The US military's assessment of the war is questioned and the "end of tunnel" seems ver
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Troops:536,100
KIA:30,160
WIA:192,800 -
Troops:475,200
KIA:40,024
WIA:262,796
