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The Vietnam War
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The Vietnamese Take Dien Bien Phu
The Vietnamese take Dien Bien Phu, the French command post, suffering 8000 dead and 12000 wounded. The French had 3000 dead and 8000 wounded. Although the Vietnamese suffered heavy casualities the victory there shattered France's will to fight. -
JFK orders more soldiers to fight with Vietnam
The US sends in more troops, equipment, and advisors into Vietnam to aid in the fight against the guerrillas . -
Operation Chopper
In Operation Chopper US helicopters ferry 1000 South Vietnamese soldiers into a Vietcong stronghold near Saigon. It was America's first combat mission against the Vietcong. -
The Battle of Ap Bac
For the first time the Vietcong won against South Vietnamese soldiers and American machinery. This victory raised morale in the Vietcong and pushed recruiting. -
The Reinforcing of the Airforce
US airpower was massively reinforced over South East Asia. This was prompted by a North Vietnamese offensive in Laos. -
The attack of the U.S.S Maddox
The captain of the U.S.S. Maddox reports that his vessel has been fired on and that an attack is imminent. Although the captain reports this was never said President Johnson retaliated by bombing major Vietnamese ports. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The U.S. congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Johnson the power to take whatever actions he sees necessary to defend southeast Asia. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder, a limited but long lasting bombing offensive. Its aim is to force North Vietnam to stop supporting Vietcong guerrillas in the South. -
operation Crimp
U.S. forces launch Operation Crimp. Deploying nearly 8,000 troops, it is the largest American operation of the war. The goal of the campaign is to capture the Vietcong's headquarters for the Saigon area, which is believed to be located in the district of Chu Chi. Though the area in Chu Chi is razed and repeatedly patrolled, American forces fail to locate any significant Vietcong base. -
The Air Battles
Desperate air battles rage in the skies over Hanoi and Haiphong. America air forces shoot down 26 North Vietnamese jets, destroying half of the North Vietnamese air force. -
The Tet Offensive
On the Tet holiday, Vietcong units surge into action over the length and breadth of South Vietnam. In more than 100 cities and towns, shock attacks by Vietcong sapper-commandos are followed by wave after wave of supporting troops. By the end of the city battles, 37,000 Vietcong troops deployed for The Tet Offensive have been killed -
The Siege Of Khe Sanh
U.S. forces in Operation Pegasus finally retake Route 9, ending the siege of Khe Sanh. A 77 day battle, Khe Sanh had been the biggest single battle of the Vietnam War to that point. The official assessment of the North Vietnamese Army dead is just over 1,600 killed, with two divisions all but annihilated. But thousands more were probably killed by American bombing -
Peace with Honor
President Richard M. Nixon takes office as the new President of the United States. 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 -
The Trap
In Operation Lam Son 719, three South Vietnamese divisions drive into Laos to attack two major enemy bases. Unknowingly, they are walking into a North Vietnamese trap. Over the next month, more than 9,000 South Vietnamese troops are killed or wounded. More than two thirds of the South Vietnamese Army's armored vehicles are destroyed, along with hundreds of U.S. helicopters and planes -
The Armed Forces
Only 133,000 U.S. servicemen remain in South Vietnam. 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.
