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Dien Bien Phu
Location: French command post at Dien Bien Phu
Important Facts: Battle lasted 55 days, 3,000 French troops were killed and 8,000 were wounded, Viet Minh had 8,000 dead and 12,000 wounded.
Importance to War: French commander orders his troops to cease fire, the battle had lasted 55 days, the Vietnamese victory shattered France's resolve to carry on the war. -
Creation of the Ho Chi Minh trail
Location: North Vietnam to Vietcong (Vietnamese/Cambodian border)
Important Facts: A specialized North Vietnamese Army unit, Group 559, is formed to create a supply route.
Importance to War: The trail off shots into Vietnam along its entire length -
United States becomes actively involved
Location: South Vietnam
Important Facts: U.S. provides new equipment and more than 3,000 military advisors and support personal.
Importance to War: U.S. gets involved in the war -
Operation Rangeland
Location: Guerrilla trails and along highways
Important Facts: Goal is to clear vegetation along highways to make it difficult for the Vietcong to conceal themselves for ambushes.
Importance to War: The Guerrilla trails and bases are exposed and crops are destroyed. -
Gulf of Tonkin Attack
Location: North Vietnamese islands in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Important Facts: South Vietnamese commandos attack two small North Vietnamese islands in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Importance of War: American jets bomb two naval bases, and destroy a major oil facility. Two U.S. planes are downed in the attack. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Location: United States
Important Facts: President Johnson got the power to take whatever actions he sees necessary to defend southeast Asia.
Importance to War: More involvement in war -
Rolling Thunder Begins (1 month)
Location: North Vietnan
Important Facts: a limited but long lasting bombing offensive, its aim is to force North Vietnam to stop supporting Vietcong guerrillas in the South.
Importance to War: An American campaign against North Vietnam's transport system. -
US offers peace for economic aid proposal
Location: North Vietnam
Important Facts: U.S. offers North Vietnam economic aid in exchange for peace. Offer is rejected
Importance to War: U.S. raises Americas combat strength in Vietnam to more than 60,000 troops. Allied forces from Korea and Australia are added as a sign of international support. -
First major battle of Vietnam War for American Units
Location: Chu Lai
Important Facts: 1st Vietcong regiment reveals that an attack is imminent against the U.S. Marine base at Chu Lai.
Importance to War: U.S. Victory -
President Johnson commits over 60,000 troops to Vietnam
Location: Vietnam
Important Facts: The American forces have reached 385,000 men plus 60,000 sailors stationed offshore.
Importance to War: Troops now numbered over 280,000. -
Operation Junction City
Location: Tay Ninh province
Important Facts: Goal is to destroy Vietcong bases and Vietcong military headquarters for South Vietnam.
Importance to War: succeed in capturing large quantities of stores, equipment and weapons, but there are no large, decisive battles. -
Khe Sanh attacked by Vietcong
Location: Marine Base at Khe Sanh
Important Facts: Started at 5:30 am with shells, mortars, and rockets hitting the base at Khe Sanh
Importance of War:18 Marines are killed instantly, 40 are wounded, initial attack continues for two days. -
Tet Offensive begins
Location: South Vietnam
Important Facts: Vietcong units surge into action over the length and breadth of South Vietnam.
Importance of War: 37,000 Vietcong troops deployed for Tet have been killed, Americans lost 2,500 men -
My Lai massacre
Location: My Lai
Important Facts: U.S. Charlie Company kills about two hundred civilians.
Importance of War: Raised unsettling questions about the conduct of the war. -
Nixon takes Office
Location: United States
Important Facts: President Richard M. Nixon takes office as the new President of the United States.
Importance to War: Nixon promises to achieve "Peace With Honor." The aim is to negotiate a settlement that will allow the half million U.S. troops to be withdrawn and still allowing South Vietnam to survive. -
Operation Menu
Location: North Vietnamese and Vietcong bases within Cambodia
Important Facts: Authorized by President Nixon
Importance of War: Over four years, U.S. forces will drop more than a half million tons of bombs on Cambodia. -
All but 133,000 US troops have come home
Location: South Vietnam
Important Facts: Two thirds of America's troops have gone in two years.
Importance to War: Ground war is now almost exclusively the responsibility of South Vietnam which has over 1,000,000 men enlisted. -
Peace talks break down
Location: Paris
Important Facts: peace talks between the North Vietnamese and the Americans breakdown.
Importance of War: May or may not happen. -
Peace talk resumes
Location: Paris
Important Facts: North Vietnam and the United States resume peace talks.
Importance to War: May or may not end war. -
Cease fire signed
Location: Paris
Important Facts: All warring parties in the Vietnam War sign a cease fire.
Importance to War: Ceases fire. -
Nixon Resigns
Location: United States
Important Facts: President Richard M. Nixon resigns
Importance to War: Leaving South Vietnam without its strongest advocate. -
Last casualties for the US and final evacuation
Location: Saigon's Tan Son Nhut airport.
Important Facts: They are the last Americans to die in the Vietnam War.
Importance to War: War ended over a span of 15 years. The casualties are nearly a million NVA and Vietcong troops and a quarter of a million South Vietnamese soldiers. Hunderds of thousands of civilians had been killed.