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KEY
L= LOCATION
IF= IMPORTANT FACT
IW= IMPORTANCE TO WAR -
Dien Bien Phu
French Command post, battle lasted 55 days, 3,000 French troops killed, Vietminh 8,000 dead,12,000 wounded.Importance to the war: French ceased fire, Vietnamese victory shattered France's resolove to carry on the war. -
Creation of the Ho Chi Minh Trail
From North to South Vietnam
A supply route built by North Viet
Off shoots into Vietnam -
United States becomes actively involved
L: South Vietnam
I f: United States backed South Bietnames with new equipment and more than 3,000 military advisors/ support personel
I w: We have now "entered" the war -
United States becomes actively involved
L: South Vietnam
I F: U.S. provides new equipment and more than 3,000 military advisors and support personal.
I W: U.S. gets involved in the war -
Operation Rangeland
L: Guerrilla trails and along highways
i F: Goal is to clear vegetation along highways to make it difficult for the Vietcong to conceal themselves for ambushes
I w: The Guerrilla trails and bases are exposed and crops are destroyed. -
Gulf of Tonkin Attack
L: North Vietnamese islands in the Gulf of Tonkin.
I F: South Vietnamese commandos attack two small North Vietnamese islands in the Gulf of Tonkin.
I W: 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
L: United States
IF: President Johnson got the power to take whatever actions he sees necessary to defend southeast Asia.
IW: More involvement in war -
Rolling Thunder Begins
L: North Vietnan
I F: a limited but long lasting bombing offensive, its aim is to force North Vietnam to stop supporting Vietcong guerrillas in the South.
I W: An American campaign against North Vietnam's transport system. LASTED 1 MONTH -
First major battle of Vietnam War for American Units
L: Chu La
i F: 1st Vietcong regiment reveals that an attack is imminent against the U.S. Marine base at Chu Lai.
I W: U.S. Victory -
President Johnson commits over 60,000 troops to Vietnam
L: Vietnam
IF: The American forces have reached 385,000 men plus 60,000 sailors stationed offshore.
IW: Troops now numbered over 280,00 -
Operation Junction City
L: Tay Ninh province
IF: Goal is to destroy Vietcong bases and Vietcong military headquarters for South Vietnam
IW: succeed in capturing large quantities of stores, equipment and weapons, but there are no large, decisive battles. -
Khe Sanh attacked by Vietcong
L: Marine Base at Khe Sanh
I F: Started at 5:30 am with shells, mortars, and rockets hitting the base at Khe Sanh
I W:18 Marines are killed instantly, 40 are wounded, initial attack continues for two days. -
Tet Offensive begins
L: South Vietnam
IF: Vietcong units surge into action over the length and breadth of South Vietnam.
IW: 37,000 Vietcong troops deployed for Tet have been killed, Americans lost 2,500 men -
My Lai massacre
L: My La
i F: U.S. Charlie Company kills about two hundred civilians.
IW: Raised unsettling questions about the conduct of the war. -
Nixon takes Office
L: United States
IF: President Richard M. Nixon takes office as the new President of the United States.
IW: 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
L: North Vietnamese and Vietcong bases within Cambodia
IF: Authorized by President NixoN.
IW: 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
L: South Vietnam
IF: Two thirds of America's troops have gone in two years.
IW: Ground war is now almost exclusively the responsibility of South Vietnam which has over 1,000,000 men enlisted. -
Peace talks break down
L: Paris
IF: peace talks between the North Vietnamese and the Americans breakdown.
IW: May or may not happen. -
Peace talk resumes
L: Paris
IF: All warring parties in the Vietnam War sign a cease fire.
IW: Ceases fire -
Nixon Resigns
L: United States
IF: President Richard M. Nixon resigns
IW: Leaving South Vietnam without its strongest advocate. -
Last casualties for the US and final evacuation
L: Saigon's Tan Son Nhut airport.
IF: They are the last Americans to die in the Vietnam War.
IW: 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.