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Vietnam Wins Against France
Vietnamese forces occupy the French command post at Dien Bien Phu and the French commander orders his troops to cease fire. The battle had lasted 55 days. Three thousand French troops were killed, 8,000 wounded. The Viet Minh suffered much worse, with 8,000 dead and 12,000 wounded, but the Vietnamese victory shattered France's hopes to carry on the war. -
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Vietnam War
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Operation Chopper
In Operation Chopper, helicopters flown by U.S. Army pilots carry 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers to sweep a NLF stronghold near Saigon. It marks America's first combat missions against the Vietcong. (NLF-National Liberation Front) -
Viet Cong attacks South Vietnamese 7th Division
HistoryNet
At the hamlet of Ap Bac, the Vietcong 514th Battalion and nearby guerrilla forces ambush the South Vietnamese Army's 7th division. The Vietcong stand their ground against American machinery and South Vietnamese soldiers. Almost 400 South Vietnamese are killed or wounded. Three American advisors are killed. -
Vietcong mortar Bien Hoa Air Base
Two days before the U.S. presidential election, Vietcong mortars Bien Hoa Air Base. Four Americans are killed, 76 wounded. Five B-57 bombers are destroyed, and 15 are damaged. -
Vietcong blowup hotel in qui nonh
A Vietcong-placed bomb in a hotel in Qui Nonh,exploding,and killing 23 American servicemen. -
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
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. -
NVA attack
Without warning, a massive North Vietnamese barrage slams into Khe Sanh. More than 1,000 rounds hit the base, at a rate of a hundred every hour. At the same time, electronic sensors around Khe Sanh indicate NVA troop movements. American forces reply with heavy bombing. -
Nixon in Office
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. -
Cease Fire
All warring parties in the Vietnam War sign a cease fire.
