Escalation in Vietnam

South Vietnam commando raids

Jul 30, 1964

These raids were conducted on military and radar installations on Hon Me and Hon Ngu islands by the South Vietnamese, backed by the U.S.

Gulf of Tonkin incident

Aug 2, 1964

South Vietnam torpedo boats fired on 2 U.S. destroyers "unprovoked"

Gulf of Tonkin incident pt 2

Aug 4, 1964

Vietnamese torpedo boats fired a lot of torpedos at 2 U.S. destroyers. This was a lie and was actually a freak weather accident.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Aug 7, 1964

LBJ and Congress passed this to give the president full power to increase the U.S. involvement in South Vietnam.

Operation Flaming Dart 1

Feb 7, 1965

Operation Flaming Dart1 was a military operation targeting North Vietnamese army bases near Dong Hoi.

Operation Flaming Dart 2

Feb 11, 1965

Operation Flaming Dart 2 was a retaliatory strike in response to the Vietcong attacking a hotel billeting U.S. personnel. 99 fighter-bombers were launched from the USS Hancock, USS Coral Sea, and the USS Ranger. They targeted Chanh Hoa, F-8E fighters, and F-4B strafed and rocketed anti-air positions.

Operation Rolling Thunder

Mar 2, 1965

Operation Rolling Thunder was a sustained bombing campaign conducted by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and the RVNAF.