-
The French Ceasefire
Vietnamese forces occupied the French command post at Dien Bien Phu and the French commander orders his troops to cease fire. The battle had lasted 55 days.3,000 French die and 8,000 more were wounded. The Vietnamese victory deteriorated France’s want to carry on with the war. -
Period: to
The Vietnam War
-
Geneva Conference
The Geneva Conference took place in Geneva, Switzerland. It was discussed how the country could be reunited. Obivously, this didn't work. -
JFK Orders Help
President John F. Kennedy orders more help for the South Vietnamese government in its war against the Vietcong guerrillas. U.S. backing includes new equipment and more than 3,000 military advisors and support personnel. -
The First US Appearance
In Operation Chopper, helicopters flown by U.S. Army pilots delivered 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers to sweep a NLF stronghold close to Saigon. This is America's first combat missions against the Vietcong -
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gives President Johnson the power to take whatever actions he sees necessary to defend southeast Asia. -
China tests an Atomic Bomb
China, a North Vietnam Ally, successfully test an Atomic Bomb. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder, a bombing offensive.It is suppose to deter North Vietnam from supporting Vietcong guerrillas in the South. -
A Peace Offer
The U.S. offers North Vietnam economic aid in exchange for peace, but the offer was rejected. Two weeks later, President Johnson sends more combat troops to Vietnam. Allied forces from Korea and Australia are also added to show international cooperation. -
Vietcong Defeat
2,500 Vietcong troops attack Song Be, a South Vietnamese provincial capital. After two days of battling in and around the town, the Vietcong withdraw, resulting in a South Vietnamese victory. -
First Purely Offensive American Operation
General William Westmoreland launches the first purely offensive operation by American ground forces in Vietnam, sweeping into NLF territory just northwest of Saigon. -
Operation Crimp
U.S. forces launch Operation Crimp. It was s 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. -
Operation Birmingham
In Operation Birmingham, more than 5,000 U.S. troops,that are backed by huge numbers of helicopters and armored vehicles, go through the area just north of Saigon. Over three weeks, only 2000 vietcong were killed. -
Operation Cedar Falls
American forces begin Operation Cedar Falls, which is intended to drive Vietcong forces from the Iron Triangle, a 60 square mile area between the Saigon River and Route 13. Nearly 16,000 American troops and 14,000 soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army move into the Iron Triangle, where they encounter no major resistance. Huge quantities of enemy supplies are captured. Over 19 days, 72 Americans are killed, Seven hundred and twenty Vietcong soldiers are killed. -
Decreasing North Vietnamese Jets
Air battles rage in the skies over Hanoi and Haiphong. American air forces shoot down 26 North Vietnamese jets, decreasing the North's pilot strength by half. -
Tet Offensive
In Hanoi, as Communist forces are building up for the Tet Offensive, 200 senior officials are arrested in a crackdown on opponents of the Tet strategy -
Civilian Massacre
U.S. Charlie Company kills about two hundred civilians. Although only one member of the division is tried and found guilty of war crimes, the repercussions are felt throughout the Army. These rare acts undid the benefit of countless hours of civic action by Army units and individual soldiers and raised unsettling questions about the conduct of the war. -
25,000 American troops withdraw
President Nixon meets with South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu on Midway Island in the Pacific, and announces that 25,000 U.S. troops will be withdrawn immediately. -
Kent State
The Ohio National Guard went to the Kent State Campus and shot unarmed students. 4 died and 5 were injured. Some of the students had been protesting the American invasion of Cambodia. -
The 26th Ammendment
President Nixon ammended the constituion that the minium voting age was to be 18. This was partially due to the students' protests against the war. -
Vietcong Forces Withdraw
NVA troops manage to seize control of the northern part of the city, due partly to their force with tanks. But the 4,000 South Vietnamese men defending the city, reinforced by elite airborne units, hold their positions and launch furious counterattacks. American B-52 bombers also help with the defense. A month later, Vietcong forces withdraw. -
Paris Peace Talks
In Paris, peace talks between the North Vietnamese and the Americans breakdown. -
Ceasefire is Signed
All warring parties in the Vietnam War sign a cease fire. -
War is Over
Marines are killed in a rocket attack at Saigon's Tan Son Nhut airport. They are the last Americans to die in the Vietnam War. At dawn, the last Marines of the force guarding the U.S. embassy lift off. Only hours later, looters ransack the embassy, and North Vietnamese tanks role into Saigon, ending the war. In 15 years, nearly a million NVA and Vietcong troops and a quarter of a million South Vietnamese soldiers have died. Hundreds of thousands of civilians had been kill -
War Powers Act
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 is a federal law intended to check the President's power to commit the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of Congress.
