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Battle of Dien Bien Phu
This battle initiated the Viet Minh attack of the French that lasted over two months. The Viet Minh, commanded by Vo Nguyen Giap, attacked the French with heavy artillery. This battle weakened the French and strengthened the Communist forces in Vietnam.
Dien Bien Phu This battle weakened the French and strengthened the Communist forces in Vietnam. -
French Surrender
The French surrender to the Viet Minh which initiates the Geneva Conference. The world's powers met in Geneva in an effot to resolve the issues in Indochina as well as the international involvement in Vietnam.
Geneva Conference -
Signing of the Geneva Accords
The Geneva Accords divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel into a Communist North Vietnam and a Non-Communist South Vietnam until the upcoming elections. The French withdrew from Indochina. This division led to greater U.S. involvement in Vietnam because the U.S. supported South Vietnam with financial and military assistance.
Geneva Conference -
National Liberation Front and Viet Cong Form
The National Liberation Front and its military, the Viet Cong were formed in order to destroy U.S. supported President, Ngo Dinh Diem's regime. The NLF fight for North Vietnam. The image depicts U.S. Marines who hold a captured NLF flag. The formation of the NLF brings more U.S. military assistance to South Vietnam.
NLF and Viet Cong -
First combat mission against the Vietcong
Operation Chopper was a mission in which U.S. Army helicopters attacked a National Liberation Front (NLF) stronghold near Saigon.
Operation Chopper -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
On this day, the North Vietnamese attacked the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin. Initially the U.S. claimed that the USS Maddox was on routine patrol and did not provoke the attack, but that was later discovered to be false. This incident led to the expansion of the Vietnam war, and later the repeal of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
Incident -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin incident gave President Lyndon B. Johnson a valid reason to expand the war like he wanted to. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave congressional approval to expand the Vietnam War. LBJ could now use the military plans that had been made earlier that year for major attacks on the North.
Resolution -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was a U.S. bombing campaign that President Johnson authorized after the Viet Cong attacked the U.S. Air Force base at Pleiku. It was intended to damage North Vietnams's transportation system and cut off the flow of men and goods to the South in an effort to stop the North from further invading the South.
Operation Rolling Thunder -
First Anti-War Teach-in
At the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) hold the first anti-war teach-in. It was a gathering of students, faculty, and other locals to debate the war. During this time, many Americans were protesting the Vietnam War.
Teach-in -
Amendment to the Selective Service Act
Many Americans tried to avoid being drafted for the war by destroying their draft cards. To prevent this from happening, the U.S. Congress amended the Selective Service Act to crimialize destroying draft cards. The penalty was five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The military desperately needed soldiers.
Draft Card -
Protest at the Pentagon
Approximately 100,000 protesters attended an anti-war demonstration at the Pentagon. This event demonstrates just how many Americans were opposed to the war. Despite their efforts, the war continued for years to come.
March -
Tet Offensive
The Vietcong and North Vietnamese attacked many cities and towns throughout South Vietnam by surprise. It was ultimately a military failure for the Vietcong, but a political success. Before this, the American people had been lead to believe that the war was almost over, but these attacks proved otherwise and was detrimental to American morale. This made American forces aware of a necessary change in their strategy.
Tet Offensive -
My Lai Massacre
An American unit led by Lieutenant William L. Calley brutally massacred as many as 500 South Vietnamese citizens in My Lai as a search and destroy mission. This horrendous act of violence greatly exacerbated the anti-war sentiments.
My Lai -
Cease-Fire Signed
South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the United States meet to sign a ceasefire under the conditions that the U.S. withdraws combat troops from Vietnam and the South Vietnam government will hold free elections. The American public was ecstatic that their troops would be returning home.
Cease-Fire -
Vietnam War Ends
The last military unit leaves Vietnam, marking the war's official end for the United States. By this time, over 3 million Americans had served in the war and approximately 60,000 had died.
War ends
