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Loss of Dien Bien Phu
The Vietnamese take control of the French command post Dien Bien Phu. The battle lasted around 50 days and 3,000 Frenchmen died and 8,000 Vietnamese died. This loss hurt the French desire to fight. -
Period: to
The Vietnam War
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American Help
The Americans send helicopters and 400 personal to South Vietnam to maintain them. -
Operation Chopper
American helicopters take 1000 South Vietnamese soldiers to a stronghold near Saigon and it is the first combat mission for America against Vietcong. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The U.S. Congress passed this Resolution to allow Johnson do as he saw fit to defend Southest Asia. -
Successful Test
China succesfully tests an atomic bomb. -
Attack on U.S. Base
A U.S. helicopter base in South Vietnam is attacked by NLF commandos. President Johnson sends U.S. Navy fighter-bombers to attack military targets in North Vietnam. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Johnson authorized this bombing offensive to deter North Vietnam from supporting the Vietcong. -
Aid for Peace
North Vietnam rejects the U.S. offer of economic aid for peace. Johnson raises America's combat strength in Vietnam to more than 60,000 troops and Korea and Australia join the U.S. side. -
Offenive Attack
General Westmoreland launches an offensive operation into National Liberation Front territory. -
Operation Crimp
The U.S. deploy around 8,000 troops. The goal is to capture the Vietcong's headquarters for the Saigon area. American forces fail to locate a base. -
End of 1966
American forces have risen to 385,000 men. More than 6,000 soldiers have been killed and 30,000 have been wounded. -
Attack on the Marine Base at Khe Sanh
Beginning early in the morning artillery hits the Marine base at Khe Sanh. Eighteen Marines are killed and 40 are wounded. The attack continued for two days. -
End of Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder ends after 3 years. 900 American aircraft were lost. 818 pilots are dead or missing, and hundreds are in captivity. Around 120 Vietnamese planes have been destroyed and 20,000 Chinese personnel have been killed as a result of the bombings. -
Nixon and Van Thieu
President Nixon and South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu meet on Midway Island in the Pacific, and announce plans to immediately withdraw 25,000 U.S. troops. -
Failure Peace Talks
Peace talks between North Vietnam and America ended. -
Trying for Peace Again
The peace talks resume between the North Vietnamese and America -
End of America's war
American combat soldiers leave South Vietnam,only those who are protecting U.S. installations, remain. Of the 3 million Americans who have served in the war, around 58,000 are dead, and over 1,000 are MIA. -
The End
Two Marines are killed in a rocket attack at an airport. They are the last Americans to die in the Vietnam War. At dawn, the last Marines guarding the U.S. embassy leave. Hours later North Vietnamese tanks role into Saigon, ending the war.
