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French Defeat
The French were defeated at the battle of Dien Bien Phu.Some US officials advised air strikes to help the French, but Eisenhower did not want to involve the US. -
Gulf of Tonkin 1
The USS Maddox was approached by three Vietnamese Navy Torpedo boats. The Maddox fired warning shots. The torpedo boats fired back with torpedos and machine gun fire. -
Gulf of Tonkin 2
A "second battle" took place between the Maddox and Torpedo boats. Evidence of fake radar images also called Tonkin Ghosts were found. -
LBJ Authorizes Operation Flaming Dart
LBJ authorized Operation Flaming Dart, a bombing campaign against North Vietnam in response to Viet Cong attacks. -
LBJ Authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder
LBJ came to the realization that the South Vietnamese government and army were on the verge of collapse, so he sent in the first US combat troops to Vietnam, at the same time, he authorized Operation Rolling Thunder, which was a massive bombing campaign. -
US Combat Troops Arrive in Vietnam
The first 3,500 US combat troops arrive in Vietnam -
US Operations Have Escalated
In August of 1965, the US launched a mission solely on their own without the help of the South Vietnamese. The mission (titled Operation Starlite) 5,000 US soldiers took on 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. -
Operation Cedar Falls
Operation Cedar Falls was designed to push the Viet Cong out of the Iron Triangle. While largely successful, this also caused large disruption and property damage. -
Operation Attleboro
Operation Attleboro was the largest and most successful operation in Vietnam. This cleared most of South Vietnam, and killed 2,000 Viet Cong and captured important supply dumps. -
The Tet Offensive
The North Vietnamese attacked more than 100 cities in South Vietnam. It was an attempt to foment rebellion on South Vietnam and have the US scale back their involvement. -
Operation Menu
Operation Menu was an SAC tactical bombing campaign in Cambodia that targeted the PAVN, NVA, and Viet Cong sanctuaries -
Christmas Bombing
The US pounded North Vietnam with bombs. We dropped nearly 36,000 tons worth of bombs on North Vietnam, pummeling their cities.