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Vietnam attack the French
The Vietnamese decided to attack the French. This war lasted 55 days. In conclusion, 3,000 French Soldiers were killed and there were 8,000 wounded. On the other hand, there were 8,000 Vietnamese soldiers killed and there were 12,000 wounded. -
Period: to
Vietnam War
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Ho Chi Minh Trail is constructed
A specialized group of North Vietnamese soldiers called, Group 559, is formed to create a supply trail from North Vietnam to Vietcong, South Vietnam. Then Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia ratified Group 559 coming in and making a trail along the Vietnam/Cambodia border. This trail then became known as the Ho Chi Minh. -
President John F Kennedy decides to help Southern Vietnam
President Kennedy wants to help South Vietnam so he sends new equipment and more than 3,000 military advisors. He also sent a pilot who will fly and maintain the aircraft. -
America's first combat mission against the Vietcong
An airplane is flown into Vietnam by the US. The pilots orded nearly 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers to sweep a NLF stronghold near Saigon. It marks America's first combat mission against the Vietcong. -
Agent Orange is distributed among forests
Operation Ranchhand begins. The goal of Ranchhand is to clear vegetation alongside highways, making it more difficult for the Vietcong to hide themselves in the forests for ambushes. Then "Agent Orange," herbicide containing a deadly chemical called Dioxin. Guerrilla trails and areas where the Vietcong inhabited are exposed, and crops that might feed Vietcong soldiers are destroyed. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution is signed
The U.S. congress resolves the Gulf of Tonkin problem. The people gave President Johnson the power to do whatever he can to defend southeast Asia. -
South Vietnamese attack North Vietnamese
The South Vietnamese attack two small North Vietnamese islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. The U.S. destroyer Maddox, an spy ship, is 123 miles south of the island and has orders to simulate an air attack that is going to North Vietnam. -
US planes are attacked
A few days before the attack the captain of the U.S.S Maddox reports that his vessel has been fired on and that an attack is coming soon. Then 6 hours passed and two U.S planes are destroyed in the attack. -
Vietcong drops bombs near Saigon
Two days before the U.S. presidential election, Vietcong drops bombs near Saigon. In conclusion, four Americans are killed and 76 are wounded. -
Vietcong attacks South Vietnam over and over again
Vietcong attack the South Vietnam over and over from January 1st-February 7th. Two hundred South Vietnamese troops are killed near Binh Gia and five American advisors. -
US Helicopter is attacked by North Vietnam
A U.S. helicopter base in the central highlands of South Vietnam is attacked. Nine Americans are killed and more than 70 are wounded. President Johnson immediately orders U.S. Navy soldiers to attack military targets inside North Vietnam. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder, a long lasting bombing offensive. Its aim is to go to North Vietnam to stop supporting Vietcong guerrillas in the South. -
Vietcong attacks Song Be
Two and a half thousand Vietcong troops attack Song Be, a South Vietnamese capital. After two days of fierce battles in the town, the Vietcong withdraw -
Operation Starlite
Operation Starlite was the first major battle of the Vietnam War. Thankfully, America took home a great victory from this battle. 700 Vietcong soldiers died, as for the US there were 45 dead and a little over 200 wounded. -
Operation Crimp
U.S. forces launch Operation Crimp. 8,000 troops are sent out to complete this operation, it is the largest American operation of the war. The goal is to capture the Vietcong's headquarters in Saigon. -
Operation Birmingham
In Operation Birmingham, more than 5,000 U.S. troops clear out north of Saigon. Over a time period of three weeks, 100 Vietcong men are killed. -
Operation Attleboro and finding new hideouts of the enemy
Operation Attleboro is launched and the U.S. 196th Brigade and 22,000 South Vietnamese troops begin aggressive search and destroy sweeps through Tay Ninh Province. The soon find new little hide-outs of the North Vietnamese. There is no physical conflict but, within six weeks six weeks, 1,000 Vietcong and 150 Americans are killed. -
Marines are attacked
At 5:30 a.m., mortars and rockets slam into the Marine base at Khe Sanh. Eighteen Marines are killed instantly and 40 are wounded. The attack continues for two days. -
The American's reply with heavy bombing when the North Vietnamese attack
Without warning, a massive North Vietnamese barrage slams into Khe Sanh. More than 1,000 rounds hit the base of the Americans at a rate of a hundred every hour. Simultaneously, the American forces reply with heavy bombing. -
Operation Rolling Thunder comes to an end
After three and a half years, Operation Rolling Thunder comes to an end. In conclusion, the campaign had lost more than nine hundred American aircraft. Eight hundred and eighteen pilots are dead or missing, and hundreds are in captivity. Nearly one hundred and twenty Vietnamese planes have been destroyed in accidents. According to U.S. estimates, 182,000 North Vietnamese people have been killed. -
Richard Nixon is elected president
Richard Nixon is elected president. -
North Vietnamese attack American bases
North Vietnamese artillery attack American bases all over South Vietnam, killing 1,140 Americans. Simultaneously, South Vietnamese towns and cities are also hit. The heaviest fighting is around Saigon. Soon Americans overpower the North Vietnamese. -
Operation Lam is launched
Operation Lam Son 719 is launched and unknowingly, the south vietnamese soldiers are walking into a North Vietnamese trap. Over the next month, more than 9,000 South Vietnamese troops are killed or wounded. -
North Vietnam attacks South Vietnam on the DMZ
North Vietnamese Army artillery targets South Vietnamese positions across the DMZ. Upwards of 20,000 NVA troops cross the DMZ, forcing the South Vietnamese units into a retreating position. The Southern defense is thrown into complete chaos. People had predicted the north would attack soon but, no one knew they were coming to the DMZ. -
US drops more 20,000 bombs killing a massacre of people
By order of the president, a new bombing mission starts against the North Vietnamese. Operation Linebacker Two lasts for 12 days, including a three day bombing period. U.S. aircraft drop more than 20,000 tons of bombs in this operation. The result of this mission is twenty six U.S. planes are lost, and 93 airmen are dead, captured or missing. As for the North Vietnamese, between 1,300 and 1,600 dead. -
The war is over for the US
The last of the Americans leave South Vietnam except for military advisors and Marines, who are protecting U.S. installations. For the United States, the war is officially over. In result of the war, 3 million Americans who have served in the war, almost 58,000 are dead, and over 1,000 are MIA and 150,000 Americans were seriously wounded. -
The war is comes to an end
At 4:03 a.m., two U.S. 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. Hours later after the final Americans take off, the 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 natives to Vietnam have been killed.
