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Start Of Guerrilla Warfare
The North Vietnam start a guerrilla warefare campain in South Vietnam, giving them the upper hand in battle. The North Vietnamese work in stealthy small groups to attack American soildures by suprise. They are more familiar with the land and also set up numerous booby traps, leaving US troops voulnerable. -
Period: to
Vietnam
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Advisors Killed in Vietnam
The First US military advisors are killed in Vietnam. People begin to question the US envolvment in the war as the first American soildures are killed. The Ho Chi Minh Trail is in use, enabling North Vietnam to get supplies are resources from neighboring countries. -
The Vietcong
The Vietcong, or (National Liberation Front for South Vietnam), was formed in the South. Kennedy sent 2,000 "advisors" to South Vietnam, to which he did not need Congress's approval. This made people question the presidents power to just send troops to war on a whim and a law was formed preventing this. -
Diem is Assassinated
President Diem and his brother are murdered in a military coup by the CIA and as a result, the Diem regime is overthrown. At this time there is also 15,000 US military advisors in South Vietnam. -
President Kennedy is Assassinated
President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, leaving Lyndon B Johnson the presidency as vice president. The US was not prepared for a tragedy like this to occure and weakened the US overall. In the same time period, the US lost ground to the North Vietnamese busy dealing with our own domestic problems. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
This is the start of Operation Rolling Thunder, an Air Force aerial bombardment campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. By the end of the year there are over 200,000 US troops sent to Vietnam, escalating the war effort. Proceeding this, US college students begin to strongly protest against the US policy in Vietnam. -
The Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive begins in which the Viet kong and North Vietnamese Army launch attacks by suprise against South Vietnam and the US forces, prolonging the war. -
My Lai Massacre
This mass murder was the killing of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam. It was committed by the U.S. Army and soldiers men, women, children, and infant were all killed. It is known as the most shocking episode of the war and gave the Vietnam soldiers a bad name.
At the same time, violent anti-war riots started happening in Chicago reflecting the people's feelings on the US involvment. -
Death of Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh dies of heart failure, creating a national symbol that the Vietnamese can unite under. This also allowes the Us to gain some lost ground. Nixon, now president, ordered the secret bombing of Cambodia and announced the start of US troop withdrawals. -
End of the War
The North Vietnamese army managed to capture Saigon
which put a lot of pressure on the US to end the war. Khmer Rouge (communist party) also took control of Cambodia. The political will of the US congress collasped. North and South Vietnam were reunified shortly after.
