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Battle Of Dienbienphu
A force of 40,000 heavily armed Vietminh lay seige to the French garrison at Dienbienphu. Using Chinese artillery to shell the airstrip, the Vietminh make it impossible for French supplies to arrive by air. It soon becomes clear that the French have met their match. -
US Training South Vietnamese
The South were the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, the armed forces of South Vietnam, which lasted from 1955 until the Fall of Saigon in 1975. It is estimated to have suffered 1,394,000 casualties during the Vietnam War. -
Terrorist Bombings Rock Saigon
Thirteen Americans working for MAAG and US Information Service are wounded in terrorist bombings in Saigon. -
Battle of Ap Bac
This is the first major battle. The South Vietnamese Civil Guards spearheaded the attack by marching toward Ap Tan Thoi from the south.The fifteen US helicopters ferrying the troops were riddled by Viet Cong gunfire and five helicopters were lost as a result. -
Anti-War Rally
Veterans from World Wars I and II, along with veterans from the Korean war stage a protest rally in New York City. Discharge and separation papers are burned in protest of US involvement in Vietnam. -
Battle for Hue
This was one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the Vietnam War. In February 1968 in the South Vietnamese city of Huế, eleven battalions of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, two U.S. Army battalions, and three understrength U.S. Marine Corps battalions, for a total of 16 battalions, defeated 10 battalions of the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong. -
Nixon Begins Secret Bombing of Cambodia
In an effort to destroy Communist supply routes and base camps in Cambodia, President Nixon gives the go-ahead to "Operation Breakfast." The covert bombing of Cambodia, conducted without the knowledge of Congress or the American public, will continue for fourteen months. -
Ford Calls Vietnam War "Finished"
Anticipating the fall of Saigon to Communist forces, US President Gerald Ford, speaking in New Orleans, announces that as far as the US is concerned, the Vietnam War is "finished."
