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Vietnamese forces occupy French command post in Dien Bien Phu
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North Vietnamese form a group to create a supply route from North Vietnam to Vietcong forces in South Vietnam
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President John F. Kennedy orders more help for the South Vietnamese government
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American helicopters arrive at docks in South Vietnam with 400 U.S. personnel, to fly and maintain aircraft.
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Operation Ranchhand begins
The goal of Ranchhand is to clear vegetation alongside highways, making it more difficult for the Vietcong to conceal themselves for ambushes. -
Operation Chooper
Helicopters flown by U.S. Army pilots ferry 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers to sweep a stronghold near Saigon. America's first combat missions against the Vietcong. -
The Vietcong's 514th Battalion and local guerrilla forces ambush South Vietnamese Army's 7th division.
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American air power in Southeast Asia is massively reinforced.
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South Vietnamese commandos attack two small North Vietnamese islands in the Gulf of Tonkin.
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The captain of the U.S.S. Maddox reports his vessel has been fired at, and an attack is imminent.
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The U.S. congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
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Period: to
China, North Vietnam's neighbor and ally, successfully tests an atomic bomb.
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Vietcong mortars shell Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon.
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Vietcong forces mount a series of attacks across South Vietnam.
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A U.S. helicopter base in South Vietnam is attacked by NLF commandos.
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A Vietcong-placed bomb explodes in a hotel in Qui Nonh, killing 23 American servicemen.
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President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder.
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The first bombing raids of Rolling Thunder are flown.
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An American campaign against North Vietnam's transport system begins.
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U.S. offers North Vietnam economic aid in exchange for peace, but the offer is rejected.
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2,500 Vietcong troops attack Song Be, a South Vietnamese capital.
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At Dong Xai, a South Vietnamese Army district headquarters and American Special Forces camp is overrun by a Vietcong regiment.
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General William Westmoreland launches the first purely offensive operation by American ground forces in Vietnam.
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After the North Vietnamese Army attacks a Special Forces camp at Plei Mei, the U.S. 1st Air Cavalry is deployed against enemy regiments that identified in the vicinity of the camp.
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66th North Vietnamese Regiment moving east toward Plei Mei encounter and ambush an American battalion.
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U.S. forces launch Operation Crimp. Deploying nearly 8,000 troops,
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Hoping for head-on clashes with the enemy, U.S. forces launch four search and destroy missions in the month of February.
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272nd Regiment of the Vietcong and 9th Division attack a battalion of the American 3rd Brigade at Lo Ke.
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Period: to
In Operation Birmingham, more than 5,000 U.S. troops, backed by huge numbers of helicopters and armored vehicles, sweep the area around north of Saigon.
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In late May 1966, the North Vietnamese 324B Division crosses the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and encounters a Marine battalion.
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On Route 13, American forces are brutally assaulted by the Vietcong.
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Heavy fighting near Con Thien kills nearly 1,300 North Vietnamese troops.
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Operation Attleboro, the U.S. 196th Brigade and 22,000 South Vietnamese troops begin a search and destroy sweeping through Tay Ninh Province.
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The Vietcong's 9th Division, having recovered from battles from the previous July, prepares for a new offensive.
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By the end of 1966, American forces in Vietnam reach 385,000 men, plus an additional 60,000 sailors stationed offshore.
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Two North Vietnamese divisions, operating out of the DMZ that separates North and South Vietnam, launch heavy bombardments of American bases south of the DMZ.
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American forces begin Operation Cedar Falls,
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240 helicopters sweep over Tay Ninh province, beginning Operation Junction City.
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American attacks on North Vietnam's airfields begin
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Air battles rage over Hanoi and Haiphong.
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In the Central Highlands of South Vietnam, Americans intercept North Vietnamese Army units moving in from Cambodia.
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Period: to
In Hanoi, as Communist forces are building up for the Tet Offensive, 200 senior officials are arrested in a crackdown on opponents of the Tet strategy.
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A shattering barrage of shells, mortars, and rockets slam into a Marine base at Khe Sanh.
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Vietcong units surge into action over the length of South Vietnam.
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Over 1,300 artillery rounds hit the Marine base at Khe Sanh and its outposts.
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While Marines wait for a massive assault, NVA forces retreat into the jungle around Khe Sanh.
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Massive search and destroy sweeps are launched against Vietcong remnants around Saigon and other parts of South Vietnam.
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In the hamlet of My Lai, U.S. Charlie Company kills about 200 civilians.
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Without warning, a massive North Vietnamese barrage slams into Khe Sanh.
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U.S. forces in Operation Pegasus take over Route 9.
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Period: to
General Westmoreland approves the abandonment and demolition of Khe Sanh.
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After 3 1/2 years, Operation Rolling Thunder comes to an end.
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Nixon takes office as President of the U.S.
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Nixon authorizes Operation Menu, the bombing of North Vietnamese and Vietcong bases within Cambodia
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Assult and artillary teams attack american bases all over South Vietnam, killing 1,140 americans
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U.S. combat deaths in Vietnam exceed to more men killed in the Korean War
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President Nixon meets with South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu on Midway Island in the Pacific, announces that 25,000 U.S. troops will be withdrawn immediately
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South Vietnamese troops attack into Cambodia, pushing toward Vietcong bases.
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In Operation Lam Son 719, 3 South Vietnamese divisions drive into Laos to attack 2 major enemy bases.
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Spraying of Agent Orange continues in Vietnam.
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Only 133,000 U.S. servicemen remain in South Vietnam.
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Massed North Vietnamese Army artillery open a shattering barrage, targeting South Vietnamese positions across the DMZ.
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North Vietnamese soldiers push toward the city of Hue, which is defended by a South Vietnamese division and a division of U.S. Marines.
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An assault spearheaded by tanks, NVA troops manage to seize control of the northern part of the city.
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Two weeks after the initial attack, North Vietnamese forces again battle toward Quang Tri City.
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With U.S. air support, the South Vietnamese Army begins a drive to recapture Binh Dinh province and its cities.
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Peace talks between the North Vietnamese and the Americans breakdown.
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By order of the president, a new bombing campaign starts against the North Vietnamese.
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North Vietnam and the United States resume peace talks in Paris.
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All warring parties in the Vietnam War sign a cease fire.
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The last American combat soldiers leave South Vietnam
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North Vietnamese have rebuilt their divisions in the South, and have captured key areas.
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Nixon resigns as President
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The 7th North Vietnamese Army division captures Dong Xoai.
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NVA take Phuoc Long city and the surrounding province.
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A powerful NVA offensive is unleashed in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam.
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Another NVA offensive sends 100,000 soldiers against the major cities of Quang Tri, Hue and Da Nang.
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Hue, South Vietnam's third largest city, falls to North Vietnam
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Five weeks into its campaign, the North Vietnamese Army has made stunning gains.
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U.S. Marines and Air Forces begin a massive airlift.
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Two U.S. Marines are killed in a rocket attack at Saigon's Tan Son Nhut airport. Last Americans to die in the Vietnam War.