During this period a cqncerted effort >Jas also made to suppress the

Transcription

1 Durng ths perod a cqncerted effort >Jas also made to suppress the en~m;:' SAN capablty ;llld...t-arcraft weapons >Jhch showed a sgnfcant ndaase after cessaton of 'bombng north of the 19th Parallel. <Xe sjjedal three week operato~ named "THOR" was ntated on 1 July >Jhch condentrated a hgh densty!of strkes n thl3 area just north of the mlz. The!purpose of "THOR" >Jas tq neutralze the North Vetnamese artllery and ant-arcraft guns whclj had been actve n ths area. These progr:rf were successful as ndlcated by the few arcraft losses when compared to the large number of mssons flown. The bombng of North Vetnam was halted completely on 1 November n a further attempt to hasten the peace negotatons. Up to the bombng halt lj mssons were f[lown over North Vetnam. The breakdown by nd~dual servce s: 544D by the Marne Corps by the Navy and Vr Force plots flew 1%496 mssons ncludng 132 B-52 mssons over! the north and n the DM~. ; Snce the bombng halt" mssons over North Vetnam have been lllltted to unarmed reconnasjlance arcraft a<:companed by escorts arme~ wth approprate weapo~s for counterng SAMs and ant-arcraft fre~ n addton Search ahd Rescue (SAR) forces have been employed accolnpaned by suppressve fre when requred for rescue of downed crewnembers. : Unted ;:;tates losses over the North du'ng the year were 144 fxell lvng arcraft and two helcopters attrbuted to ene~ arcraft surf~ce-to-ar mssles (SAM~) and ant-arcraft fre. Ene~ arcraft losses durng the year were $even ~!G-21s and. seven HG-17s. Of these eght were downed by Ar For~e and sx by Navy arcrews 260

2 ! A Cfl.RONOLOGY OF AR OPE!0TONS AGANST NORTH VETNAM operatons commenced aganst North Vetnam on 5 August 1964 as acton for the ommunst torpedo boat rads aganst the des USS MADDOX and USS T~ JOY n nternatonal waters n the Tonkn Gulf. The attack was drecteq aganst the torpedo boat base n the vcnty of V~ by 64 U.S. Navy arcr~ft from the USS TCONDEROGA and USS CONSTEL LATO~. The frst U.S. arcr4ft downed to hostle fre were on ths rad an A-4 Shyhawk and an A-l S~ader. The next two ar attacks aganst North Vetnam were also retalatory 'n nature and were carred out as a result of attac~s aganst U.S. forces a~ Pleku on 7 February 1965 and at Qu Nhon on llfebruary The ar:operatons were agan mounted from arcraft carr~rs and carred out aga~st NVN Army barracks and port facltes n the ~ng Ho area. The carr~rs nvolved were the USS CORAL SEA USS HAN COCK and USS RANGER..~r a ret~latory troye~s 4s the enell\y's offensve actons n South Vetnam ncreased n n~ensty Unted States nvolvement gradually ncreased. The frst jets were lntroduced nto the RepU~.lC n late Febr~ary 1965 to ncrease the capabl y for support of ground!operatons. The frst scheduled ar strke agan t the movement of suppljfes from North Vetnam occurred on 2 March n tw separate strkes on th~s day U.S. Ar Force arcraft attacked supply areas!just north of the DMZ arjd a jont VNAF/USAF strke was flown aganst a po~ faclty and supply tr~nshpment pont 20 mles northwest of Dong Ho. On 15 March 1965 the next strke aganst supply actvtes was scheduled Ths was a hghly succe!ssful strke aganst the Phu Qu ammunton depot b both Ar Force and Na~ arcraft. A restrke aganst the same target was secuted on 19 March aga~n by a jont Nav.r and Ar Force strkng force. Almas daly after ths tme~~r strkes were axecuted aganst targets havng mlt ry sgnfcance n the :!J.ow of war mater:als south toward the Republc. The stes p!mary targets were ammurlton and other supply areas brdges radar 1 and supply traffc on ztal road and waterways. the frst MGs were sgh~ed on 3 Aprl by Navy nterceptor arcraft durng a rad on the Than Hoa br~dges. The next day (4 Aprl) the frst U.S. arcrft were downed by enell\ylarcraft when two Ar Force F-105s were downed by M s as they orbted watljg ther target t:me durng another rad on the Than oa brdges. '1lhe frst of a seres of delberate bombng pauses over North Vetnam was frlom May through May ' '!the frst enell\y arcraft downed by the U.S. occurred on 17 June 1965 when two Navy F-4 Phantoms frqm the USS MDWAY engaged four MG-17s and downe~ two of them.. a-52 bombers were ntrod~ced nto the war on 18 June 1965 for the frst tme ~th ther early rads l:lfmted to South Vetnam. 2fl 1--

3 ~ 24 July 1965 the fr$t U.S. arcraft '~as downed by a surfaceto-ah mssle (SAM). t was an Ar Force F-4 Phantom on a strke agan$t a muntons plant 40 ~les west of Hano. A second bombng pause W!'S ntated by the U.S. at 1800 on 24 Degember 1965 and contnue untl 0001 on 31 January Up to th~s pause strke s rtes had been flown snce 5 August 1964 qver North Vetnam. A sqrte s an acton by one arcraft betwe~n the takeoff and landrjg. The frst B-52 strke n North Vetnam occurred on 12 Aprl 1966 ~ganst the Mu Ga Pass where the Ho Ch Mnh tral passes throu h a gap n the mountan~. Vetnam based Marne pl~ts joned n str:kes aganst North Vetn4m durng July 1966.! ~actcal ar strkes c~ nced n the DMZ on 24 July 1966 and B-52s ht t~e DMZ for the frst tm~ on July 30th. gn 2 December 1966 the U~S. lost 8 arcra:rt to enemy acton n rads over ~orth Vetnam the most ~ost n anyone day. qhrstmas and New Years ~ombng pauses wex'e ntated by the U.S. over ~he perods of gecember to December 1966 and December 1966 to 070q 2 January qne of the most sgnfcl!llt days n U.S. llr acton was 2 January 1967 ~hen 7 MG-21s were downe'd by U.S. Ar FoX'ce F-4 Phantoms near Hano. ~he ffth bombng pause ~as ntated by he U.S. from February ~o February 1967 over the Vetnamese TET holday. ~other major ar battle pver Hano occurred on 31 May 1967 when 7 MG-l~s were downed by U.S. Ar Force plots. ~ four-hour bombng pausel was declared on 23 May 1967 on Buddha's brthd~y. Tpe record number of mss~ons by U.S. ar()raft over North Vetnam was o~ 19 August 1967 when 209Lwere flown 94 by the Navy sa by the Ar Force ~nd 27 by the Marne Corps. The ndvdual servce hgh mssons over ~orth Vetnam are as follpws: USAF USN - 9/> USMC - po - 18 Aun Aun DEG 67 A Chrstmas bombng paus~ covered the per:!.od December to 1800 j25 December n aqdton a New Years pause was held from 1800 :31 December 1967 to January 19M. ' 262

4 The TET celebraton of ~968 called for the nnth and fnal pause at 1800j 29 January but t was cancelled at January due to the TET offerlsve..!on 31 March 1968 bomb~g of North Vetnam was l:.ted to below the 20th Parallel. Up to ths ~ the prme targets had been jet arfelds as w 11 as major mltary nufacturng and transportaton stes. n add on effort was expende to neutralze the ene~ ar defense capablly by httng radar sts SAM stes and antarcraft postons. Subs quent to 31 March the ~rmary effort changed to nterdctng the flow lof materals through the Panhandle. Bombng of the North wa$ halted by decree of Presdent Johnson at 2100:1 Nov As of that :tme the followng statstcs had ac- cumulated: 1. STATSTCAL SUMMURY OF 4R NORTH USN USAF USMC Sort~es Blk Blk Q (TOTAL) unk unk 0 Mss~ons fs ~!.26l!: ~ (TOTAL) TOTAL --"64 2! l!:Zl!: :B-52 MSSONS OVER NORTt VETNAM AND THE DMZ (TOTAL) NVN M 141 ;DMZ ENEMY ARCRAFT DamED El u. S. ARCRAFT OVER NVN USAF USN 'rotal MG ~ MG ~ AN 12...Q..1-1 (TOTAL) 'U.S. ARCRAFT DamED BY 'ENEMY HOSTLE FRE OVER NVN FXED WNG 919 HELCO~

5 l<hl~f.'l - ()'fc:-l "U.S. ~rcrart lost;es n c(jnnecton 'lth the 'nt' n VetLJ" Lhrou:h 31 December 19b8 the f;ures n parenthess ret)resent those arcraft l~st frum 2 January 1';168 to 31 ljecember 1908: nr'jm:g 1.:::;;C']1 C.:tT~ :n(;~. y : 121~G ( 2')1) ( 143) (108 ) (381) own:.l1.vn: (51';1) (2) (517) GATl'cXJhY : 1293 ( 519) Cj~TEGCl:Y - ConJctt ar:craft lost to ltogtle acton ".hle fl;lnc; Tlssoll'l over North /letnam or the R"publc of Vet""wl. GAl'EC;OhY - Combat arcraft lost to non-hostle '"cton SU.1poJ"t arcraft looses and! au other arcraft losses n con- nedton vjlth the '<NV!~ (Started 5 August 1964) "'''~VN (Started 1 January 19'61) 264

6 u. S. b A 'f Y U P.!J t A TC l~ ~hc t.:'. :<1V; 3lpport of the V"l"tnrun effort s provded by two "r.:r'~y'~;' f'''rc0~;. On:; 1:;~3gt1ed n-c()l t::try 8.8 a ::;recfsd cof.'f'.and Naval Forces Vetnam and the other -- U.S. ~EVENTH Fleet pro- V_L"~ :tt~ ~\:: Y'd.!"'1mf.~p ar'phbous :\.nrl tactca~_ ar SlPJ:ort. ':";j :C :\L: 0;'c'd1nn; c""dclcted dth:n the llepublc of Vetnam by j'l\vfc~;\l :".:2"jJ1f': 19U~ 't [C~~C r-reatly expanded ant marked r.:r sf71-fcant ch;-ul:'"rs r> ~'trate;"':..y. For t;v~ f. ~'st!:.tmc n t ~-e '-'rar U.3. Navy unts began operatons ct"a:nst ' nem;.' nflt>:'aton ro\1tes alone nland waterways of the Corps Tact.cal Zone. ncreased securty dong the nepublc's s}'ppng channels and co: c tal [ate rs t!lrough ;.ncrr>ased strength.1jld capabltes of exstjne n:v'l1 unts led to the creaton of Opere.ton SEA LOW8 n October. r'vdh;.nn ". J. Nwy unts began extensve tranng programs :'.n 1968 to :"H~r8'~;)e t~1c effectveness of Vetnnm8se.Javal Forces. OP"~RATON ballllt T]]vlJ<; (Task Force 115): Durng the year U.S. Jlavy 1.nrl Coa3t Gu."rd unts conductng ~;ArtK1!:T Tll-" patrols contn':ed coastal survcll;ree. Durne ther patrols unts detected more than craft 65 ")crcent. of 1"1hch were boarded or nspected. Betw:ccn Fe10ruary 21st m'd 1 :.arch L!~3E;':T Tll':E unts ntercepted fve enemy trulders. Two were turned back and three were dc"tro~'ed. One trawler alone wall carryng over 650 carbnes sub- and H"ht ::lachne guns and large quanttes of assorted gror:2.des and af.j:1un tor!. ;'':'''J':"T T:U".~ u:1ts aloo g!'catly ncreased. the use of f'c support ca"'j'j.b.~l~.~tjs provldnr; :1aval gunfre mssons a~d blockng Ptltrols n support of ;round operatons durnl-~ These offensve o[x)ratons co:t the 0necy 1111 klled 77 captu.red Dnd morc than 9OGO structures Or' craft d8stro:/ed or dalnared. An ncreased nl'mber of rver 0" GANE AlW';/j patrols operatng along nland wate"l-ro.ys "Seawolf" Hght helcopter fre teams nearly doubled ~~==T.~~""=~;::;:;';;-l-:T"a"s"k-+F"o"r"c"e~1"1"6'-L: mtrol boats ther1c~vtjes n The' ncrer.sed c:lpabltes also enabled them to ex'cand opcra+.o"ls to the Corps Tactcal Zone.

7 U'\!.. 1V; L. ;:;;":L'l' "C'lCE (T";k Foree 117): The Uver Assault "0"08 "1';'1 "0"b1-o1 n szo n th tho a:1r:l t on of two ;elf-propelled ';~"'''lcl~~1 :":d~;:-~ :';.11\1 86 ':t.t;_~ck cr3.ft. C(')l'']rncd vr-.:..th u.s. Army unts to form the ]\'>"):---'118 ~dv::rj no Force Ta~k FO.:"8?? coqtr.uec to fx3netrn.te enemy ::;n.nctl.l c!~~ t}'jr0'l~hont t~le ~elt;l. They also ex1xlndod oper::'tt ;.ons h~ngj.'1g nr:1l\r :"l:"1'3':urm; 1:10 tnflct1.r1{" h?avy losses on t-'e enemy n southern ::;orps '-;';:'"! nor:'rr;rn Corps.!c..oj nr>t'q Tot offrns ve Nav:' \~ ts throughout the cour.try took a s~.;::1.fjj~~1y]t. 'xlrt n rvng tho enemy one of hs worst ofoats of tbp war. Th~-".r '~;"o:d:p~t 0ffort however "[;)S rrade n the JV:ekong Delta area. There l1.:t vnrne 1'O"C8 u>: ts Clrovded the man force n repellng enemy attacks 1t t ~;: T:10 ;)or:r: Tc:u:l C~ Lay nr;rl Vnh Long. At the c t;/ of Pen Tre a CDnce:lfr:l"Lccl 0+'t':)rt by Game 1/arden natrol boat and Se:;nrolf helcopter F"'lns-:'-dp cr(>lrfs mn.rw-?ed to stem the enemy attack after two da~ts of heavy fj "':~"t..n[~. T\r0't..:' ":O_'!t the ~/"p~n' 11.E~. Navy l:ylts contm}ed to search out and en- "" r" +.~c [mc":" L;flctng t:eavy 10:388s. By October TF 115 had expanded f; n:;.vl gunfr8 s""n.ort o;jeratons 'l.nel had begun rads nto the V Corps wdc'r'''''':;c '':dl" contnung to rr~.nt"n coastal survellance. TF 116 had nerr "e;] ts str(':cgth suffcently to mantan patrols on all the major rvers n t'" DeLta. Operatons of TF 117 had been expanded followng the ar:""; vql ()f the second task group. These develorments permtted for the f1 ret tme coordnated operatons of all three Task Forces. Operaton SBA LORDS was nthted n late October for the conduct of coordnated oreratons nto prevously secure enemy strongholds along the rvers Fend canals south of the Bassac Rver. Ths operaton s drected at nterdctn? enemy lnes of communcaton from the Gulf of Thaland to the Bassac Uver. n addton t s desgned to open the Trans-Delta "ntert1ays n.nd pacfcaton of the adjacent areas and the clearng and pacfc~ton of the Bassac slands. One of the most far reachng programs undertaken by U.C>. Nav8.1 Forces dud.nr 1968 js the extensve tranng program for Vetnamese Naval Forces. Ths!21mhle tronnz n roth opere.tons and mantenance wll enable th8 V8t.n;.'":10Se N;~vy to assume the dp.:'ense :responsblt: of ts coastal T ~nd nbnd 1 '7l.tcr''n.:"s. Ll addton to numerc'ls othgr actvtes.n 1968 t"o Vet.namese Na\'7 assumed the ~csponsblty of eght of the 53 coastal s"ll'\tsllance statons c.nd s now responsble for the Dong Na Hve' and emg Tau H v~r sw~epg for colllj'land detonated mnes. 266

8 r;~: 'c:al: Sev"mth Fleet shps ran!?"ng from the rocket-frng USS ""llt!'; UV;c( to the w)rld's larrest 'lrtllery platfom the b'lttleshp N~\"J J~';3Kr covp~ed -:11 areas of the coast of North "nd South Vetnam Judnr Nav;' Sllnport '"'ls dvded nto three arels: North Vetnam the Dc>.rdlt";zed Zone md South Vetnam. Up through 31 Narch 1'768 (end of holnnn 'e."ove the 20th narallel) all of North Vetnam was target for the NaV'J's arcnxt and off-shore guns. From Aprl untl the bombng halt on )"ov"tkr 1 NaVll frepower was concentrated n the Panhandle secton of ::orth Vetnam along the DMZ and S out e Vetnam. Also n South Vetnam t:le ~;CVtt: Flcet Amphbous Forces conducted 20 combat oper'ltons. 'JAV'L Gl;r:F~: The year begsd wth Seventh Fleet destroyers and C"c'""L;ers co'1ductnr Sea Dragon r;unfre operatons n North Vetnam U:nt"G tbe flmr of enemy war materals nto the South. The majorty of the r.ct'"on 1;as drected aganst coasto-l supply routes and ar defense stes. Shoce batl0re3 n North Vetnam kept up ther frng at U.S. Navy shps thr8ur;hout the year. n May they scored ther frst ht of 1965 on a destroyer tho US; OSBORNE. Damage NaS lght. Several other shpe HerG later ht 'rth negldble structural damage and no loss of Amercan ves The summer months saw a concentraton of frepower on the Panhandle secton of North Vetnam. Structures bunkers waterborne craft and supely areas were the targets for the heavy fre. n September alone Sea DrO-gon unts reported destroyng 154 enemy supply craft. WHh the bombng halt on November 1 Sevcnth Fleet guns were often drected to the DM/:. Ths DMZ acton conssted of shellng enemy conc(lntraton pont3 n sup;ort of Marne and An"! troops located just south of the D~Q. Bunkers trenches artllery and automatc weapons stes cachcls spder holes " supply areas and waterborne supply craft of all szes were "estroyed or damaged. n September the USS NEW JEl'GEY the world's onl' actve battleshp entered combat when she fred her 16-nch shells for the frst t;me n Nar n 15 J'ears. Durng December naval runfre n the DMZ was sharply cc:rtaled res;'ondng only to evdence of enemy pro(~ence there. N:.lwl GU:1fre n South Vetnam covered Vet Gong held areas close to shore from the llhz to and around the tp of the Republc. The frst NGFS acton of the ;"ear came n support of Operatcm WHlUR!WALLOVA near Quang Tr n Corm. Along \; th t':8 crusers and destroyers rocket frng s'"lps 'dth ther ordna.nce were also used aganst VG and NVA postons

9 Vtfj the 1111t of frng rl18gjon8 n 'forth Vetnam :Jevcnth Fleet sh;;s.nclu.dng the NEh' (J;~h31'Y ncreased t.her efforts n the Hepublc. /Jth Lhe::'r vuns turncrl n support of U.S. and Free 'h'orld Force ground ope 'ntons n tl18 ;';outh Seventh Fleet shpe nflcted heavy losses on the r;r.(~!:-ly n the closng months of the YClD..r t Comnlementng US Seventh Fleet unts the Australan destroyers HEAS HOEAtT and H1':AS P~1(TH contrbuted greatly to Alled Forces efforts n offshore bombardment throughout the year :'AVAL pll OPK'ATONS~-Navy Bl':-craft; "ere drected to targets beyond the reach of shells. At the begnnng of the year carrer-based arcraft bo:cbcd v:rous targets around the cty of Hano ncludng the Cat B arfeld and nearby rahroad yards and thermal power plants Restrcted to the Panhandle regon of North Vetnam n Aprl Navy plots contnued to hammer enem;y supjlly facl tcs and defense postons. n late June and early July Navy flyers shot down four MG-2l arern over North Vetnam brngng the total of communst arcraft downed by 'aval Avators to 27 snce June (Addtonal nformaton on Naval ar operatons n NVN may be found n Secton V of ths surrmary. AMPHBOUS OPERATONS: Durng the year the Seventh Fleet Amphbous Forces conducted 20 combat operatons n the Corps tactcal zone of Vetnam. Two amphbous ready groups (AROe) patrolled off the Vetnamese coast last year. There was at least one'arg' on the lne at all tmes. Each ARG carred a specal landng force (SLF) consstng bascally of a Marne battalon landng team (BLT) and a helcopter squadron. The JJJ.G/ SLF s a combat-ready fast reacton force capable of movng quc~ to any area. Ths Navy-Marne Corps force can launch ts awn ndepsndent operaton or respond mmedately to support of n-country operatons. On several occasons the ARG termnated one operaton backloaded the SLF and shfted the entre force up to 100 mles n hours launchng a new assault responsve to the rapdly changng stuaton. n July Operaton Eager Yankee saw the ntal helcopter and waterborne assault launched under cover of darkness. n Operatons Swft Move and Valant Hunt the ARG/SLF turned ts attenton to cordon search and clear operatons desgned to elmnate VC ~frastructure n furtherance of the accelerated pacfcaton campagn. 268

10 ~-~~-~ ~ n addton to cor:lbat ajophjbous operatons three "specal" opera tons ncknru;ed J'lt;hty Yankee Teht Jaw a.nd Lberty Canyon were condt.cted. The frst blo operatons sa.w the successful repatraton of 21 North Vetnamese prsoners-of-war. These men were returned to North Vetnam from amphbous shps. They >Jere dsembarked n small boats at a pont n nternatonal waters near Vlnh approx1lllately 150 m~les north of ohe U~. n Operatlon L~berty vanyon ohe amph~olous sh~ps transportea a lares segmeno of a U.S. A'1\Y dns on from Corps to tl.e Corps tactcal zone. othe' combat amphbous shps of ARG were engaged n specal combat support lfts of e;u1.m(mt SUpples and troops. Contnuous support >Jall aha provded to O"eraton Narket Tme Game 'larden 8.l1d Moble Rverne Force unts. T:J.sk Force 76 landng shp tanks (LSTs) >Jere an asset for the delvery of ;J8rsonnel sup;les and major equpment to and wthn Vetnam often through hostle shallo\~ >Jaterways - and many tmes um'::er ~re. Throughout the Y03ar n a total of 675 trps; shps of the AmphbOUS Force lfted almost troops more than 9600 vehcles and 670 mllon pow1ds of c1rso to ports n Vetnam and n the western Pacfc. Durng the ene~'s Tet offensve the runphbous Force was called on to ncre.lse ts support of Alled troops n the Hue and Cua Vet areas of Vetnam. Hue was cut off by ene~ forces and the Cua Vet area was beng subjected to enellv' artllery attacks. The Amphbs had to fnd a new route for delveres. Navy Frogmen from one of the ARGs surveyed the beach at Thon My Thuy about mdway between Hue and Cua Vet. The ste was found to be sutable for smaller landng craft but not sutable for beachng LSTs. The problem was resolved by nstallng over 700 feet of pontoon supported causeway to accomodate offloadng drectly from the LSTs ~under Beach" as t was ncknamed proved to be an mportant factor n keepng the men ashore suppled untl the tempo of operatons returned to normal

11 1968 U.s. CASUALTES AND ENEMY KA The followng s a recap of the weekly casualty fgures released by the Department of Defense. These fgures reflect the casualtes reported to the Department by the mltary 8erv:!ces durng the week nd.cated. Delayed rerrtsand statue changes (mssng to dead ded of wounds etc for earler weeks wore ncluded n the total of week they were receved. Ths hble ncludes casualtes reported from 30 December 1967 through 4 JanullrY ~teek UNTED STA T&'l. Y~DNG KA WA (h) WA (n-h) M/e/r (#)1 ~ f. Jon 184 5~ :; )- n 27~ S 20 Jan A '7 J:\O :1644 ~ Feb * 10 Feb l1p 1'7 Feb :'\ ["eb ;~ ~.ar Ofl '-1 '- t~r ~!'r : Mll' ~ ).flr '.896 f. ~pr ~ ~. t~pr 1/) "1... ; 20 Apr % <C)7 27 kp".02 1.% J.0 L (Jw~' ~.'?C? 971. S ~.71!1 271 " ' 1

12 ._--"--._ _ M.t!y 562 * ~ '\ Mr;l M;y Jun l.8O p.jun ~.Jun : fl Jun : Jun Jll Tul 1M J1l '7 Jll /tl 1f71 :3 A"..1g '" 1t.fl7 1 1'l Aug ) Aug Aug Aug lll Sep Sep Sep S Sep Oct Oct Oct Oct Z'"/2

13 2 ~"\)v ~5 1.21"1 2 16:.> 9 Nev e Nov ' 2'3 Nev /lev n"c U~6 1.24' lj D~c ( :>07 21 Dee '6 28 Dee 11< ' L Ja.n 101 ~' !Qh :) tl2.127 KL\ - K1.L..r1 n acton l'n (h)- '10unded n acton and requred hosptal care \VlA (n-) - Mnor wounds no hosptal ca.re requred M/e/ ~; - ;"'.r30nnel mssng. capturerl or nt~~rned snce 1 Jan 1961 * ""hest of the '.ar + lowest far 1968 COMBAT DEATHS FOR OTHER FORCES N VETNAM OTH1':R Forces ~ tlorld FORCF.'? Calender Year 1968 Total snce 1 Jan 1961 ** A~ reported by flvn RYNAF ** 738M S9 u. S. MLTARY STRENGTH FGURES N VETNAM "~le fgure~ belm' represent an average of hgh strength perods. (Off -shore' Naval forces are not ncluded.n these totals.) WG'TST 1961 NOVEMBml 1962 NOVEMBER 1963 D?CEMBER DECEl'!BER 1965 DECEl'BF.R 1966 DECE~BER 1967 DECEl'BER ' ; Zl3 '

14 -"-~ ~gelll"j'rnnam :y~~\ l'hs : ;~ 1963 J.9t )1\ t '1 Tot '1.1* MSSNG Toh1* DEATHS Tota1* ~SSNG ARMY lfl ~ NAVY ~!ARlNE Am COtPe; FORCE WSSES FROM f;ostde ACTONS " M / l l WSSES FROM NON-HOSTlE ACTON 'l'ot"l* # ~e1udes 1 Coast Guard member * cumul~tve from January through'januery Total ;ooe l ENEMY losses YEA'." NUMBER KA YEAR :romber KA TOTAL ;524 M WSSES N OTHER CONFLCTS WORLD WAR BATTlE DF:ATHS NON-FATAL '0/00005* " * the number wounded were those who requred admsson to hosptal Zl4

15 _--'---'--_._----._ CF.ASE-FRE PERODS AND NCDENTS Snce the begnnng of the Vetnamese l~rar there have been several cease-fres and bomb halts. n each nstanc:e there have been enem;yntated ncdents. n the followng lstjng those ncdents n whch casualtes occurred are categorzed ael sgnfcant. CHRSTMAS Dec Dec ncdents Dec Dec ncdents (24 sgnfcant 5 US KA 34 WA) Dec Dec llo ncde.nts (40 sgnfcant 2 US KA 24 WA) Dec Dec ncde.nts (47 sgnfcant 2 US KA 36 WA) NE' YEARS Dec Jan r.lcdents ( 24 sgnfcant 14 US KA 27 WA) Dec Jan Lcdents (55 sgnfcant 27 US KA 205 WA) n l Jan - l Jan ncdelnts Feb Feb ncdelnts (89 sgnfcant 18 US KA 158 WA) 1968 TET OFFENSVE - Alled forces declared 36 hour stand-down from Jan - 31 Jan The cease-fre dld not apply to Corps or the DMZ because of the hgh level of enell!y movement ndcated n certan areas. The cease-fre was cancelled. at 0930 on 30 Jan as the enemy attacks took place. The enemy cease-f1re was declared from Jan Feb BUDDHA s BRTHDAY Ma;y Ma;y ncdent. (32 sgnfcant 12 US KA 57 WA) All of the above stand-down perods were acclornpaned by bomb halt. over North Vetnam wth the excepton of Tet 1968; when supply routes south of Vnh contnued to be ht _ _._-----.

16 ENEMY Ml. TEREL ljdsses Lsted bele are the more sgnfcant categllres of weapons amnrunton and food lost by the enemy to <:>outh Vetnamese U.S. and other Free "orld Forces n These totals nclude the results of cache fnds as well as captureo and oestroyed on the battlefeld. The 1967 totals n parenthess are shown for comparatve purposes. AMNJNTON TOOS ~UNDS/pEGES Small Arms ( ) Mortars (44107) Grenades (34283) Rockets (457) RPG (6213) Artllery (4016) WFAPONS ndvdual (28873) Crew-served (2856) FOOD Rce Salt 279 n terms of combat logstcs requrements for ene~ unts the above can be evaluated and equated as follows:. The ndvdual weapons would equp more than 100 VC battalons. The crew served weapons would be a basc complement for over 130 VC battalons. The rce would be suffcent to feed forty 5OD-man battalons for one year. -1T---- -

17 r ~ GENERAL DESCRPTON 11!...! REPUBLC QJ~ VETNAM The Republc of Vetnam (RVN) s a long narrow crescent shaped country whch forms the southeast coastal r:m of the Southeast Asan Pennsula borderng on the South Chna Sea. The RVN extends about 575 mles north to south and s about 37 mles wde at the demarcaton lne (17th Parallel). At ts wdest pont from Tay Nnh Provnce to Nnh Thuan Provnce t measures about 225 mles across. t presents nearly 1500 mles of coastlne. The RVN s bordej~ed by North Vetnam on the north and aos and Camboda on the west. The long nland border shared wth Laos and Camboda s remote and vaguellr defned. Host of the northern two-thrds of the country conssts of hlls and mountans (the Chane Annamtque). and the southern one-thrd s manly a flat plan (the Mekong Delta). Tho hghlands. Whch extend from the northern border to wthn 60 mles of Sagon are characterzed by steep slopes sharp crests and narrow va:qeys and are covered manly by dense broadleaf evergreen ran forests. Most peaks are from 4000 to 7000 feet above sea level and a few n the north are over 8000 feet. n the west central part of the country the Central Hghlands or the lvestern Hghlands the mountans grade nto rollng generally grassy upland plans. On the east the hghlands are flanked by narrow coastal plans whch are compartmented by rocky headlands. Belts of sand dunes and n areas wth sutable sol rce felds are common along the coast. From the crests that mark the dranage dvde n the hghlands streams flow eastward to the sea or westward nto Camboda. The southern thrd of the RVN s an extensve low flat plan separated from the hlls and mountans to the north by a band of rollng plans called the transton zone. The zone contans dense to open forest and scattered areas of grass and dry crops. The flat plans comprse the deltas of the Hekong Rver west of Sagon and the Dong Na rver east of Sagon and ther dstrbutarj.es. The plans are characterzed by a poorly draned surface that s crss-crossed by many streams and an ntrcate network of canals and dtches. Elevatons n the Delta nearly everywhere are less than 10 feet; n the rollng plans they are commonly less than 1000 feet. The delta s extensvely cultvated n 'wetland rce and s generally consdered the DRcebowl of Vetnam" and potentally the Rcebowl of Southeast Asa." Long stretches of mangrove swamp lne the coast and parts cof the lower courses of tdal estuares and there are large areas of mars:h. The Plane de Joncs (Plan of Reeds) s a large marsh west of Sa.gon contanng vast areas of tall reeds and scattered scrub trees. :m

18 The seasonal alternaton of the monsoons determne both the ranfall and the ternper"ture n the RVN throughout the year. However geographcal features do alter paterns locally. Annual ra.nfall s heavy n nearly all regons and torrental n many. Heavest anaual ranfall occurs at Hue nches. The wet season the southwest mmsoon extends from md~ to late September. The dry season the northeast monsoon extends from early November to md-march. These two na jor seasons are separated by short transtonal perods the sprng transton from md-march to md May and the autumn transton from September to early November. Ths weather pattern holds true for most of the R~publc. The excepton beng the northeast coastal regon where the seasons are reversed. Through admnstratve dvson the RVN conssts of four corps tactcal zones or corps and certan separa1~e areas such as the Captal Mltary Dstrct. The corps are numbered w:lth romarl numerals through V from north to south. Each corps conssts of a number of ~rovnces: Corps (5) Corps (12) Corps (ll) and V Corps (16) 44 provnces n all. Each provnce s organzed nto dstrcts. Dstrcts are organzed nto vllages wth an average of 8-12 vhlages per dstrct and 4-6 hamlets per vllage. CORPS s the smallest of the corps taetcal zones n area and wth a populaton of approxmately t f also the smallest n populaton. t s narrow and generally very rugged. Some of the mountan peaks are n excess of 5000 feet. The coastal plans are fertle and wll support two rce crops annually. CORPS the largest of the four n arela s thrd n populaton wth approxmately The area s dvded geographcally nto two regons the Central Hghlands and the Celntral Lowlands. The northern porton of the Central Hghlands vares n elevaton from 600 to 1600 feet wth some peaks much hgher. t s covered wth bamboo and tropcal broad leaf forestnterspersed wth farms and rubber plantatons. The southern porton of the Hghlands les at the 3000 foot level. t slopes gradually toward the Cambodan border to tll west and falls off sharply and steeply toward the sea on the east. The Cental Lowlands along the coast and n the rver valleys are fertle and extensvely cultvated. Most of the populaton lves n ths porton of the corps area. CORPS although not usually consdered the delta regon contans the northern porton of the Mekong Rver Delta. Topographers call ths area the transton zone because the mountans of the Central Hghlands change to flatlands where most of the. terran s under 625 feet n elevaton. Much of Corps has been cleared for cultvaton of rce but larg~ tracts of ran forest stll stand along the Cambodan border and central provlnces of the zone. Second only to V Corps n populaton Corps ncludes the most heavly populated areas of the Republc ncludng the captal cty Sagon.

19 ._--"--"----- Of the almost 5.5 mllon people l1rng n the Corps Tactcal Zone lve n the Sagon/Cholon area. Another people lve n Ga Dnh Provnce whch sw~rounda the captal cty. The rv Corps Tactcal Zone s the heoavest populated area of the Republc of Vetnam wth more than 5~196OOO people. Except; for solated peaks~ the land n the rv Corps 'Lrea does not 'rse over 10 feet above sea level. Rce s the chef c:rop of the fertle sol of the Mekong Delta. Canals crss-cross t.he area dense ran forests cover the western porton and mangrove B~~pS abound along the coast. 'Z'/9

20 . --'--'--._----_..._ pop U L A T ON FG U RES Republc of Vetnam: Provnces: (n ThoUBands) Corps: Quang Nam l.063 Quang Nga 594 Quang Tn 441 Quang Tr 293 Thua Then 515 Corps: 3.0l3 Bnh Dnh 906 Dnh Thuan Darlac 2.33 Khanh Hoa 460 Kontum 99 Lam Dong Nnh Thuan 174 Phu Don 66 Phu yen Major Ctes: Sagon DaNang Hue 150OOO Ben Hoa l Qu Nhan 1l6.818 Can Tho.; ~ Tho Vung Tau Dalat Phan Thet Nha Trang Bach Ga Pleku Quang Duc 32 TUyen Duc 182 Corps: Ben Hoa 438 Bnh Duong 234 Bnh Long 64 Bnh ~ 64 Ga Dnh l.148 Hau Ngha 180 Long An 422 Long Khanh 140 Phuoc Long 44 Phuoc TUy 188 Ta;y Nnh Ban Me Thuot 67 66! Ben Tre (Truc Gang) " Long Xuyen '1 Cam Ranh 53.85~ Quang Long (Camau) Khang Hung (Soc Trang) Ho An 4412(' Quang Nga 41.59!; Sa Dec V Corpe: An Gang 548 An Xuyen 274 Ba Xuyen 359 Bac Leu 324 Chau Doc 490 Chuong Then 248 Dnh Tuong 612 Go Cong 169 Ken Gang 382 Ken Hoa 549 Ken Phong Ken Tuong 47 Phong Dnh 457 Se Dec 276 Vnh Bnh 414 Vnh Long 491 Tam Ky Chau Phu (Chau Doc) Tan An 36.1Q3 Pleku Vnh Long Bac Leu Phu Cuong Kontum Ta;y Nnh ~.26.4l3 Xuan 1oc Quang Tr The followng are Sgnfcant urban colldllunt.es of the Sagon metropoltan area whch are not ncluded n Sagc~'a populaton total above. When combned the "Greater Sagon" area's pclpulaton totals Ga Dnh Phu Nhuan Tan Son Hoa 1Q3.411 Phu Tho Tan Son Nh Tan Phu _ _._---- 1T

21 -~~ VL'TNAl; HSTGRC>.L CH.. '1.GlTOLOGY The fouohng chronology provdes dates of events hghlghts and stntstcs 1 m.ch Tlay be of value to the press for hstol'cru reference. nfor''1nton other than that pertanng to the Unted States s ntended fer bn.ckgrolmd only D. C. Legendary foundng of Vetna~. 208 B. C. Foundng of kngdom of Nam-Vet composed of parts of present-day southern Chna and three provnces n northern Vetnam. D. C. Na~l-Vet annexed by Chna 8lld governed as Chnese provnce of Gno Ch D. Vetmunese acheve ndependence after 1000 years of Chnese donnaton follo1.jng battle of Bach D811g Harror Le Lo proclams hmself Emperor of Vetnam founds Lo dynasty Vetnamese subdue Chams along central Vetnam coastal plans effectvej.v endng Champa empre Tay Son revolt by three brothers aganst rval Nguyen and Trnh rulng houses brefly. untes Vetnam Prnce Nguyen.Anh proclams hmself Emperor of Vetnam at Hue takes name Ga Long. Begmlng of Nguyen dynasty Vetnam's last dynasty Tu Duc becomes Emperor seeks to ell~ate all foregn relgcus and commercal nfluen<:es French annex northern half of Coc:hn Chna French complete amlexaton of Co chn Chna French protectorates establshed over Tonkn 8lld Annam brngng entre country under Fr lnch control French colones and protectoratee n ndochna merged nto an ndochnese Unon Bao Da last of Nguyen emperors ascends throne. _._

22 --_._----'---'--.--_._ Feb 1930 French crush Yon Day revolt effectvely destroyng the ~"Qj cr natonalst ferce the Vct.nC!18sc j1atonalst :.1nrt;;r (V "DU) 1930 Cor:lr.1unst?a:."t~r of ndochnc. or:;clj1zed!l Hons T:on.: lulder 1:;t1;;'On.d. (floc (no Ch l:nh) ls'.3r; Vot :.LrJl for1tj.ed as coalton of vc3.l"ous croups s6el:nc :lndo:'1enc1.el1cg. J~S'l:D tjapan t~ll:es control of ndochna lee.vns!1ro-vc!1:r :?:!:'er'.ch. ndrdnstro.ton ntnct. (\.... j:' J.0/5 tt L'.p~T. c'.lc1n F:c-cnch r1jj.e :)errn.ts ao Da to proclc.."'t Vetne":".1 t ~ :Lndcpondonco. 1') lme:; 19/5 Vet lnll Front under He Ch l:nll takes poler.n Hano. 25 Aue:; 19/5 :Cae Da abdcates n favor of the Hano govgrnnent. 2 Sep 1945 "Denocratc Republc of Vetnam" under Ho as Fresdent proclaned. Bo.o Ded. named "Supreme Counsellor." 6 Har 1946 Frm1ce recognzes ll'1v as a "free state" 1-1thn the ndochnese Federaton and the French Unon. 6 Jun 1946 Fontanbleau Conference breaks up aftert1-lo months lth French and Vetnamese postons rreconclable. 23 Nov 1946 French bombard Haphong. 19 Dec 1946 ndochna 1l!1X offcally begns. 8 ljar 1949 France approves self-government' for Vetnam under Bao De. 16 Dec 1949 After defeatng natonalst armes Chnese communst troops arrve at Vetnamese border. 18 Jan 1950 Communst Chna becomes frst cou1ltry to recognze Hano regme. 30 Jan 1950 USSR recognzes Hano regme. 7 Feb 1950 U. S. and Brtan extend de jure :recognton to Sagon regme. 8 May 1950 U. S. agrees to send mltary ad to France for ndochna war. 30 Hay 1950 U. S. economc msson arrves n Sagon. 15 Jul 1950 U. S. Hltary msson arrves n Vetnam. 284

23 ~~ Dec ls'50 U. S sgns l-ontcj.o.tcral ~'~GJ:'om:cnt vth France Vetn.o.n Cc.:-:bodQ VJ1c1 Lacs for ndrect mlta.ry ad; l..lto.j.'7".ssstqnce :dvsory Group (:"V.G) ndochnc. estqblshed to G.dj'~Lnster tho ad; Vetnan becones soveregn naton j.n French Unon. 7 SG~-: 1951 u. S. sgns o.greenent H th Vetl1~:.l fer drect econornc ad. 26 Dec 1953 Vet ]!nh offensve cuts Vetnam n t10 nenr 17th Farallel. 26 Apr 195/ Geneva conference on ndochna and Korea opens. 7 llay 19% Den Ben Phu falls endng French mltary nfluence n Asa. 7 Jul 19% Dao Da apponts Ngo Dnh Dem Prme ltnster. 21 JuJ Geneva aereements end ndochna hostltes partton Vetnam at 17th Parallel set natonal electons n Sep 1954 Southeast Asa Defense Treaty Sgned at Manla. 10 Oct 1954 North Vetnamese collllllunst regme formally takes control n Hano. 23 Oct 1954 Presdent Esenhower offers U. S. mltary ad to Dem. 1 Jan 1955 U.S. begns drect ad to Vetnam. 20 Jan 1955 U. S. takes over tranng of South Vetnamese Army from the French. 19 Feb 1955 SEATO treaty ratfed b.r memher states whch are oblgated under treaty protocol to ad Protocol States of Laos Camboda and South Vetnam n the event of overt aggresson. 7 Jul 1955 Communst Chna Sgns ad agreement wth Hano. 1~ Jul 1955 Dem declares South Vetnam wll not take part n electons prescrbed at Geneva unless they are guaranteed free. 18 Jul 1955 USSR sgns ad agreement wth Hano. 23 Oct 1955 Natonal referendum deposes Bao Da as Chef of State n favor of Dem. 26 Oct 1955 Dem proclams Vetnam a Republc under hs presdency. 2B5

24 --- -'---' :ar 1956 Consttuent Assenb1y elected n country's frst natonal electon. 28 Apr 1956 llalg offcally assuj1les responsblty for tranng Vetnamese... '.rj.7ly 28 Apr 1956 FJ. ench Hltary Hgh Command ll Vetnam s dssolved. 26 Cct 1956 Vetl1atJ.' s frst consttuton promulgated and Consttuent Assembly becomes Natonal Assembly. 1 ~lay 1957 French responsblty for tran:ng Vetnamese Navy and Ar Force termnated. 8 Apr 1959 Dem declared to '\he Natonal Assl3lbly that the RVN was engaged n a "hot "ar" and the southern provnces ~ere n a "state of sege." Hay 1959 At request of GVN CNCPAC drected US advsors be provded to nfantry regment artllery armored and separate Earne battalon level. CDJCPAC also took steps to obtan Specal Forces moble tranng teams fromusarpac and CONUS sources to assst n tranng R~l Ranger Companes for counter-guerrlla l1arfare. 30 uc; 1959 Dem government vctor n second natonal electons. 5 Feb 1960 GVN requested the US to double HAAG strenght to May 1960 US announced that HAAGV l~as beng ncreased to Hay 1960 US pecal Forces team arrves PWf to conduct tranng. Sept 1960 Thrd Congress of the Lao Dong (C:o!:llllunst) Party annolllced ts objectve of "lberatng SVN" through a "people's revolutonary struggle" "hch "ould be long draw out and arduous. 25 Oct 1960 Presdent Esenho"er assures Dem of contnued US assstance. 11 Nov 1960 Abortve coup aganst Dem. 22 Nov 1960 Cvl Guard transferred from nteror to Defense enablng J.AAGV to tran and equp them. Dec 1960 "Natonal Lberaton Front" set up at undsclosed locaton. 31 Jan 1961 HAAGV suthorzed to detal advsors dow to all battalon headquarters and to serve at command posts at lower level men requred. 286

25 Feb ls' 61 }.';(;:. U8-~.1VL ~PrQ'.t~/ of "'.: ~t~t Ol1d :::;ccncr~c llolntons sgned n Sncon. c; A~r 1961 Dem elected for second fvg-yco.r term n llv!; ' 13 frst ;)rosc1onto.l electon. 5 ;:0.3' 1961 'resdent l:ennedy says US consderng use of US nltnry forces to help RVN. 10 La~' 1961 klbasso.dor Noltng presented cl'edentals. E-12 l'ay 1961 Vce-resdent Johnson pledged US ad to RV forces. 2 Aug 1961 GVlJ ordered nll men betlleen 25 and 35 to report for ml tary duty. n Aug 1961 ncrease of RVAF up to authorzed. Oct 1961 l1vl'af estdated VC strength at n Oct 1961 Presdent Kennedy announces dspatch of Gen :B.xwell D. Taylor to S;:;1. Presdent Dem asked for a blateral defense treaty md for dspatch of US troops to Vetnam. 13 Oct 1961 Presdent Dem declares natonwde state of emergency assumes specal pollers and asks fol; U. S. combat troops. 26 Oct 1961 l'resdent Kennedy sends personal message assurng Presdent Dem of contnued US support. 4 Dec 1961 Presdent Kennedy nformed Presdsnt Dem that US prepared to partcpate n ncreased jont effort wth RVN. US unformed forces l10uld partcpat'9 n operatonal mssons wth RVN forces. 11 Dec 1961 T;10 US.Army helcopter unts the 8th and 57th Transportaton Companes arrve as frst complete US mltary unts sent to RVN. 14 Dec 1961 l'resdent Kennedy letter to Presdent Dem agrees to ncrease US ad to RVN. 17 Dec 1961 U. S.Army logstcal support team from 9th Log Connnand on Oknawa deployed to RVN. 9 Jan 1962 ARVN to be ncreased fro~ to

26 ~~ Jan J.962 VC strength estrw.tcd betheen 20 l' Dvded nto threo categores; full tme guerrllas part-tr.o Guerrllas and vllace para-mu tary. 1 Feb 1962 US Specal Forces personnel jon CDG program as advsors to create an rregulcr ant-vc para. mltary force. 3 Feb 1962 ; rosdent Dem launches Strateec Hamlet program. fl Feb 1962 JX;D announces creaton of US EUtary Assstance Comnand Vetnon under Gen. Paul D. Harld.ns.USARYlS SU]lport Grou? (rrovsoncj.) organzed to provde admnstratve and logstc support to US.Army combat support unts n RWl. 11. Feb 1962 Fresdent KennedY states US troops n RW; nstructed to fre to protect themselves f fre upon but are "not combat solders n the generally understood sense of the "lord." 22 Lar 1962 Frst clear and hold operaton ntated n Dnh Duong :)rovnce USfull'S Support Group (Provsonal) redesgnated US.Army Support Group Vetna~ (USASGV). t~ Apr 1962 VG execute tho \-1ounded Amercan FOW's near m Chau n CentraJ. Vetno.B. Each 1-r..th hands ted shot n the face. They could not keep up r. th ther captors. 25 Aug 1962 US announces ;plo nllon ad for emergency project to help refugees n guerrlla W3.!'. Sept 1962 GW successes force Ho Ch Hnh to change tme-table. n 1959 he predcted defeat of GW n one year;.revsed estmate of yero'13' Han target of VC _ were strategc hamlets. 22 Feb 1963 DOD states US plots flyng many VNAF operatonal mssons and are authorzed to make tactcal strkes. 17 Apr 1963.Amnesty Program proclamed for VG defectors. 27 Apr 1963 Frst Annversary for Strategc Hamlet Program. 15 Ea;y J.963 Buddhst leaders presented ther demands to Presdent Den. 3 Jun 1963 Buddhst Demonstraton rene"led n Hue. GVN mposed martal :La"l n lue. 11 Jun 1963 Frst Buddhst 11.on1: commtted sucde by fre n Sagon. 288

27 ~? Zur:. }-963.:"cs:Lc1cnt r:on~(loc1~r.~j.:.noll11ce(l <lppont~:ont of Henry Cabet Lor1co.~~s.:.r;~.lx.'.:::s;:.J.cJ:' to ~1.8~)u L:}.~c of VetnG.:--1. 2}..:.>.uC 1~6J :~art... u lr.' prccrd.:'-'.gq th::."ou~hout :L'~::c:::cr ~ov J.S'S3 Jo]:-'_ QllC l;hu ovcrt:b":-{'01;rl 1.1.no slan n :rj.lt;::.j:'y con) loqd 1)~7 ~ =c.; Gem JU.011[; V [ll (j~-c) :~nh. The : l t:;.r~r J.cvoluton(::"~r \>Ul1c:J. Guc;lcndocl tl:.:; COD_Dt tutc\j1 und ds solved the l;ato112.1 ~~'];Jc:-:-bl? 7 ;.c. 17 ~.9::JJ U3 :"'~ccd~d_zcs 1:lt~.r7 =l0vclutcr~2';r C01.lr!cl onc1 n81-] provscncj. ~CVG:.~l:;.cnt of ';?::'o:.-'..cr C1..1J r en Hcoc Tho. 2 Tex'. 1~:)/;. ::jm.llcl of l'jotojjles convel1es to drc..ft ne\o1 consttuton. 30 J ['1' J-96/. ;. aj GC21 ;zuyen KJlO.nh relaces ].;1111 n a non-volent coup. 10 re) 1')6/.. cj GOll YJ-ll:mh nones hnself Premer ond Hcj Gen lanh Ghef of State. 5 "pr 196/ lddtonal GW reforms; conscrpton to ncrease arned forces establs1rlent of ne1-1 cvl defense corps dssoluton of Councl of ;otables ne1-1 consttuton and holdng of electons for 3. llatonal.l.ssenbly. 25 Apr 196/. Fresdent Johnson announces General Hllam C. Hestmoreland to replace General Harldns as COHUSW.GV. 2 Kay 1964 Arcra't ferry USNS QAll.D sabotaged wlrll~y.ocked n Sagon. Harbor. 18 Hay 1964 Presdent Johnson requested ~)125 :m.11on n addtonal economc. and ml tary ad to SVN 25 May 1964 BegnnnG of other Free 1>Torld Assstance. 20 Jun 196~. General Harkns departs NACV 23 Jun 1964 Jrab. Henry Cabot Lodge resgns; Gen j1='le11 D. Taylor named to replace hm. 27 Jul 1964 l'entagon announces several thousand addtonal US advsors wll GO to VN. 289

28 r ~UC 1961 US;] ;~"JlX.;~ Jorth Vetn~me cn.akol :Ln Gulf of Tonldn attacked by Three e 1'T boats. USS lllljxx and USS TUPJ'JBll JGY auacked by fve 1M; T boats. US cq).'rer p1 os ht T-T ;::>8ns and Vnh ol tanks n frst tl' strke ae -nst Harth VetnOJ.l. 16 >me; 196/ YJ1nnh releves 1:nh as Chef of State and assunes RVll presdency. 25 :ue 1964 hnnh resgns resdency. 27 ::me 196/ llanh -lnh em agree to lead naton as trwnvrate. 29 lme 1961 Tr1llllvrate ap onts Dr. lguyen Xuan Oanh to head e;overm18nt. 1 Se" ~ep 1964 Hatonal Lber ton Front of South Vetnam called for a eenorc\l nlt y offensve aganst Government and US forces. The VC also c led upon the South Vetnamese people to "demand" the. thdra1/lj. of US troops and the establshment of "neutralty" n SVN. llnnh replaces trumvrate wth 15-member cornm ttee. 4 ~ep 1964 Khanh announce n SV. that cvlan government would be establshed 8 ~ep 1964 Government reo ganzed; Khanh reltans Premershp; Hnh becomes Cha 13 Sep 1964 Coup attempt p evented by acton of generals ncludng Ar Force CO!lJl del' Nguyen Cao Ky. 18 Sep 1964 Ne~ Tonkn Gul ncdent: NVN l?r boats harass US destroyers EDWA1D'3 and HO ON. 20 Sep 1964 Montagnard rebe lon aganst RVN authorty centerng n Quang Duc Sect 26 Sep 1964 Hgh Natonal 'ammand set up to gude RVN to cvlan rule. 28 sep 1964 Montagnard rebe1lon ended followng talks between Khanh and trbal lead rs. 21 pct 1964 Khanh resgns t make ~ for dvlan government. 24 Oct 1964 Phan Khac Suu e ected RVN Presdent; Tran Van Huang Prme Mnster. 290

29 26 ~et 1')6~. Cvlc..'1 Chef f Sto.te SHorn r..to offce. 1 nbv Cvlan ~ede SHorn nto offce. 1 :bv 1S'6~. ve mmch o.tto.c aganst Den Hea Clrbase. 1. ;6v 1S'6~. Ffteen-man cv lan govern.11lent s nstalled.! 25 tlov 196/. FollownG cont ued student and Buddst denenstro.tons n Sagon GV poses martal la1 and 0. curfel! on SaGon and adjonng p ovnces of Ga Dnh. 20 pec n a bloodless oup the Armed Forces dssolved the Hgh J:atonal Counc. Cvlan hener Chef of State and 'rm-u.8r s cabn t not effected. 2L pee 196L 1 D:rn1: DGQ n So. Gon bonbed. 31 ~GC 1964 Frst J.ecuJ.m' 1 A unts began nfltratng nto SVJ. 1 1 J"~.n 1965 us rjltoj"j str ngth n Vetnan s approxmately ~o.n 1965 ]:.han.1cl takes ove government from Huong n non-volent coup. 1 7 Fh 1965 VC attack US co pound at Pleku. Retalatory US ar strke aganst North V etnaj'l hts Dong Ho. hesdent J" olms n orders US 'governnent sponsored dependents evacuated from V. USl!C Hauk ar d fense mssle battalon deployed at Do. Nang. l:.hnnh names 0 actng preder. 10 1)'ob 1965 VC blow up US B' Q at Qu Nhon. 15 tob 1965 Dr. Phan Huy Qu t nruned premer replacng Oanh. 19 ~eb 1965 US jets used fo frst tme n SVN n strke aganst VC n Bnh Dnh se tor. 22 *eb 1965 Haj Gen Tran V llnh replaces Khanh as RVNAF COlllllander-n-. Chef. 25 fob ROK troops rve n SV1! 27 *eb 1965 US lhte Paper ccuses NVlJ of delberate aggresson n SVN. 8 } Frst US Harne nfantry Urd En 9th Hal') lands n SV;. 19 l~r 1965 Frst US Army b tto.lon (716th }P Bn) arrves n SVl. 291 T--

30 t " ')('\ _'-' far 1965 US 7th Fleet lll1 8:!:'t:_;.1:os SV:: co.r'.gto.l l3lu"vg:lllo.l1cc..30 " l~'_ar 1965 us 1 dr 1965 us - ll!r 1965 Frnt US pla..."lgs shot clohn by LG' s over [Vl~. 16 'kr 1965 Frst HVl; surf a eodstl'ucton no e-to-ar r.::.ssle (SAL) ste reported 1.U1der Hano. 19 fpr 1965 Honolulu Confer nee on US mltg~ry plans n SVlJ. 3 l:~y 1965 US 173rd Lrbol e Bele begns arrvng n SVl;. ~~'"'lllcd n Quat. Forc.es el dssolves tself votes confd'enee 7 ;;qy 1965 ];arne!mph' bous Force act'rated n SVlT. 12 ~y 1965 Frst bomb halt ver NVN May through May. :2 J$ 1965 Advnnee P2J:"ty 0 1st En toyal AU3tralan Regt arrves n SV1T. 10 J1.U Battle of Dong oa begns. 11 ~Ul :'remer Quat res' gns returnng power to the mltary. 14 J~l!l 1965 Generals form N onal Leadershp Connntte under Haj Gen Nguyen Van The 17 J~ 1965 US arerc't shoo down frst lug's over NVN. 18 Jbn 1965 Frst B-52 bombe rad n SVN. 19 J6n 1965 Brg Cen Nguyen ao Ky named premer. 25 Jm 1965 VC mnes blast M Canh floatng restaurant n Sagon. 27 J'-m rd Arborne gade underta1re!! frst major US combat offensve of war. 8 JUl 1965 Cen Taylor res s as Ambassador of SVN Lodge named to replace hm. 12 J/u nd Bde 1st nf D v begns landng n SVN. 15 Jk 1965 }1ACV confrms p' sence of NVA 101st Regment n SVN. 16 J~ 1965 Defense Secret HcNamara arrve's for a fve-day SVN vst

31 -.'~ j1j~ 1')65 US krrjry Support Command Vetnan redesgnated US Army Vetnll.1ll YJ th Ge ernl lestnorolnnd as commander. Frst US! Coast Guard ves els arrve n 3Vn. 21 ~ uj l:e1-7 :3enlnnd Fel d Crtllery Dtlr o.rr ves n 3Vl'. 2/. ~Ul 1965 jcrst US arcr t do\1ned by Sll; ever ]-:V J~ 1965 US arcraft h Sll; stes n HVN for frst ttle. 28 ~ ul 1')65 Presdent Johns n anl10unces US troop strength n SVN rse to ) ~1J~ st Ddc 101st bn Dv lands n SVl;. 1 AlP-c Q 1')65 US.\rmy Task Fo ce :.1;oho. actvated QS the frst US f'l:rmy feld force he~.dquaxt rs n SV1:. 2 ~c; 1965 onoluj.u confer nee on US troop deployment n SVN. 18 ).ug 1965 jnbassador Lodg arrves for second tour n SVl" 12 $0 1 ) 1965 Frst elenonts f US l.'ll1y 1st Cav Dv (A'llloble) land n SVu.. 25 ~ep 1')65 Task Force lllph redesgnatod Feld Forces Vetnan. 28 fop 1965 Honolulu confer nce on US troop deployment n SVl. 17 ~ct 1965 Battle of Ple 1 e begns. 7 nh 1965 EACV confrms p esence of fve NVA regments n SVl!. 14 ~ov 1965 Battle of a Dr g Valley begns.! 27 ~ov 1965 ARVN 7th Regme t attacked by VC at Bcheln Plantaton. : Heavy ARVN casu tes. 28 ~ov 1965 Sec arrves n SVN for tl-o days. 4 D~c 1965 VC explosves ast Hetropole leq n Sagon. 10 hec 1965 Honolulu rnlt plannng conference on SVN. 24 hoc 1965 US and RVl{AF be n 30-hour Chrstmas stand-down. TVl; stopped (un l 31 Jan 66). Bombng of 29 pec rd lde of the S l.'ll1y 25th nf Dv begns arrvng n SVN. 1 JF 1966 US 1"1.ltary str ngth n SVlT s approxmately Jm 1966 Frst elenents f 2nd Bde 25th nf Dv arrve n RVN.