40 years today - A Vietnam War Timeline

[Boonierat]

The main body of the 2d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (1/5, 1/27, 2/27) arrives in the RVN. The battalions are based at Cu Chi in Hau Nghia province III CTZ.

[Boonierat]

Operation Van Buren begins in Phu Yen Province where the recently relocated 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne (1/327, 2/502), ROK 2nd Marine Brigade and ARVN 47th Regiment are to locate and destroy the NVA Regiment 95 (believed to be in the Tuy Hoa Valley) and to protect the rice harvest in the coastal region. The 1st Bde was still moving from Phan Rang. As they arrived at Tuy Hoa, they moved into operational areas. The joint operation claimed 679 known enemy casualties. The USA results were 282 enemy KIA plus 66 KBA, 33 captured and 238 suspects detained, over 100 weapons, and several caches of ammo and supplies were taken. The 1st Bde's casualties were 55 KIA and 221 WIA.

[Boonierat]

The cease-fire over the Lunar New Year (Têt) holiday commenced at 1200 hours and lasted for 3 days. The enemy-initiated incidents of violation of the cease-fire totaled 106 (77 against US and FWF and 29 against RVNAF units). Friendly losses over the period were: 13 killed, 36 wounded, and one missing. The holiday saw the climax of an intensive US-GVN psychological warfare campaign to encourage enemy defections under the Chieu Hoi (Open Arms) program.

[Boonierat]

The 3d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division begins operation Kamehameha I to provide security along Highway 19 in Pleiku province.

[Boonierat]

Operation Masher (White Wing)/Double Eagle I/Lien Ket 22/Thang Phong II begins this day. This is the largest allied operation to date and the first to span Corps boundaries. In all the Americans and the ARVN commit the equivalent of three divisions hoping to do battle with the Gold Star or Sao Vang Division which consists of the 18th and 22nd NVA Regts, the 2d VC Main Force Regt, the 38th Independent Bn and about 11 separate enemy companies. It involves these commands: The ARVN I and II Corps, MACV, Field Force Vietnam (primarily the 1st Air Cav), the Seventh Fleet, the USMC Task Force Delta, the Special Forces, and the US Air Force. Each of the four major commands have their own name for their part of the operation as follows: the Army (primarily the 1st Air Cav) operation Masher which became operation White Wing when Washington complained about the name, the Marines operation Double Eagle I, the ARVN I Corps operation Lien Ket 22, and the ARVN II Corps operation Thang Phong II. This joint operation's area includes the southeastern part of Quang Ngai Province near the sea and the northeastern part of Binh Dinh Province. A line drawn between Duc Pho and the Ba To Special Forces camp would divide the AO near its center. Nearly half of Binh Dinh Province's 500,000 people were under varying degrees of enemy domination. This is an important "rice bowl" region. All the operations concluded on different dates but by 6 March 1966 everything was finished. The operations claimed a total of 2,389 known enemy casualties, US losses for Masher are 238 KIA and 834 WIA. Enemy soldiers are spotted in the AO less than one week after the operation terminates.

http://www.vva.org/TheVeteran/2002_0...tionmasher.htm

[Boonierat]

After the ambush at LZ Albany in November 1965, disaster strikes the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry again when a USAF C-123 crashes not far from An Khe while transporting the mortar platoon of the battalion in support of operation Masher. 46 soldiers die in the crash. That afternoon and for the next few days, many helicopter units are busy bringing security forces in and removing the bodies.

[Boonierat]

The Vietcong attacks Da Nang airfield and nearby I Corps Headquarters with 120mm mortars inflicting minor damages and light casualties.

[Boonierat]

One of Project DELTA's worst disasters during the war happens in the An Lao Valley, Binh Dinh Province. The 1st Cav requested reconnaissance assistance in the An Lao Valley during Operation Masher. The B-52 SF Det landed at Bong Son on the 26th and inserted recondo teams the very next evening, despite marginal weather. Many helicopter missions were flown during the next several days as the recondo teams ran into tough VC units on their own terrain. Several Special Forces soldiers were killed on several teams. Even the B-52 C.O. Maj Charles Beckwith was wounded in a C&C helicopter. Project DELTA would later record this as one of their worst disasters of the war. After Operation 2-66, Project DELTA was overhauled and went on to conduct multiple reconnaissance missions in both I and II Corps during the rest of 1966.

(The dreaded An Lao Valley in 1970)

http://www.projectdelta.net/

[Boonierat]

General Westmoreland requests an increase in B-52 sorties during Operation Arc Light from 300 to 450 per month.

(Manchus of 4/9 Inf watching the show )

[Boonierat]

Battle of Cu Nghi takes place. as part of operation Masher, the 1/7, 2/7 and 2/12 Cav wage a bloody 3-day fight in a small village north of Bong Son against the 7th and 9th battalions of the NVA Regiment 22. The battle kills 121 cavalrymen and wounds 220. Enemy losses are 660 KIA.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...12687394/print

[Boonierat]

Operation Double Eagle I offically kicks off this day in Quang Ngai province, TF Delta (3/1, 2/3, 2/4 and 2/9 Marines) objective is to clear the Quang Ngai/Binh Dinh border area and to trap enemy forces between them and operation Masher. Very few enemy soldiers are encountered in the AO and only 24 US soldiers are KIA and 120 wounded. An estimated 312 NVA/VC are reported killed and 9 taken as POW.

http://1stbattalion3rdmarines.com/op...uble-eagle.htm

[Boonierat]

The 2d Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (2/16, 1/18, 2/18) begins operation Mallet around Nhon Trach east of Saigon in Bien Hoa province. This search & destroy operation is aimed at wiping out Vietcong bases threatening the capital but only 47 enemy are reported KIA.

[Boonierat]

The 2d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division launches its first search and destroy operation of the War code-named Bobcat Tracker (gotta love US operation names ) in Hau Nghia province, III CTZ.

[Boonierat]

Citing Hanoi's failure to respond to his peace overtures during the 37 day bombing pause, President Johnson announces bombing of North Vietnam will resume. Senator Robert F. Kennedy criticizes President Johnson's decision , stating that the U.S. may be headed "on a road from which there is no turning back, a road that leads to catastrophe for all mankind." His comments infuriate the President.

[Boonierat]

The Vietcong detonates a charge at the US Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ) in Dalat resulting in one US killed, 10 wounded, one missing and 1 vietnamese killed.

(Dalat in the Central Highlands in 1966)