Battles+1964-69

Battles 1964-69 **__1964:__** The Viet Cong Army takes control of the village of Binh Gia on December 4th. But the South Vietnamese fight back a nd retake the village in the __Battle of Binh Gia__. The battle lasted into the first week of January. The South Vietnamese suffered the loss of 200 soldiers and 300 wounded or missing. In addition, 5 U.S. advisors were killed (Brigham: Battlefield Vietnam). This battle was a turning point in the war. The battle convinced President Johnson that without U.S. commitment, the South Vietnamese could not defeat the communist north. **__ 1965: __** The North and South fight for control of the crucial landing space Landing Zone X-Ray in __ The Battle of Ia Drang. __ A U.S. Battalion drops into the LZ by helicopter to defend the valley. The Americans were badly outnumbered and surrounded by 3 VCA regiments and a VC battalion (Fritz: Battle of La Drang) but because of great leadership, courage, and determination they managed to defend the landing zone and win the battle. This battle was the first major battle between the U.S. Soldiers and the NVA. [|TIME LINE]

**1966- B-52s Bomb North Vietnam**: In an effort to disrupt movement along the Mugia Pass -- the main route used by the NVA to send personnel and supplies through Laos and into South Vietnam -- American B-52s bombed North Vietnam for the first time. **LBJ Meets With South Vietnamese Leaders**: US President Lyndon Johnson meets with South Vietnamese Premier Nguyen Cao Ky and his military advisors in Honolulu. Johnson promises to continue to help South Vietnam fend off aggression from the North, but adds that the US will be monitoring South Vietnam's efforts to expand democracy and improve economic conditions for its citizens. They promised to give women better rights for education and more responsiblity to women & not all to men. **__1967__** __The Battle of Tra Binh Dong__ was questionably the most famous battle in the war. This battle, though, had a slight twist. It was fought not by Americans but by the South Korean Marine forces. The Marines gathered intel from a VC defector that the NVA was planning an attack. The VCA 40thand 60th Battalion surrounded the south Korean 11th company. The VCA plan was to cut off all communications and destroy the entire company. The 11th company were prepared for the attack. They dug in and used artillery to neutralize the VCA. But once inside the camp the close quarters fighting commenced. The Marines managed to fight off the VCA and win the battle. 246 VCA soldiers were killed and the Marines captured valuable ammunition and explosives (Brigham: Battlefield Vietnam). **__1968__** __The Tet Offensive__ was fought by the communist People’s Army of Vietnam (PAV).The PVA launched a campaign against South Vietnam and the Americans. The attackwas meant to be a surprise. Over 80,000 communist soldiers attacked more than 100 towns. These attacks led to large amounts of casualties on both sides. __The Battle at Khe Sanh__ was another major battle within The Tet Offensive that lasted for 2 months (Bragdon, McCutchen, Ritchie 994). The offensive was an attempt at an all victory because the North Vietnamese believed they could win the war by destroying the will of the Americans and South Vietnamese.. Most attacks by the PAV were thwarted by South Vietnamese and American forces, and although PAV suffered heavy casulaties and a military defeat they won politically and psychologically. This is because not only did the Americans and South Vietnamese got caught off guard and suffered many casualties but also because it contradicted the Americans claim that the war was ending and caused chaos in the States. **__1969__** __The Battle of Hamburger Hil__l was fought over control ofHill 937. The Hill was heavily guarded and fortified by the NVA but had almost no strategical value, yet one of the wars most major and bloody battles was fought here. The United States military command ordered a frontal assault and capture of the Hill in 1969 (Scalard: Battle at Hamburger Hill). American Airborne Forces became known as a force to be reckoned with as they took the Hill and delivered massive casualties to the NVA. **__[|Authentic Hambuger Hill Footage] __** **__Summary__** In 1965, Johnson escalated the war, commencing air strikes on North Vietnam and committing ground forces, which numbered 536,000 in 1968. The 1968 Tet Offensive by the North Vietnamese turned many Americans against the war. The next president, Richard Nixon, advocated Vietnamization, withdrawing American troops and giving South Vietnam greater responsibility for fighting the war (Bragdon, McCutchen, Ritchie 994). BACK TO HOME PAGE
 * South Vietnam Government Troops Take Hue and Danang**
 * Veterans Stage 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 were burned in the protest of US involvement at Vietnam.
 * CORE** **Cites "Burden On Minorities and Poor" in Vietnam**: The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) issued a report claiming that the US military drafted to certain places "a heavy discriminatory burden on minority groups and the poor." The group also calls for a withdrawal of all US troops from Vietnam.