Timeline, April 17th

[David]

FIRST INDOCHINA WAR:
April 17, 1954 (15th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Horse [Giap Ngo]) (Fall): Dien Bien Phu: The supply convoy reaches Huguette 6 at 0125 with only mild losses and with enough water to supply the garrison, but Dien Bien Phu's commander has realized that the cost of supplying H6 for a week has been more casualties than were incurred during the entire counteroffensive to regain Elaine 1. Given that as well as the small number of reinforcements by air and the drop in strategic value of the northern part of the airfield because of the new enemy trench system there, it's decided to evacuate H6 during the night of April 17-18 with maximum air effort from Hanoi in support of the operation. At 2000, Bigeard and his men set off to break through to H6. By 2200, they have reached the enemy trenches on the airfield and fought through two of them, but are now "out of breath, of ammunition and of men." Elsewhere at the fortress, Elaine 1 is probed and then launches a counterattack later in the day.

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
April 17, 1965 (16th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense): Following a week-long visit to Moscow by the First Secretary of North Vietnam's Communist Party, Le Duan, the USSR and North Vietnam issue a joint communiqu? in which the Soviet Union promises additional military assistance to North Vietnam. The two countries also criticize President Johnson's April 7 speech and express support for international conferences on Laos and Cambodia. In South Vietnam, Ambassador Taylor raises more points regarding the problems involved with introduction of more combat troops and "build[ing] a viable independent nation here" and is instructed to attend a conference with General Westmoreland and senior Washington officials in Honolulu.

April 17, 1967 (8th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Operation Linebacker II begins in the Mekong Delta.

April 1968 (3rd and 4th months, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): A GI named Ron Ridenhour hears of the My Lai massacre from another US soldier, but doesn't believe it. Over the following months, however, he will hear "similar stories from such a wide variety of people that it [becomes] impossible for [him] to disbelieve that something rather dark and bloody did indeed occur sometime in March, 1968 in a village called "Pinkville" in the Republic of Viet Nam" (excerpt from his 1969 letter to US officials, notifying them of the event, that sets the investigation in motion.

April 17, 1969 (1st day of the 3rd month, Year of the Rooster [Ky Dau]) (US Tet69/Counteroffensive): Warrant Officer Donald Lautenschlaeger lands a heavily damaged aircraft on a small pad on a mountain peak of a friendly radio relay site while in support of a Special Forces RT in Pleiku Province.

April 17, 1969 (1st day of the 3rd month, Year of the Rooster [Ky Dau]) (US Tet69/Counteroffensive) (Zaffiri): Massachusetts Striker update: In the A Shau Valley, 1/502's commander suspects the presence of enemy troops on Dong A Tay, but has no idea of the number - Alpha Company is given the job of finding out. Just after daylight they set out, expecting some sniper fire and possibly a squad or two of NVA; instead, they run into heavy small arms and machine gun fire and sustain 10 KIAs and 12 WIAs in a few minutes. They withdraw and call in air strikes and artillery for over an hour, after which a platoon starts an online assault up the ridge. The platoon manages to get about halfway up the ridge before it's pushed back by an NVA counterattack. Charlie Company then sets up a blocking position on the south side of the main hill and Bravo Company launches an assault up the opposite side of the ridge but takes ten casualties after advancing only a few meters and quickly withdraws. More bombs and artillery are called in, this time for two hours, but a follow-up assault by Alpha and Bravo companies is quickly repulsed. All three companies dig in around the hill and, for the rest of the day and all that night, 105mm and 155mm howitzers from four nearby fire bases hit the position, not destroying the NVA bunkers but exposing them to view.

April 17, 1971 (22nd day of the 3rd month, Year of the Boar [Tan Hoi]) (US Counteroffensive, Phase VII): RAAF No 2 Squadron dustoff helicopter A2-767 is shot down supporting ARVN Regional Forces. Three are killed and three wounded.

April 17, 1972 (4th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Rat [Nham Ty]) (US Cease-Fire): Easter Offensive: An especially heavy B-52 attack is carried out against military targets in the Hanoi and Haiphong areas. Bombardment of North Vietnam by other aircraft and naval gunfire continues.

By early dawn, all enemy strongpoints in An Loc have been wiped out by the ARVN special force. However, Highway 13 remains under enemy blockade and the town is still besieged; in addition, the main ammunition dump in Lai Khe has been destroyed. Morale is still high among the city's defenders, who are unaware that the North Vietnamese have set a target date of April 20 to seize the city, and to accomplish that, have decided to support the next major attack with a secondary attack against the ARVN 1st Airborne Brigade on Hill 169 and Windy Hill southeast of the city, while their 9th Division proceeds with the main attack on An Loc. To minimize the effectiveness of tactical air support, the enemy places additional antiaircraft weapons around the city.

April 17, 1973 (15th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Ox [Quy Suu]): Operation End Sweep update. US leaders temporarily withdraw the task force to persuade the North Vietnamese to adhere to the terms of the Paris agreement.

April 17, 1975 (7th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Hare [At Mao]): Phnom Penh falls to the Khmer Rouge.