Timeline, February 12th

[David]

February 1930 (1st month, Year of the Horse [Canh Ngo]): The Vietnamese nationalist revolt centered in Yen Bay and led by the Vietnamese Nationalist Party of Nguyen Thai Hoc (a rival group to Ho Chi Minh's Thanh Nien, founded in 1926) fails. (TVW)

INTERBELLUM:
February 12, 1955 (20th day of the 1st month, Year of the Goat [At Mui]): US advisors begin training South Vietnamese troops. (Sunraysia)

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
February 12, 1966 (23rd day of the 1st month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): ROK troops conduct Operation Hwa Hang II in Binh Dinh Province.

February 12, 1966 (23rd day of the 1st month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Operation Double Eagle update.

February 12, 1967 (4th day of the 1st month, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Operation Pershing begins.

February 12, 1968 (14th day of the 1st month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Tet Counteroffensive): The MAG-16 command chronology reported operations in all TAORs (Tactical Area of Responsibility) were normal. (VHPA)

February 12, 1968 (14th day of the 1st month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Tet Counteroffensive): Australian Prime Minister Gorton indicates that Australia will not increase its commitment to Vietnam. (OS, Sunraysia)

February 12, 1968 (14th day of the 1st month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Tet Counteroffensive): The 27th Marines receive orders to deploy to Da Nang as part of the reinforcements requested by General Westmoreland and the JCS. President Johnson made extensive reductions to original recommendations of MACV and the JCS as a result of the Tet offensive and disapproved the JCS recommendation for a call-up of major U.S. reserve units for the war, in effect placing an upper limit on American combat involvement in Vietnam. (OS)

February 12, 1970 (7th day of the 1st month, Year of the Dog [Canh Tuat]) (US Winter-Spring 1970): A/7/17th Cavalry Scouts discover a large complex with bunkers and other structures in Pleiku Province.

February 12, 1971 (17th day of the 1st month, Year of the Boar [Tan Hoi]) (US Counteroffensive Phase VII): Communist operations in Laos continue despite the ARVN invasion of Operation Lam Son 719; the NVA and Pathet Lao besiege the US-backed Meo guerrilla HQ at Long Tieng. Although the Meo take 700 casualties between February 12-14, the Communists fail to dislodge them. (TVW)

February 12, 1973 (10th day of the 1st month, Year of the Ox [Quy Suu]): The first group of a total of over 500 Americans being held by the North Vietnamese, Pathet Lao or Viet Cong are flown from Hanoi to Clark AFB in the Philippines as Operation Homecoming starts. In addition, China agrees to free three US prisoners, one of whom has been held since the Korean War. Also eligible for release are 5000 South Vietnamese and a small number of people from other nations imprisoned by the Communists and 26,000 North Vietnamese/VC jailed in the South. (TVW, OS)