Timeline, December 24th

[David]

PREBELLUM:
December 24, 1943 (Year of the Goat [Qui Mui]): Per the Pentagon Papers Gravel Edition, "[t]he first units of the Viet Minh Liberation Army" are formed.

FIRST INDOCHINA WAR:
December 24, 1945 (Year of the Rooster [At Dau]): Vietnamese Prince Vinh San (formerly emperor Duy Tan, who was pro-French and had been deposed in 1916, and whom the French are planning to return to the throne), commits suicide in Oubangui-Chari by crashing his plane.

December 1950 (Year of the Tiger [Canh Dan]): French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed High commissioner and Commander in Chief of Indochina. The French forces adopt an more offensive role with more use of air support.

December 24, 1951 (Year of the Hare [Tan Mao]): Hoa Binh campaign: The airborne task force, consisting of the 5th Colonial paratroops (5 BPC), the 1st and 2nd Foreign Legion para's (1 and 2 BEP), the 2/1st Algerian Tirailleurs and two platoons of Sherman tanks, counterattack with a pincers movement to drive Viet Minh Regiments 102 and 36 out of the Black River sector. The Foreign Legion para's move around Hill 82 while 5 BPC covers them from the southeast. 1 BEP meets little difficulty, but 2 BEP encounters heavy enemy resistance at Hill 61, and then just below Hill 57, and is pushed to the east. When the 2/1st Algerians move in to reinforce them, they are hit on the flank. The Viet Minh then break through to the road running north from Yen Cu to Cam Dai. While 2 BEP regroups at Hill 61 under cover of close air support, the Algerians regroup toward Yen Cu. Results: 2 BEP, 12 KIA and 31 WIA; Viet Minh, 300 KIA. The para's are ordered to hold their positions, and the Ba Vi and Ba Trai regions are infiltrated by French-led "North Vietnamese reconnaissance units (Commandos-Army Forces North Vietnam)".

Late 1952 (Year of the Dragon [Nham Thin]): Laos: The Pathet Lao, with considerable Viet Minh assistance, launch a general offensive with the goal being to capture Sam Neua Province, together with parts of Luang Prabang and Xieng Khouang.

December 24, 1953 (Year of the Snake [Quy Ti]): Laos, Pathet Lao offensive update: The Pathet Lao capture the town of Tha Khek. The town of Savannakhet is encircled, as is the French air-land base at Seno. Colonial Route 9 has been cut and Attapu Province, along with the Boloven Plateau, have been captured.

INTERBELLUM:
December 24, 1955 (Year of the Goat [At Mui]): China's Defense Minister notifies his North Vietnamese counterpart, General Vo Nguyen Giap, that the Chinese Military Advisory Group, which has been in North Vietnam since July 1950, has been called back to China.

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
December 24, 1964 (Year of the Dragon [Giap Thin]) (US Advisory): Saigon, the 'Young Turk' crisis: As the climate between US and South Vietnamese representatives continues to heat up both publicly and behind the scenes, a 300-pound explosive charge under the U.S. Bachelor's Officers' Quarters in the Brink Hotel near Saigon's business district is detonated at 1800, killing two Americans and injuring 50 or more Americans and South Vietnamese. It is the perfect opportunity to put into operation the joint South Vietnamese-US reprisals that have been under discussion as a compromise measure ever since Khanh's call to "go North" earlier in the year, and Ambassador Taylor argues strongly for such a move, but LBJ refuses to authorize it, and the Ambassador is instructed by Secretary Rusk to convey to the 'Young Turks' that "appropriate action" now and in the future could have been taken "if government were in stable condition...but that this impossible under current conditions or in face any pressures to revise carefully considered USG policies...In other words, without offering anything beyond terms of your instructions you could use these to their fullest to bring them around". An intensive ten-day round of meetings between the US Mission, Khanh and the 'Young Turks' begins.

December 24, 1965-January 31, 1966 (Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense/Counteroffensive): Rolling Thunder update: The bombing is halted, while the US attempts to work out a diplomatic settlement to the war.

December 24, 1966 (Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): An SAS patrol sights 50 armed VC in separate sightings northeast of Nui Toc Tien.

December 24-26, 1966 (Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Christmas Truce.

December 24, 1966 - January 2, 1967 1966 (Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): The 155th AHC relaxes and gets ready for a new year.

December 24-26, 1967 (Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): A/7/17th Cavalry conducts recon missions in VC Valley, Pleiku Province.

December 24-25, 1968 (Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase VI): Jolly Green 17 of the 40th ARRS attempts to rescue a pilot downed in Laos.

December 24, 1968 (Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase VI): Elements of the 1/9th Air Cavalry receive an estimated 75 rounds of automatic weapons fire near Quan Loi. Air strikes are called in and a search of the area reveals the bodies of seven NVA soldiers. Northeast of Tay Ninh City, elements of the 2/8th Cavalry engage six NVA soldiers who were sighted moving in a southwesterly direction. Two of the NVA are killed and the others disappear into the underbrush. One other NVA soldier is killed two miles further northeast of Tay Ninh City.

December 24, 1972 (Year of the Rat [Nham Ty]) (US Cease-Fire): Nguyen Hue/Easter Offensive: Operation Linebacker: Day Seven. Targets for the night are the Kep and the Thai Nguyen rail yards, each located some 40 miles north of Hanoi. This time, the bombers separate into two groups, approach the target from multiple directions, and fly at different altitudes while over the target areas. Only one B-52 sustains light damage from AAA. Gunner A1C Albert E. Moore shoots down a second MiG-21 after Ruby 03's strike on the Thai Nguyen rail yard, for the second of only two aerial gunner kills during the war.

THIRD INDOCHINA WAR:
December 24, 1978 (Year of the Horse [Mau Ngo]): Cambodian invasion: Having brought forward bridging equipment, PAVN starts the final phase of the invasion with a move toward Kratie.