Timeline, May 25th

[David]

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
May 25, 1965 (25th day of the 4th month, Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense): South Vietnam's President Quat reshuffles his cabinet after the abortive coup against his government, but the generals are still not very happy. During the week, VC have not been particularly active, but conduct two successful ambushes of convoys and appear to be concentrating on lines of communication around Saigon. They have also interrupted road traffic to Dalat, source of much of fruits and vegetables on Saigon market, and sabotaged several towers on transmission line carrying large part of Saigon's electricity from Danhim hydroelectric complex in Tuyen Duc Province.

May 25, 1966 (6th day of the 4th month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Australian Errol Wayne Noack becomes the first National Service conscript fatality of the war. He had arrived in Vietnam 10 days previously.

May 25, 1967 (17th day of the 4th month, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Operation Union II starts in Quang Nam and Quang Tin provinces.

May 1967 (3rd and 4th months, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): The Politburo in Hanoi meets. Concerned about the war's progress, they conclude that neither the Chinese nor the Soviets are prepared to risk a direct confrontation with the US. Taking matters into their own hands, and responding to concerns by southern Communists about continuing Viet Cong losses, they decide that the time has come for the General Offensive/General Uprising that ideology claims is the final stage of revolutionary warfare. Gen. Giap argues against it, based on his experiences in 1951 when a similar offensive was tried against the French with the loss of 9000 Communist troops, but the southern Communists outnumber Giap's supporters, and the Politburo decides to throw the big Northern divisions against American forces some time during the next year. Gen. Giap dutifully starts drawing up the plans as Gen. Thanh directs.

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): Camp Coryell, Darlac Province: At 0110 a barrage of 15 122mm rockets hits the camp, damaging seven aircraft damaged, totaling one aircraft, and injuring nine personnel.

May 25, 1968, through June 4, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month through 9th day of the 5th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): Enemy forces launch their last major offensive of the year, also known as Tet-68 III. More than 700 US soldiers and Marines are killed in action in various firefights, attacks and ambushes.

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): The start of Operation Rayburn Cane, a Bright Light raid on a VC POW camp area known to contain three America civilians plus several ARVN and Montagnards captured near Ban Me Thuot during Tet68.
MIAfacts.org review of Code Name Bright Light: The Untold Story of U.S. POW Rescue Efforts During the Vietnam War, by George J. Veith

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): Battle of FSB Coral: Two Troop C Squadron tanks move to Fire Base Balmoral.

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): The 304th NVA Division, which had been badly mauled by the 26th Marines and US air strikes during the siege of Khe Sanh, has completed its reequipment in the north after its March withdrawal and, bolstered by fresh conscripts, has returned to the Khe Sanh region; throughout early May, elements of the 304th have been attacking convoys and engaging US forces near Hills 689 and 552 as well as along Route 9. To counter this threat, the Marines decide to place a rifle company atop a low ridgeline that overlooks Route 9 to the north and the border with Laos to the west and north. Foxtrot Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines gets the assignment and moves out, climbing the ridge on May 25. They immediately establish defensive positions. Though the ridge is too long for one company to defend, it has a slight dip near its eastern end and here the Marines place their main defense, while putting a dozen men on a strategic bump of high ground, dubbed "the crow's nest," about 40 meters to the east of their main position.

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)(AR): "1st Aviation Brigade Celebrates 2nd Anniversary."

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)(AR): "Avn Bn's Medevac Saves 50"

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)(AR): "Ivy Crew Chief Chases One, Gets 12 NVA - Rocket Cache"

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)(AR): Operation Cochise Green update.

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)(AR): Operation Carentan II update.

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)(AR): Operation Toan Thang update.

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)(AR): Elements of the 2/5th Cavalry ambush the NVA north of Dong Ha.

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)(AR): Two companies of NVA attack a 4th Infantry Division firebase north of Dak To.

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)(AR): Summary of action in Quang Tin province.

May 25, 1968 (29th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV)(AR): "Gunships Kill 24 In Assault".

May 25, 1970 (21st day of the 4th month, Year of the Dog [Canh Tuat]) (US Sanctuary Counteroffensive): Cambodia: A/7/17th Scouts receive intense fire while on a recon mission.

May 25, 1971 (2nd day of the 5th month, Year of the Boar [Tan Hoi]) (US Counteroffensive, Phase VII): In Kontum Province, a small fire base is under heavy attack.

May 25, 1972 (13th day of the 4th month, Year of the Rat [Nham Ty]): Nguyen Hue/Easter Offensive: The monsoon is settling in over the Central Highlands and its first effects are starting to be felt in the Kontum-Pleiku area. The NVA knows it must either achieve a quick victory there or withdraw all its forces for refitting. Shortly after midnight, artillery fire pounds all the units of the ARVN 23d Division in the Kontum area, concentrating particularly on positions near the airfield and south of the city. At 0300, two enemy sapper battalions, with the assistance of elements already in place, begin to infiltrate the southeastern positions held by territorial forces and move into an area near the airfield as well as occupy a school house, the Catholic Seminary and the Kontum diocesan office building. From the north and northeast, enemy infantry and tanks swarm down and penetrate the city. Throughout the morning and into early afternoon, the defending division CP and artillery emplacements receive continuous incoming artillery and mortar fire, including from 155mm and 105mm howitzers captured at Tan Canh. A number of defense artillery pieces are destroyed. Shortly after noon, a tactical emergency is declared in order to divert all available tactical air and gunships to the area of Kontum city for the day. By late afternoon the enemy still holds the areas it has seized and its artillery attacks are increasing.