Timeline, April 23rd

[David]

FIRST INDOCHINA WAR:
April 23, 1954 (21st day of the 3rd month, Year of the Horse {Giap Ngo]) (Fall, including quotes): Dien Bien Phu: The supply team from Huguette 3 reaches the usual jump-off point for H1, 150 m away, but can go no further. At 0210, H1's captain informs HQ that "The Viet seems to be getting through all over the place," and at 0230 the last radio message from H1 comes in, urgently requesting help. When the supply team close to H1 is asked whether they can see from their vantage point if many prisoners are being taken by the Viet Minh, they reply, "No, they are surely not prisoners. It looks as if it has been a real massacre."

The enemy now controls 90% of the airfield, making air drops of reinforcements almost impossible: only 35 men arrive at the fort during the night, while 67 are lost, including the garrison of H1. At about 0900, the fort's commander overrules the objections of the other commander and Bigeard, and orders a counterattack to retake H1 by 1600. Bigeard draws up a plan in which fighter bombers and B-26s will work over the Viet Minh trench system around H1, starting at around 1345, with another four B-26s standing by at 1400 to strike targets of opportunity. As soon as they are finished, artillery and mortars will fire 1200 rounds on H1, followed by smoke shells on enemy observer posts, and the infantry attack will begin at 1425, supported by mortar fire from H2 and H5, along with Sparrowhawk's quad-50s and the last three operational tanks. This time, an exhausted Bigeard delegates command of the operation to the commander of the battalion that will be most heavily involved in the fighting and then collapses on his cot.

The counterattack starts off well. At 1400, after the Viet Minh on and around H1 have been hit hard by French firepower, the French, Legionnaires and Vietnamese paratroopers advance, but are stopped by heavy defensive fire. Their commander doesn't realize what's happening, as he is tuned in to the wrong frequency on his radio, and is not following the scene visually. The fort's commander gets Bigeard, who immediately races over to the battle HQ, identifies the problem and takes control. He calls off the attack at 1525 and orders a withdrawal, which in spite of air support is as costly as the advance was. A total of 150 men have been killed or wounded, wiping out Dien Bien Phu's last operational reserve, though the Viet Minh have lost the entire company holding H1 as well as many troops in the trenches. The battalion commander is relieved of command. The month-long battle for the three northern Huguettes is over and it will take the Viet Minh the rest of the month to replenish their front line troops and fill up their ammo stocks for another offensive.

INTERBELLUM:
April 1955 (3rd month and supplemental month, Year of the Goat [At Mui]): In South Vietnam, as the campaign against the private armies approaches a successful conclusion, Diem convenes an extralegal assembly that, obedient to his wishes, calls for the dismissal of Bao Dai, the creation of a new government headed by Diem and the prompt departure of those French officers permitted to remain in the South by the Geneva Agreements. Senator Hubert Humphrey has told his colleagues that Diem is "the best hope that we have in South Vietnam," declaring that, if it comes down to it, "it is Bao Dai who must go..."

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
End of April, 1961 (9th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Ox [Quy Mao]) (US Advisory): Laotian government crisis update: Most of the Seventh fleet, including the Coral Sea and Midway carrier battle groups, antisubmarine support carrier Kearsarge, one helicopter carrier, three groups of amphibious ships, two submarines, and three Marine battalion landing teams, is deployed off the Indochinese Peninsula preparing to initiate operations into Laos. At the same time, shore-based air patrol squadrons and another three Marine battalion landing teams stand ready in Okinawa and the Philippines to support the afloat force. Although President Kennedy has already decided against American intervention, Communist forces there halt their advance and agreed to negotiations.

April 23, 1965 (22nd day of the 3rd month, Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense): LBJ expresses concern to his advisors about the level of public and Congressional support for US policy in South Vietnam, and Dean Rusk makes a public speech describing South Vietnam's right to self defense. Before deciding on whether to approve the deployment of more ground troops, the President also wishes to know South Vietnam's views, and Ambassador Taylor meets with Prime Minister Quat to gauge his reaction, which is not enthusiastic.

April 23, 1966 (3rd day of the 3rd month (supplemental D-S), Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): The 155th AHC 155th Aviation Company relocates from Tan Canh to Pleiku to support the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division and the 23rd ARVN Division on Operation Longfellow.

April 23, 1966 (3rd day of the 3rd month (supplemental D-S), Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): After North Vietnamese pilots have undergone a nine-month stand-down for more foreign training, the MiG-21 is first flown in combat against US aircraft and almost immediately begins taking heavy losses.

April 23, 1967 (14th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Operation Manhattan begins.

April 23, 1968 (26th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): HMAS Hobart comes under fire near Ke Anh. An SAS patrol kills two VC 6 km east of Dat Do.

April 23, 1970 (18th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Dog [Canh Tuat]) (US Winter-Spring 1970): Battles of Dak Sean/LZ Tange/Dak Pek update.

April 23, 1971 (28th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Boar [Tan Hoi]) (US Counteroffensive, Phase VII): In Laos, from now through the end of the May, Vang Pao drives the enemy from Hill 1662, Hill 1798 and the Phou Phaxai Ridge with a series of feints and frontal assaults.

April 1972 (2nd and 3rd months, Year of the Rat [Nham Ty]) (US Cease-Fire): Nguyen Hue/Easter Offensive: B-52s once more hit Hamn Rong and Thanh Hoa in North Vietnam.

The 147th Vietnamese Marine Brigade returns to Quang Tri Combat Base from R&R in Hue to take over its defense, while the 258th Vietnamese Marine Brigade redeploys to Hue and its 1st Battalion remains at FSB Pedro, coming under operational control of the 147th. Meanwhile, the 57th Infantry Regiment, the 1st Armour Brigade, the 4th and the 5th Ranger Groups defend Dong Ha to the north, and also the area east of Ai Tu. The 2nd Infantry Regiment is responsible for the area south of Ai Tu to the northern bank of the Thach Han River, while the 1st Ranger Group builds the defensive line at the southern bank of the Thach Han and defends Quang Tri City By this time, the effect of four weeks of conventional warfare on ill prepared ARVN troops has taken its toll on unit discipline and effectiveness, and through the enemy's daily artillery pounding and tank attacks, the division's sector is shrinking a little more every day.

The seesaw battles between NVA and ARVN forces on the western and southwestern approaches to Hue continue without any solid gains from either side.

In the highlands, enemy artillery fire against the base complex in the Tan Canh - Dak To area has been increasing for two weeks, averaging about 1,000 rounds daily, accurately directed from high ground north and east of the Tan Canh compound and consisting of assorted calibers, from 82mm mortars to l30mm guns.

On the 23rd, the attack begins with a strong enemy force, consisting of elements of the NVA 2nd Division combined with B-3 Front units, sappers and tanks, which move against Tan Canh, defended by the ARVN 42nd Regiment, two batteries of 155mm and 105mm, one M-41 and one M-113 troop and a combat engineer company. During the attack, the enemy for the first time makes extensive use of the wire-guided AT-3 "Sagger" missile, which disables the defenders' tanks and destroys their bunkers, catching both the South Vietnamese and their U.S. advisers unprepared. One by one, the M-41 tanks positioned in defense of the division CP are hit and disabled along with several bunkers. Then the division tactical operations center takes a direct blast at 1030 hours, burns, and has to be partially evacuated. All communications equipment is destroyed by the explosion. Without control and coordination, ARVN forces inside and outside the compound must fend for themselves, and morale deteriorates rapidly. By noon, a makeshift division TOC has been established by U.S. advisers with U.S. signal equipment. This helps the division command group regain some of its composure, but the division commander is visibly distressed and declines to join the U.S. advisers at the new center, remaining at his destroyed CP with his deputy, his aide, and some staff officers.

During the afternoon, ARVN artillery units open counterbattery fire on suspected enemy gun emplacements without success. From the new center, advisers direct U.S. tactical air onto enemy targets, based on reports from regimental advisers, but bad weather and heavy enemy antiaircraft fire hinder accuracy and effect. The remainder of the day passes without significant events, but when darkness closes in enemy sappers destroy an ammunition dump near the airstrip, while enemy artillery fire meanwhile increases markedly in intensity.

A few hours before midnight, Dak To district HQ reports tanks approaching from the west. A Specter C-130 gun-ship is dispatched over the area and locates a column of 18 enemy tanks moving toward the district headquarters, engaging them with little success. At Tan Canh, reports of approaching tanks occasion a flurry of defense preparations; a major attack is apparently developing. At about midnight, reports indicate that tanks are moving south toward Tan Canh, but no action is taken to stop their advance except for a short engagement by ARVN artillery fire, which is rendered ineffective by heavy enemy counterbattery fire. The two bridges on Route QL-14 leading south toward Tan Canh are left intact.

The NVA ground push against An Loc fails, but the artillery bombardment continues. The ARVN defenders are reinforced during this period by the Vietnamese 81st Airborne Ranger Group, which is inserted by helicopter into the southern edge of the city and then moves on foot into the city where it's given the mission to defend the northern part of what remains of An Loc. The deployment of airborne rangers into first line positions and of paratroopers at the southern edge improves the city's defense, but logistics is still a problem, particularly food supplies to feed the 4,000 ARVN troops and about 6,000 civilians in the city.

Near the Mekong Delta, the battle for Kompong Trach continues. U.S. tactical air and B-52 strikes, which haven't been used in the Delta since the beginning of the year, resume in support of ARVN forces at Kompong Trach and in other areas under contest throughout MR-4, including battles between NVA and ARVN forces at Kien Tuong, at the Elephant's Foot and in Dinh Tuoung. ARVN forces are overextended in IV Corps because some of their elements have been redeployed to III Corps in support of An Loc, and IV Corps is facing strong enemy pressure from bases in Cambodia. Consequently, ARVN readjusts the tactical areas of responsibility over the entire border area with its mobile and border ranger units, to include a ranger group just released from its reinforcement mission in MR-1. The 9th Division (-)takes over responsibility for all the provinces in the Hau Giang (Bassac) area while the 7th Division is given responsibility for the Tien Giang (Mekong) area with the majority of its effort concentrated north of Route QL-4.