Timeline, April 12th

[David]

April 12, 1945 (1st day of the 3rd month, Year of the Rooster [At Dau]): FDR dies, and U.S. policy toward the colonial possessions of its allies, and toward Indochina in particular, is in disarray.

FIRST INDOCHINA WAR:
April 12, 1954 (10th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Horse [Giap Ngo]) (Fall): Dien Bien Phu: After a night of hand-to-hand fighting on E1, the Viet Minh begin to roll back down the eastern slopes at 0700, pursued by the fort's mortars and artillery. While the French retain control of E1, their losses are so heavy that the 154 new arrivals of the night before merely make up for them and don't represent an overall increase of strength. At 1130, a French Privateer bomber is hit by enemy AA fire northwest of Anne-Marie and disintegrates. Surviving crew members are taken prisoner by the Viet Minh. At 1200, a B-26 divebombs Sparrowhawk by mistake, damaging the strongpoint.

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
April 12, 1964 (1st day of the 3rd month, Year of the Dragon [Giap Thin]) (US Advisory): Two crew members of an armed 121st AVN ship are wounded while supporting an assault near Kein Long, several aircraft receive hits. Four 4 CH-21's of the 121st are also called to evacuate 160 wounded civilian and 43 ARVN paratroopers near Ca Mau.

April 12, 1966 (22nd day of the 3rd month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): In South Vietnam, the National Political Congress convenes, with almost 120 out of 168 invited delegates attending.

April 12, 1966 (22nd day of the 3rd month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): B-52s bomb North Vietnam for the first time, hitting the Mu Gia Pass.

April 12, 1967 (3rd day of the 3rd month, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Task Force Oregon is activated in I Corps, and includes Army units that were transferred from III and II Corps, among them the 196th Infantry Brigade, which was pulled out of Operation JUNCTION CITY, and the 3d Brigade, With Infantry Division, which had been operating in II Corps, together with the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Army infantry units are now operating in all four of South Vietnam's corps areas.

April 12, 1968 (15th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): 155th AHC conducts a number of combat assaults in II Corps.

April 12, 1972 (29th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Rat [Nham Ty]) (US Cease-Fire): Nguyen Hue/Easter Offensive: In Military Region 1, the ARVN commander, buoyed by the recent repulses of NVA attacks, starts planning a counteroffensive to reestablish the former line of defense in the west by launching an all-out attack to regain, phase line by phase line, such bases as Cam Lo, Camp Carroll and Mai Loc. At the same time, participating units will to clear all enemy elements from their zones of advance before moving on to the next phase line. The operation will be called Quang Trung 729; Quang Trung was the imperial name of Nguyen Hue. Despite almost continuously bad weather during the month of April, US air support is substantial and contributes initially to slowing down the advance of enemy forces and eventually stalling it altogether. B-52 strikes also increase remarkably during this period, averaging in excess of 30 missions a day. These strikes caused the most damage and greatest losses to enemy support activities.

In Quang Tri Province, a forward air controller spots a missing downed pilot, and the leader of the team that has been trying to rescue the pilot since the 10th goes out with one Vietnamese, both dressed as fisherman and using a sampan. After an all-night search, they locate the pilot, who is injured. With the man aboard and covered with bamboo and vegetation, the two disguised men start the return trip back to the forward base. They elude a North Vietnamese patrol only to come under heavy machine gun fire as they near the base. The SEAL calls in an air strike, which provides suppression fire and a smokescreen, allowing the them to get the pilot back to the base safely.

Helicopter operations for An Loc cease after a VNAF CH-47 is shot down by antiaircraft fire; VNAF C-123s continue to deliver supplies. Another Loc Ninh survivor, the district chief, makes it to An Loc, soon followed by his senior adviser. There are more skirmishes on the perimeter; by nightfall, it's clear that a major NVA attack is imminent. B-52 strikes are planned in depth around the city.

April 12, 1975 (2nd day of the 3rd month, Year of the Hare [At Mao]): Phnom Penh: In the early morning hours, Amphibious Ready Group Alpha is ordered to execute Operation Eagle Pull. At 0745 local time, Okinawa begins launching helicopters in three waves to carry the 360-man Marine ground security force to the landing zone. One hour later, after traversing 100 miles of hostile territory, the initial wave sets down near the embassy and the Marines quickly establish a defensive perimeter. Within the next two hours, U.S. officials assemble the evacuees and quickly load them on Okinawa and Hancock helicopters. Because many already have left Cambodia by other means, the evacuees number only 276: 159 Cambodian, 35 other nationals, and 82 Americans, including US Ambassador John Gunther Dean, who boards carrying a folded American flag. By 1041 all the evacuees have been lifted out, and little more than one-half hour later, the ground security force also is airborne and heading out to sea. At 1224 all aircraft and personnel are safely on board Amphibious Ready Group Alpha ships. Although one Khmer Rouge 75mm shell had landed near the embassy landing zone, no casualties were suffered during the entire operation. Meanwhile, on the ground, resistance continues at Phnom Penh and at several outlying enclaves, supported by US C-130 para-drops.