Timeline, May 20th

[David]

INTERBELLUM:
May 20, 1955 (29th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Goat [At Mui]): Operation Passage to Freedom ends. During the nine-month sea lift, the US Navy at the request of the French government has evacuated some 293,000 people who have chosen to leave North Vietnam for the south after the 1954 Geneva Accords. As well, the American flotilla has carried south 8,135 vehicles and 68,757 tons of cargo, much of it material provided to the French under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program.

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
May 20, 1966 (1st day of the 4th month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): The US Navy establishes Mine Squadron 11, Detachment Alpha at Nha Be, under Commander Task Force 116. From 1966 until mid-1968, the minesweeping detachment will operate 12 or 13 minesweeping boats (MSB) reactivated in the United States and shipped to Southeast Asia. The 57-foot, fiberglass-hulled vessels are armed with machine guns and grenade launchers and carry surface radars and minesweeping gear for clearing explosives from the key waterways.

May 20, 1967 (12th day of the 4th month, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (U.S. Counteroffensive, Phase II): In Kontum Province, Company C, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, comes under fire.

May 20-21, 1968 (24th and 25th days of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): Operation Nevada Eagle update.

May 20, 1969 (5th day of the 4th month, Year of the Rooster [Ky Dau]) (US Tet69/Counteroffensive)(Zaffiri): Ap Bia/Hill 937: The four-battalion assault pushes off at 1000 after two hours of the most intense prep fire against the mountain to date. The 2/501 forms a skirmish line and starts climbing the nearly vertical northeast face of Ap Bia; to their left, the 2/3 ARVN starts up the equally steep southeastern face. The 1/506 continues its three-pronged push to top the southern mountain and ridge and attack Ap Bia.

The 3/187th and their attached A/2/506th start off on three different axes, but at the base of the mountain form a long skirmish line and starts forward abreast up the western face of the mountain. Honeycutt is in an LOH overhead ready to direct supporting air and arty strikes, but his men on the ground encounter no fire. At 1010, all three companies reach the first enemy bunker line and find it deserted. They methodically destroy or seal the bunkers with grenades and satchel charges and continue on. By 1030, they are only 100 meters from the crest and are closing on the second bunker line, where there is also no sign of enemy presence. But ten minutes later, 10-15 NVA materialize out of a trench and attack Charlie Company's front with RPGs and grenades, wounding seven men. The Americans answer with a grenade shower and rifle fire, pinning the enemy in the trench, but the NVA start rolling grenades down on them, and four more men are wounded. Honeycutt tells Charlie Company not to stop for the wounded but to keep advancing. Now, intense fire from the bunker line pins them down, but this time Charlie's men bust the bunkers with recoilless rifles and grenade launchers. By 1145, the first platoon from Charlie Company reaches the mountain top, where it is pinned down by NVA dug in all over the area. However, other Charlie Company platoons are coming up now, through heavy fire, and as the Americans start reaching the crest in two's and three's, most of the NVA start to desert their positions, running down the western face and out to Laos. But two platoons of Bravo Company are waiting for them along the western escape route and, for the next two hours, Bravo will be in almost constant contact as the enemy pours off Ap Bia.

Charlie Company digs in, but its position is doubtful, if the NVA counterattacks, so Alpha Company, which is fighting bunkers 50 meters below the crest, is ordered up. They start to advance but shortly after noon get pinned down, and the NVA above them start rolling grenades at them; at the same time, the remaining NVA at the crest attack Charlie Company's right flank. However, galvanized by individuals charges of Sp. 4 Johnny Jackson in 3rd Platoon and Sp. 4 Michael Vallone (scroll down to 20 May 1969) Alpha Company charges and links up with Charlie Company at the top of Ap Bia, where two platoons of NVA are still in trenches, tunnels, bunkers and spider holes.

Meanwhile, B/1/506 has taken heavy casualties from an enemy ambush on the mountain south of Ap Bia. A/1/506 sends some men to their aid and reaches the southern edge of Ap Bia at 1500 after a hard two-hour fight. They link up with the 2/3 ARVN and dig in. Earlier in the day, the ARVN had run after two of their advisors who were wounded, but their officers rallied them and they have been fighting well for two hours, destroying dozens of bunkers on the southwest face of the mountain and killing ten NVA. The 2/501, looking for payback from the attack on FSB Airborne, has yet to encounter a single enemy troop and is waiting on the northeast face. At 1405, the 2/501st gets its chance as the final push begins, with the three battalions maintaining blocking positions around the mountain while Honeycutt's men flush out the remaining enemy on the top. By 1655, the fight is drawing to a close. The Americans find the mountain is honeycombed with deep tunnels interconnected with a giant hospital, a regimental CP and numerous huge storage areas containing 152 individual and 25 crew-served weapons, 75,000 rounds of ammo, thousands of mortar and RPG rounds, and over ten tons of rice. The official count of enemy dead is 633 (692 in some reports), but some military sources add figures from Laos that bring the total up as high as 1100. The Americans have lost a total of 70 dead and 372 wounded, not counting casualties during the attack at FSB Airborne.

May 20, 1970 (16th day of the 4th month, Year of the Dog [Canh Tuat]) (US Sanctuary Counteroffensive): About 2,500 South Vietnamese, supported by U. S. advisors and air attacks, open a new front in Cambodia west of the Special Forces camp at Duc Lap in Quang Doc Province.

May 20, 1972 (8th day of the 4th month, Year of the Rat [Nham Ty]) (US Cease-Fire): Nguyen Hue/Easter Offensive: The NVA have been putting pressure on Kontum city's defenses all week, but the dent made this date into the sector of the 53d Regiment is particularly serious and warrants the commitment of M- 41 tanks held by the division in reserve, which stops the assault. Elsewhere, ARVN artillery and U.S. Cobra gun-ships, B-52's and VNAF Spooky gun-ships repulse enemy assaults and penetrations.

South of An Loc, the 141st Regiment, 7th NVA Division begins a three-day unsuccessful attack against the new ARVN firebase at Tan Khai.

BORDER CLASHES - OTHER:
May 20, 1975 (10th day of the 4th month, Year of the Hare [At Mao]): Savannakhet falls to the Pathet Lao.