Timeline, October 4th

[David]

FIRST INDOCHINA WAR:
October 1949 (Year of the Ox [Ky Suu]): Dinassaut 3, based at Nam Dinh in the north, conducts Operation Anthracite in Phat Diem region.

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
October 4, 1965 (Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense): Operation Hopscotch begins.

October 4, 1966 (Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): 2/20 ARA flies 57.55 hours on 47 separate missions as divisional units range throughout the AO. C Battery fires a mission against VC in the open and receives credit for 30 KIA. This is a cover mission for a downed H-13 and both crew members are rescued.

October 4, 1966 (Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Operation Bathurst update: An SAS recon patrol locates an enemy camp on the western slopes of Nui Thi Vai. Result 1 VC KIA. The patrol contacts six VC the next morning, killing one, and then it extracts from the area.

October 4, 1967 (Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase III): Operation Prairie update: At Mutter's Ridge, US Marines conduct a frontal assault on Hill 484, but are stopped by NVA soldiers tossing grenades from the upper slope. The Marines pull back while air and artillery pound the hill.

October 4, 1967 (Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase III): Operation Wallowa begins in Quang Nam and Quang Tri provinces with a series of air assaults.

October 1967 (Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase III): Since mid-September, reports from significant problem areas and intelligence reports of the allied military forces, the Vietnamese Rangers, and the Special Forces all indicate that the Viet Cong are making preparations for a large ground assault in Loc Ninh District. In early October allied intelligence places the time of the attack between November 22 and November 30.

October 4, 1967 (Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase III): The siege at Con Thien is broken.

October 4, 1968 (Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase V): The Khe Sanh Combat Base is reopened to provide artillery positions for ongoing operations.

October 4, 1968 (Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase V): At 0220, Camp Coryell is hit with 40 rounds of 60mm mortar and four B-40 rockets. A two-man enemy sapper team infiltrates the outer western perimeter but is detected as they are trying to cut the inner fence.

October 4, 1968 (Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase V): A/7/17th Cavalry Scouts assist in a cordon-and-search operation.

October 1972 (Year of the Rat [Nham Ty] (US Cease-Fire): Nguyen Hue/Easter Offensive: The NVA makes the first and only use of its Soviet Ilyushin Il-28 bombers when two of them attack the northern Laotian garrison at Bouamlong. A dozen civilians are killed, but little other damage is done to the base.