Timeline, May 12th

[David]

PREBELLUM - WORLD WAR II:
May 12, 1942 (28th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Horse [Nham Ngo]): The first American death during combat in Vietnam. While flying his old P-40 as a fighter-bomber in a strafing and bombing mission on Japanese positions in Hanoi, one of General Chennault's Flying Tigers, a former Navy pilot named John T. Donovan, is shot down by Japanese antiaircraft fire.

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
May 12, 1959 (5th day of the 4th month, Year of the Boar [Ky Hoi]): The US Commander in Chief, Pacific, starts sending the military advisers requested by South Vietnam.

May 12, 1961 (28th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Ox [Tau Suu]): Vice President Lyndon Johnson travels to Saigon along with the new American Ambassador Frederick Nolting, Jr., who has instructions from JFK to "get on Diem's wave-length."

May 12, 1962 (9th day of the 4th month, Year of the Tiger [Nham Dan]) (US Advisory): U.S. helicopters carry over 1,000 South Vietnamese troops to engage in a series of clashes with the Viet Cong in the Mekong River delta, about 75 miles southwest of Saigon.

May 12, 1965 (12th day of the 4th month, Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense): Rolling Thunder is suspended for the first time.

May 12, 1967 (4th day of the 4th month, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): The 161st Aviation Company provides two UH-1B gunships for a classified mission in support of Operation Prairie Fire.

May 12, 1968 (15th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): The Australians purposely site a fire base, Coral, on a major enemy trail just inside the western edge of War Zone D in an area lying east and west of Route 16 to block withdrawal and re-supply routes for Communist forces attacking Saigon during the mini-offensive. Known enemy in the area include 141 and 165 Regiments of the 7th NVA Division, 85 Main Force Regiment and a number of infiltration groups. At FSB Coral are the 1 RAR and 3 RAR with artillery support from 161 Forward Battery (NZ) and 102 Forward Battery. This base, along with fire bases Balmoral and Coogee, are attacked this date.

May 12, 1968 (15th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): Operation Toan Thang update.

May 12, 1968 (15th day of the 4th month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase IV): After two days of enemy attacks by elements of the 2d NVA Division, enemy forces have overrun the forward oupost and set up machine gun positions on the airstrip. However, in what is later termed "one of the most harrowing evacuation efforts of the Vietnam war," US forces at the camp, CIDG troops and Vietnamese dependents are extracted by air from the Kham Duc Special Forces camp in western Quang Tin Province.

May 12, 1969 (26th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Rooster [Ky Dau]) (US Tet69/Counteroffensive): The Communists launch more than 200 attacks against military and civilian targets throughout South Vietnam, the heaviest assault since the 1968 Tet offensive, including a mortar and rocket attack on FSB Gela, west of Lai Khe and battle at Tam Ky.

May 12, 1969 (26th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Rooster [Ky Dau]) (US Tet69/Counteroffensive)(Zaffiri): Operation Apache Snow update: At 0700 Skyraiders bomb and strafe the enemy positions above B/3/187 on Ap Bia/Hill 937. When they're finished, Bravo's 1st Platoon heads towards the summit again in two columns. About 200 meters from their starting point, they're hit with rockets and machine gun and small arms fire. Six men are wounded in seconds, and, soon after that, so are the platoon medic and three more men. They withdraw back to the night defensive position and call in fighter bombers, who hit the enemy positions with 500 pound bombs and napalm. Meanwhile, Charlie Company has been heading east up the ridge toward Ap Bia but is meeting small but tough resistance, which slows them down, while Delta Company is advancing from its position under sniper fire through a ravine that's nearly vertical in some areas; the men of Delta Company cover 500 meters in five hours. NVA fire is also hitting Col. Honeycutt's position, making it difficult to put his CP back together after the previous day's friendly fire. Honeycutt realizes he is not going to have Charlie and Delta companies in position for his multicompany push up Ap Bia/Hill 937 in the morning. At 1820, Charlie Company is ambushed and calls in mortars, gunships and arty. That seems to work, as the enemy flees when the Americans advance again, but in less than 100 meters, they're hit with rocket grenades again.

Meanwhile, in the northern A Shau, the NVA's K12 Sapper Battalion, an 82mm mortar battery, and elements of the same NVA 6th Regiment that, the year before, had seized the Citadel in Hue and fought US Marines and ARVN for over a month leave their bivouac in deep caves on Doi Thong Mountain and, by nightfall, have infiltrated into attack positions less than 30 meters from the concertina wire and trip flares around FSB Airborne, which is held by a 2nd Brigade company, A/2/501.

May 12, 1970 (8th day of the 4th month, Year of the Dog [Canh Tua]) (US Sanctuary Counteroffensive): Gator 362 is shot down ten miles west of Pleiku.

May 12, 1972 (29th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Rat [Nham Ty]) (US Cease-Fire): Nguyen Hue/Easter Offensive: At An Loc, the enemy attacks again but weakly. A few tanks appear and fired on the city only from standoff positions while infantry troops of both sides exchange small arms fire around the perimeter. Despite deteriorating weather, U.S. tactical air and regular B-52 strikes continue to keep the enemy off balance around the city and the day is a stalemate.

BORDER CLASHES - MAYAGUEZ INCIDENT:
May 12, 1975 (2nd day of the 4th month, Year of the Hare [At Mao]): The SS Mayaguez is seized by Khmer Rouge in the Gulf of Thailand and escorted to Koh Tang Island.