Timeline, November 21st

[David]

FIRST INDOCHINA WAR:
November 21, 1951 (Year of the Hare [Tan Mao]): Hoa Binh campaign: General Giap orders the 304 Division and the 312 Division to move against Hoa Binh. General de Lattre, meanwhile, anticipating hard fighting in the region in spite of the ease of the initial capture of Hoa Binh, has divided the area into three sectors, all manned with elite forces: the Colonial Route 6 sector, organized around Mobile Group 2 and covering critical terrain along the road from Xuan Mai to Xom Pheo; the Black River sector, manned by Mobile Group 7, which holds critical points between La Phu and Tu Vu; and the Hoa Binh sector, structured around Mobile Group 3, holding the town, the airfield and the ferry points. The Black River and Colonial Route 6 sectors each include a certain number of company-size outposts, backed up by "fireballs" and mobile reaction forces, whose mission is to keep the lines of communication clear. The Hoa Binh sector's mission is to establish and maintain a center of fortified resistance on both sides of the Black River and a forward defense of the Hoa Binh depression, centered around the Hoa Binh airfield. Forces within Hoa Binh include the 3rd Battalion, 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (3/13th DBLE) to the south, with the 2nd Colonial Paratroop Battalion (2 BPC) in reserve. Mobile Group 3, consisting of the 1st and 2nd Muong battalions and a platoon of automatic weapons carriers, is on the move throughout the sector, receiving support from a platoon of Chaffee (M-26) light tanks, three 105mm artillery batteries and an engineer company.

November 1952 (Year of the Dragon [Nham Thin]): Viet Minh assault in the highlands update: The Viet Minh 308 Division is on the way to assault CEFEO forces gathered at the Na-San airstrip.

November 21, 1953 (Year of the Snake [Quy Ti]): Operation Castor update: At 0600, civilian air crews, made up of bush pilots familiar with Indochina, are briefed and the day's drops of men and freight begin, under the protection of big four-engine Privateers of the French Navy Squadron 28F, which cover the approaches to the valley, as well as the smaller B-26s and Bearcats, which aid Bigeard's paratroopers as they pursue elements of the retreating Viet Minh Regiment 148 on the ground. At 0800, the 1st Foreign Legion Parachute Battalion (1 BEP) jumps in, along with the commander of GAP2, Lt. Colonel Pierre Langlais who injures his ankle and has to be evacuated; he will return. During the day, the Airborne Battle Group N2 and Command HQ for the whole Dien Bien Phu operation under General Gilles also are dropped, as are 656 men of the 8th Colonial Parachute Battalion, who immediately start work on the airfield. Transport aircraft also fill the sky above the valley, making the first freight drops at DZ Octavie (which is located south of the personnel drop zones of Natasha and Simone for safety reasons) of a total of 190 tons of cargo that will arrive over this day and the next, including two seven-ton bulldozers, one of which slips free of its 9000 square foot chute and crashes. The other dozer lands safely and is also put to work filling in the holes on the air strip.

Meanwhile, the 700-man force withdrawing toward Dien Bien Phu from the now abandoned airhead of Lai Chau, 60 miles to the north, starts to come under attack by other elements of Regiment 148.

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
November 21, 1965 (Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense): A C-123 crashes one mile short of the runway at Da Nang.

November 21, 1965 (Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense): Operation New Life update (?): US and 1 RAR forces begin Operation New Life-65. 1 RAR's mission, acting as a maneuver element of the 173rd Brigade, is to clear, develop and maintain a key section of road within the brigade AO (a total of four successive AOs ranging from 43 to 82 square km will be assigned to 1 RAR) together with the conduct of associated search, control and destroy operations. The overall strategy is denial of VC access to the rice harvest, and restoring to government control an area generally under VC domination since late 1964. The brigade AO is centered on the rice-growing areas of the La Nga Valley, in the vicinity of Vo Dat and Vo Xu in Binh Tuy Province, 80 km east-northeast of Bien Hoa Airbase. Results for 1 RAR: Casualties: own: one died of wounds, one WIA; VC: KIA 8, wounded/escaped 8, prisoners: 86. 134 tonnes of rice removed, or destroyed where removal impracticable.

November 21, 1966 (Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): The U.S. 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, is ambushed on the road from Long Binh to Xuan Loc by the 274th (Dong Nai) Regiment of the VC 5th Division.

November 21, 1966 (Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Operation Attleboro update: During daylight hours elements of 1/5th (Mech) conduct local patrols and perform maintenance of equipment. Company B remains to secure the LZ for the airlifting of an artillery battery into the new fire base.

Company A establishes a company base, and from this location, sends out foot patrols to the north and southeast, who discover a foot bridge that can handle traffic by heavily loaded ox carts and a docking site that can handle ten sampans at one time. A recently used VC base camp is also found, and two AT mines and two CBU bomblets there are destroyed. An APC is hit by an AT weapon, believed to be an RPG-2, at 1413 hours, with two WIA's sustained and evacuated. The company returns fire with .50 cal machine guns and M79s in suspected locations, then calls in and adjusts artillery fire throughout the area, after which Company A, 1/5th (Mech) returns to the battalion base, closing at 1638 hours.

At 0800, Company C, on patrol northwest of the battalion base, finds a 75-foot roll of #4 gauge wire and fresh tracks (foot, boots and bicycles) on an east-to-west trail in the area. A search discloses a VC base area, consisting of a bunker/tunnel trench complex which can handle up to 500 VC. The structures are old but have been recently used. The area is then saturated with artillery fire, and Company C makes a deep penetration into the area but finds nothing of significance. A house and two bunkers are destroyed -- found within the structures and also destroyed are nine Chicom grenades, 500 pounds of rice, 100 pounds of peas and 100 pounds of salt. Miscellaneous documents are recovered from the area. At 1644 hours small arms fire is received, wounding one soldier. The Americans return fire, but with no results, and Company C then returns to the battalion base. During darkness, the company sets one ambush, which takes three rounds of small arms fire at 2140. 81mm mortar fire is called in on the VC location and a secondary explosion is observed. The ambush returns to base at 0630 hours.

November 21, 1966 (Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Operation Paul Revere IV update: Two platoons of the US 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry make heavy contact with the enemy, including the 101C Regiment of the 10th NVA Division, south of Duc Co; only one American, badly wounded, survives; the enemy leaves nearly 150 dead on the battlefield.

November 21, 1967 (Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase III): Operation Macarthur update/battle of Dak To: On Hill 875, the NVA fire on the Americans, who are only 100 m away, from bunkers and attack with mortars.

B/1/503 engages a small enemy force near the fire base at Hill 882, resulting in 2 US WIAs. C/1/503 finds two dead NVA in the afternoon.

November 21, 1968 (Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase VI): Operation Meade River update: American forces are reinforced. The NVA engage the Americans as they maneuver on the flanks and, because of close quarters, coordinating supporting fire is difficult. Various factors halt the Marine attack.

November 21, 1968 (Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase VI): B/7/17 Cavalry is conducting a visual recon some 35 miles northwest of Phan Thiet when a Loach (LOH) is shot down. All available aircraft are scrambled.

November 20, 1970 (Year of the Dog [Canh Tuat]) (US Counteroffensive Phase VII): Son Tay Raid update: Heavy attacks by U. S. aircraft are carried out in North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia while a commando raid is mounted on the Son Tay prison camp. No prisoners are rescued as the camp is empty.

November 21, 1974 (Year of the Tiger [Giap Dan]): The NVA 205 Regiment begins probing ARVN defenses at the Kien Duc road junction as it continues its push from Bu Prang to take the Doan Van Bridge.