Timeline, March 26th

[David]

FIRST INDOCHINA WAR:
March 1950 (1st and 2nd months, Year of the Tiger [Canh Dan]): In a show of support for the anti-Communist stance of the French and the French Union, the US Navy's Seventh Fleet commander, with the destroyers Stickell and Richard B. Anderson, visit Saigon, while 60 naval planes from Boxer overfly the city.

March 26, 1954 (22nd day of the 2nd month, Year of the Horse [Giap Ngo]): Dien Bien Phu: The fort's 155's take out three of four howitzers in the Communist battery that the French call "YJ," situated 2 km east of Isabelle. A transport plane is shot down west of Huguette in the evening, but its crew is saved. With Viet Minh trenches closing in on Huguette 6, two companies reinforced by two full tank platoons counterattack to fill them in.

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
March 26, 1965 (24th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense): Rolling Thunder update: A 70-plane strike concentrates on radar sites.

March 26, 1965 (24th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense): The National Security Council devotes an entire meeting to the situation in Vietnam. Ambassador Taylor in late March relays Gen. Westmoreland's request for more troops to the President, who is still hesitating over an increased American commitment and will approve only the two Marine battalions for air base protection. Taylor convinces LBJ to adopt an "enclave strategy", with which Westmoreland disagrees, in which enclaves around air bases and ports will limit troop commitment while at the same time demonstrate US will to stand by South Vietnam. The President also agrees that Americans can patrol to a depth of up to 50 miles outside the enclaves in order to forestall an enemy concentration with aggressive intent.

March 25, 1966 (4th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Operation Fillmore begins in Phu Yen Province.

March 25, 1966 (4th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Operation Lincoln begins in Pleiku Province.

March 26, 1966 (4th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Operation Jackstay, the war's first major action in the Rung Sat, begins. US Navy-Marine PBR units, including one section from Tortuga, minesweeping boats from Nha Be, SEALs and helicopters combine with other U.S. and South Vietnamese units to attack the Viet Cong in the area that surrounds the vital shipping channel to Saigon. 69 VC will be captured or killed, though most enemy units will evade the search; the allies temporarily disrupt operations in the Viet Cong base area.

March 26, 1966 (4th day of the 3rd month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Operation Su Bok begins in Binh Dinh Province.

March 26, 1967 (16th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Operation Junction City update: The 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry (the Blue Spaders), is alerted to prepare for an assault deeper into War Zone C and near the Cambodian border.

March 26, 1967 (16th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Operation Beacon Hill I update: A platoon of Company C, 1/4th Marines, 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade, 3rd Marine Division is in heavy combat at close range with the Viet Cong in the jungle.

March 26, 1967 (16th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): III MAF is ordered to prepare a plan for locating, constructing, and occupying a strongpoint obstacle system south of the DMZ to prevent the North Vietnamese from infiltrating through that zone into South Vietnam. III MAF eventually begins building this strongpoint system later in the year while under fire by North Vietnamese artillery. This anti-infiltration effort, also known as Dye Marker and Project Nine, is called "McNamara's Wall" by the media. A series of strongpoints are sited so as to force infiltrators into 'corridors' where they can be located and destroyed by American planes, arty and infantry.

March 1968 (2nd and 3rd months, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Tet Counteroffensive): Ten armored troop carriers, three monitors, and one command and control boat of River Assault Division 112 deploy to I Corps and support allied ground troops with gunfire on the Cua Viet and Perfume Rivers.

March 26, 1968 (28th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Tet Counteroffensive): Operation Bold Dragon III begins in Mekong Delta.

March 26, 1968 (28th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Tet Counteroffensive): The 155th AHC supports the Phu Bon Province MACV Team.

March 26, 1969 (9th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Rooster [Ky Dau]) (US Tet69/Counteroffensive): 20 SOS of the USAF sees action in Laos.

March 26, 1969 (9th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Rooster [Ky Dau]) (US Tet69/Counteroffensive): Operation Montana Mauler update; the Battle for Hill 208.

BORDER CLASHES -- OTHER:
March 26, 1976 (26th day of the 2nd month, Year of the Dragon [Binh Thin]): Henry Kissinger announces that the US is "in principle" prepared to normalize relations with Vietnam.