Timeline, July 16th

[David]

PREBELLUM:
July 16, 1945 (8th day of the 6th month, Year of the Rooster [At Dau]): Seven American OSS officers, known as the Deer Team, parachute into Ho Chi Minh's jungle headquarters in the Tan Trao area north of Hanoi to train the Viet Minh, equip them with explosives and small arms, and provide medical assistance to Ho Chi Minh, who is quite ill at the time (perhaps with malaria). In return, the Vietnamese help rescue downed American pilots.

FIRST INDOCHINA WAR:
July 1952 (5th and 6th months, Year of the Dragon [Nham Thin]): For the most part, activity between the Viet Minh and the French is limited to guerrilla encounters. The Viet Minh are bringing their divisions up to full strength and concentrating on training with new weapons received from China, while the French are planning an all-out fall offensive. They get some American supplies: small arms, artillery, trucks, amphibious vehicles, M26 tanks, and Douglas C-47 Skytrain planes, but the Vietnamese National Army has a shortage of officers and many desertions among troops serving outside their home areas, and General Salan now has insufficient French troops to conduct his planned offensive.

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
July 16, 1962 (15th day of the 6th month, Year of the Tiger [Nham Dan]) (US Advisory): Intelligence report on Communist infiltration into South Vietnam from Laos.

July 16, 1965 (18th day of the 6th month, Year of the Snake [At Ti]) (US Defense): During a discussion between high-level American and South Vietnamese officials in Saigon, General Thang reports that said that the situation in I Corps and IV Corps is relatively good. In IV Corps initiative rests with South Vietnam because of the aggressive spirit of the troops and a terrain adapted to helicopter and M-113 operations. In I Corps the situation is relatively good and could be improved if the U.S. Marines were committed more actively to search and destroy operations. II Corps is considered as critical because of the introduction of the entirety of the 325th NVA Division. Thang says that the JGS has now confirmed all regiments of the NVA 325th Division were now in South Vietnam. He therefore requests that the U.S. dispatch a U.S. Assault Division to help meet this critical situation. He notes that the situation in III Corps is not good. The 5th Division is low both in morale and effective strength because of the recent series of battles with the VC. The GVN would like to have the 1st U.S. Infantry Division assigned to this area after the U.S. Assault Division is in place in the highlands. Thang foresees a series of large engagements and VC attacks in the immediate weeks ahead.

July 16, 1966 (28th day of the 5th month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Operation Sydney II begins, a battalion cordon-and-search of the hamlet of Duc My, 1 square km in area with a perimeter of nearly 4 km, and population about 500, part of the Xa Binh Ba village complex on Route 2 north of 1ATF base; followed by a search-and-destroy operation in AO Purple of 6 square km immediately east southeast of Duc My. Undulating terrain with rubber plantations and hamlets astride Route 2, beyond these mainly jungle and clear forest. A number of VC are believed to frequent Duc My/Binh Ba, a VC controlled area, and indications are that the area of AO Purple is an area of VC activity. Casualties: VC: KIA 4, wounded/escaped 2, PW 4 including WIA 3, detained as suspects 15.

July 16, 1966 (28th day of the 5th month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Viet Cong attack VNQDD headquarters in Tam Ky, killing a number of party members and seriously wounding the leading VNQDD candidate, who sends word from the hospital that he still plans to run.

July 16, 1966 (28th day of the 5th month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): A SAS four-man patrol locates a ten-man VC camp 2 km east of Long Tan. The SAS assault the camp and destroy it. Result: 3 VC KIA and documents and weapons captured.

July 16, 1966 (28th day of the 5th month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Operation Hastings update; more information. Company K of the 3/4-4th Marines is still holding the enemy position it seized on the 15th. During the night of the 16th, an enemy battalion attacks. It is close-quarter fighting and the major in command is wounded but continues to be where the fighting is heaviest, providing critically needed ammo to an exposed element of his men and directing artillery fire to within a few meters of his position; the enemy is repulsed.

July 16, 1966 (28th day of the 5th month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Operation Deckhouse II begins.

July 16, 1966 (28th day of the 5th month, Year of the Horse [Binh Ngo]) (US Counteroffensive): Operation Brisbane begins, a battalion search-and-destroy operation in an AO of 19 square km, directed at the suspected location of elements of an NVA battalion concentrated in an area at the foot of the southwest slopes of Nui Dinh, some 4 km north of Route 15; the area is regarded as a VC stronghold of long duration. Results are nil.

July 1967 (5th and 6th months, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): The first of six mechanized landing craft that are specially configured to sweep mines arrive at the USN's Mine Squadron 11, Detachment Alpha base at Nha Be.

July 16, 1967 (5th and 6th months, Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase II): Operation Kingfisher begins.

July 15-19, 1969 (2nd through 6th dates, 6th month, Year of the Rooster [Ky Dau]) (US Tet69/Counteroffensive): Operation Kentucky Jumper update: The platoon of Tiger Force Recon Company E, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, now led by its sergeant after its leader was seriously wounded, continues the attack on the strong enemy position in the A Shau.

ONGOING OPERATIONS:
SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
July 1972 (5th and 6th months, Year of the Rat [Nham Ty]) (US Cease-Fire): Nguyen Hue/Easter Offensive:
- Operation Lam Son 72 (6/28-9/16/72) (18th day of the 5th month through 9th day of the 8th month): In Thua Thien Province, ARVN 1st Division troops at FSB Checkmate are subjected to heavy enemy attacks during which the fire base is overrun and retaken several times during the month; the South Vietnamese Airborne Division and Marines continue advancing on Quang Tri City; the three provinces south of the Hai Van Pass were able to maintain reasonable control despite the low strength of friendly forces.
- The Chu Pao Pass area is cleared and the highway between Kontum and Pleiku opens to commercial traffic in early July. However, the enemy continues to harass traffic with sporadic attacks by fire and Route QL-14, although open, remains insecure.
- A total of six enemy regiments are reported in northern Dinh Tuong Province, about 65 km southwest of Saigon. After taking Kompong Trabek, NVA forces, probably elements of the 9th Division, supported by local Khmer Rouge units, are tightening control over Route QL-l from the Parrot's Beak area to Neak Luong on the Mekong River. By July 2 (22nd day), only two towns in the area remain under National Khmer control, Neak Luong and Svay Rieng. The series of heavy engagements between the NVA and South Vietnamese troops in the Elephant's Foot area in Military Region 4 continue; NVA continues to put pressure on QL-4, the supply route between the Delta's rice bowl and the nation's capital, while launching a series of coordinated attacks on the towns of Sam Giang, Cai Be and Cai Lay in Dinh Tuong Province from mid-May through mid-July; the attacks are driven back by territorial forces with strong support from U.S. tactical air and helicopter gunships.

THIRD INDOCHINA WAR:
July 1979 (6th month and supplemental month, Year of the Goat (Ky Mui]): The Vietnamese have consolidated control over all major Cambodian towns and cities. PAVN forces in Cambodia reach a high of 224,000 in 1979, and then stabilize at an average of 170,000 to 180,000 troops, including 11 combat divisions. Up to eight divisions operate along the border in the dry season (December to June) and pull back to established garrisons during the rainy season (July to November).

July 1981 (6th and 7th months, Year of the Rooster [Tan Dau]): The beginning of the rainy season forces the Vietnamese to pull back from the border town of Pailin, which they have occupied since May in response to Khmer Rouge advances at Phnom Malai.

July 1982 (5th and 6th months, Year of the Dog [Nham Tuat]): Some 20,000 PAVN troops are sent home in the first major troop rotation since 1978. Taking their place are fresh troops, many of them southern draftees sent to complete basic training in the forward bases of understrength divisions.

July 1983 (5th and 6th months, Year of the Boar [Quy Hoi]): The Khmer Rouge increase their attacks on PAVN garrisons during the rainy season.

June-July 1984 (5th, 6th and 7th months, Year of the Rat [Giap Ty]): PAVN rotates its troops again, sending home three brigades and replacing these with an estimated 14,000 fresh troops, many of whom are sent to reinforce the weakned 5th Division.

July 1985 (5th and 6th months, Year of the Ox [At Suu]): This year as the rainy season begins ten PAVN combat divisions remain in Cambodia, all of them understrength, some with as few as 5000 troops. Meanwhile, the non-Communist resistance is recovering from PAVN's most recent dry season offensive.

July 1986 (5th and 6th months, Year of the Tiger [Binh Dan]): During this summer, PAVN withdraws Divisional Group 98 from Cambodia, replacing some of the troops with fresh men.

July 1988 (5th and 6th months, Year of the Dragon [Mau Thin]): PAVN has moved the bulk of its combat troops inland, with PRK Cambodian troops increasingly deployed on the border.