Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 14:29, 12 July 2020

1970 in the Vietnam War
← 19691971 →
Blueboy assault group aboard Banana HH-3E at the start of Operation Ivory Coast
Location Vietnam
Belligerents
Anti-Communist forces:  South Vietnam  United States  South Korea  Australia  Philippines  New Zealand Khmer Republic  Thailand Kingdom of Laos Republic of China	Communist forces:  North Vietnam Viet Cong Khmer Rouge Pathet Lao  People's Republic of China  Soviet Union
Strength
South Vietnam: 968,000 United States: 335,790 South Korea: 48,540 Thailand: 11,570 Australia: 6800 Philippines: 70 New Zealand: 440
Casualties and losses
US: 6,081 killed South Vietnam: 23,346 Killed	Unknown

January

19 January to 22 July

The 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division launched Operation Green River in Quảng Trị Province. The operation results in 106 People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) soldiers killed and 37 U.S. killed.

February

19 February

In the Son Thang massacre five U.S. Marines killed five Vietnamese women and 11 children in Sơn Thắng, Quế Sơn District. Four of the Marines were charged with murder, two were acquitted and two convicted but only served sentences of one year.

March

12 March

On 12 March, Cambodian prime minister Lon Nol closed the port of Sihanoukville to the North Vietnamese and demanded that all PAVN and Vietcong (VC) forces withdraw from Cambodian soil within 72 hours (on 15 March) or face military action.

18 March

The Cambodian National Assembly voted to remove head of state Prince Norodom Sihanouk from power with Lon Nol taking the powers of the Head of State on an emergency basis.

23 March

Norodom Sihanouk on Beijing radio called for a general uprising against Lon Nol.

26 March

North Vietnam refused an offer by South Vietnam for the release and repatriation of 343 wounded or ill prisoners of war, declaring that there were no members of the PAVN in the south. The North Vietnamese representatives at the Paris Peace Talks asserted that the captives were, instead, "illegally arrested patriots" from among South Vietnamese citizens rebelling against the Saigon government.

April

1 April

199th Infantry Brigade commander Brigadier General William R. Bond is killed by sniper fire in Bình Thủy District.

1 April to 5 September

Operation Texas Star was a military operation of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 1st Division against PAVN logistics routes and bases in the A Shau Valley and the mountains east of the valley. The operation culminated in the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord. The operation resulted in 1,782 PAVN killed and 5 captured, U.S. losses were 386 killed and ARVN losses were 370 killed.

4 April

A group of 50,000 demonstrators picketed in Washington D.C. in the "March for Victory", organized by fundamentalist radio evangelist Carl McIntire. The marchers, mostly middle-aged white Americans, protested President Nixon's decision to reduce the American commitment rather than to take the war into North Vietnam.

5 April

Photojournalist Gilles Caron disappeared on Highway 1 in Cambodia. He was the first of 25 journalists to disappear in this Khmer Rouge/PAVN controlled area between 5 April and 28 October 1970.

6 April

Photojournalists Sean Flynn and Dana Stone disappeared on Highway 1 in Cambodia. Later investigations revealed that they were captured by the PAVN and then handed over to the Khmer Rouge who executed them.

13 April

In the village of Xom Bien, a massacre of about 600 Vietnamese Cambodians was carried out by the Khmer National Army (ANK) as part of a campaign by the Lon Nol government against the nation's Vietnamese-speaking minority. Shortly after midnight, troops entered the village, founded as a Roman Catholic mission on the waters of the Mekong River in the Chrouy Changvar area near Phnom Penh and removed the men and boys and shot them. Days later, hundreds of the corpses of the victims (which included more from outside of Xom Bien) were seen floating down the Mekong into South Vietnam.

20 April

President Nixon announced that he would order the withdrawal of a further 150,000 American troops from South Vietnam over the next 12 months as part of the process of turning conduct of the war over to the South Vietnamese.

22 April

In a meeting at the White House of his National Security Council, President Nixon discussed the options for the U.S. response to the continuing use of Cambodia by the PAVN/VC as a base. National security adviser, Henry Kissinger, would recount later that the three choices were to continue the current response, favored by Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird and Secretary of State William P. Rogers; providing financial and adviser aid to an invasion by the ARVN without committing ground troops (favored by Kissinger); or sending U.S. troops and planes into Cambodia to attack the sanctuaries (favored by General Earle Wheeler, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff). While Nixon supported Kissinger's option, U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew made the argument for committing U.S. troops to Cambodia, the decision that Nixon ultimately adopted

23 April

President Nixon issued an Executive Order ending any future deferment from the military draft based on occupation, agriculture or fatherhood.

29 April – 22 July

The Cambodian Campaign (also known as the Cambodian Incursion) was a series of military operations conducted in eastern Cambodia by the U.S. and the South Vietnam. A total of 13 major operations were conducted by the ARVN and U.S. forces between 1 May and 30 June. In addition to the capture of large amounts of supplies and equipment 11,369 PAVN/VC were killed and 2,328 captured, ARVN losses were 638 killed and 35 missing and U.S. losses were 338 killed and 13 missing.

30 April

In a nationally televised address, President Nixon announced that he had sent 2,000 American combat troops into Cambodia and ordered U.S. B-52 bombers to begin airstrikes. Nixon reversed his April 20 announcement that he would withdraw 150,000 troops from Vietnam over the next year, in effect providing that there would again be a need to draft young American men to maintain the current force level. Nixon told viewers "This is not an invasion of Cambodia." rather the attacks were upon territory in Cambodia that were "completely occupied and controlled by North Vietnamese forces."

May

1 May

Operation Toan Thang IV a multi-division U.S./ARVN operation in III Corps concludes. U.S. losses are 685 killed while PAVN/VC losses are 14,479 killed.

Protests against the expansion of the war into Cambodia began on U.S. college campuses.

For the first time in more than 50 years, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to ask for a meeting with a U.S. president, after having been given no notice of the invasion, and the request was unanimous from both political parties.

4 May

Four college students were shot and killed at Ohio's Kent State University, and nine others wounded by Ohio National Guardsmen, during a protest against the incursion into Cambodia.

5 May

Prince Sihanouk announced from Beijing that he had formed a government-in-exile that would ally with the Communist government of China and the Khmer Rouge to overthrow head of state Lon Nol. Sihanouk's group was called "GRUNK" and was a coalition of government officials exiled in China (former premier Penn Nouth as the Prime Minister) and Khmer Rouge leaders within Cambodia, chief of whom was Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan).

6 May

At 05:00 the PAVN 33rd Sapper Battalion attacked Firebase Henderson south of Ca Lu, Quảng Trị Province, which was occupied by elements of the 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 11th Artillery, 326th Engineer Battalion and ARVN units. The attack resulted in 27 U.S., 3 ARVN and 29 PAVN killed.

8 May

A group of 500 construction workers attacked a group of 1,000 student antiwar protesters outside of New York City Hall, near the intersection of Wall Street and Broad Street. More than 60 people were injured.

9 May

Hours before a large anti-war protest began at Washington, D.C., President Nixon surprised most of his Secret Service bodyguards and about eight demonstrators by walking in to the Lincoln Memorial at 4:55 in the morning. The Associated Press described it as a "strange encounter, unique in recent political annals." As word got around that the President was chatting with students, the group had increased to 50 by the time he left, and his parting words were "Go shout your slogans on the Ellipse. Just keep it peaceful." Later in the day, a crowd of about 100,000 demonstrated peacefully in the event organized by the New Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam in one of many anti-war protests that took place across the nation that day.

12 May

Major General John A. B. Dillard and eight others were killed when their helicopter was shot down southwest of Pleiku.

20 May

A pro-war rally attracted 150,000 people to New York's City Hall Park, with a crowd that included blue collar workers and union members who supported the Nixon administration's policies in the war.

Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong, the de facto leader of the People's Republic of China, issued a statement to his people for the first time in five years, with Radio Peking delivering the word to listeners nationwide. Urging Chinese citizens to work together "to defeat U.S. imperialism" in Vietnam and Cambodia, Mao's statement declared, "People of the world, unite and defeat the U.S. aggressors and all their running dogs!" Mao went on to say that "Nixon's fascist atrocities have kindled the raging flames of the revolutionary mass movement" and added that "The Chinese people firmly support the revolutionary struggle of the American people", predicting that "the fascist rule in the United States will inevitably be defeated."

28 May

The National League of POW/MIA Families was incorporated by a group of wives of American servicemen who were listed as prisoners of war or missing in action in the war.

June

3 June

President Nixon announced in a nationwide television and radio address that American troops would be pulled back out of Cambodia after the achievement of "all our major military objectives", and that half of the 31,000 U.S. troops in Cambodia had been returned to fight in South Vietnam.

11 June

The VC kill 78 South Vietnamese civilians in Thanh My hamlet, Phu Thanh village, Quảng Nam Province in the Thanh My massacre.

12-16 June

In the Battle of Kompong Speu a combined forces of the ARVN and ANK fought to recapture the provincial capital of Kompong Speu. The town was captured by PAVN/VC forces on June 13 but was retaken by allied forces on June 16.

15 June

The Battle of Prey Veng was part of the ARVN's campaign in Cambodia. It took place in Prey Veng on June 15, 1970, where ARVN and Cambodian troops battled the PAVN/VC. It ended with an allied victory.

22 June

Đặng Thùy Trâm a 27 year old PAVN doctor and a colleague were killed near Đức Phổ, Quảng Ngãi Province by a patrol from the U.S. 4th Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment in a Free-fire zone. Two of her diaries recovered by U.S. forces were later published under the title Nhật ký Đặng Thùy Trâm (Đặng Thùy Trâm's Diary (Last Night I Dreamed Of Peace)).

24 June

The United States Senate voted to repeal the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that had supported U.S. intervention in the Vietnam War since 1964.

29 June

The last U.S. ground troops withdrew from Cambodia.

29 June to 1 March 1971

The 198th Light Infantry Brigade launched Operation Pennsylvania Square in Quảng Tín Province. The operation resulted in 264 PAVN/VC killed and 13 captured, U.S. losses were 20 killed.

July

In response to North Vietnam's support of Soviet Union in the Sino-Soviet split China removes its final troops that where in place to support the Chinese anti-aircraft batteries.

1 July

President Richard Nixon named diplomat David K.E. Bruce to head the U.S. delegation to the peace talks in Paris with North Vietnam and the VC.

1-23 July

The Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord was a 23-day battle between the 101st Airborne Division and the PAVN from 1 to 23 July.

7 July

1st Cavalry Division commander Major General George W. Casey and six others were killed when their helicopter crashed into a mountain in poor weather.

9-15 July

The 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division and the ARVN 3rd Regiment, 1st Division launched Operation Clinch Valley to engage the PAVN 9th Regiment on the Khe Sanh plateau. The operation resulted in 266 PAVN killed.

12 July - 29 September

The 196th Infantry Brigade launched Operation Elk Canyon near Khâm Đức, Quảng Tín Province. The operation resulted in 107 PAVN killed and one captured, U.S. losses were 37 killed.

16 July - 24 August

The 1st Marine Division launched Operation Pickens Forest to attack PAVN base areas in the mountains of Quảng Nam Province. The operation resulted in 99 PAVN killed, Marine losses were four killed.

22 July - 30 January 1971

The 1st Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment and elements of the ARVN 1st Division launched Operation Wolfe Mountain to conduct reconnaissance in force, rocket suppression and night ambush operations in Quảng Trị Province. The operation resulted in 242 PAVN killed, U.S. losses were 27 killed.

24 July - 11 August

The 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division and the ARVN 1st Division launched Operation Chicago Peak in the A Shau Valley. The operation resulted in 99 PAVN killed and 3 ARVN killed.

August

August 1970-February 1971

Operation Chenla I was an operation involving the ANK launched the operation during late August 1970 with limited air support from the ARVN and Republic of Vietnam Air Force. The operation was terminated in February 1971, after the Cambodian High Command made a decision to withdraw some units from Tang Kauk to protect Phnom Penh after Pochentong Airbase was attacked. The objective of the operation was to reconnect Skoun and Kompong Cham along Route 7, which was repeatedly attacked by PAVN/VC forces.

9 August - 7 October

In the siege of Firebase O'Reilly 570 PAVN were killed for the loss of 61 ARVN and two U.S.

29 August

The Chicano Moratorium against the war began in East Los Angeles. A parade through the streets quickly became violent and three days of rioting followed, spreading into South Los Angeles and into Wilmington, California.

30 August

The South Vietnamese Senate election was held and two-thirds of the eligible voters participated despite random attacks on polling places by the PAVN/VC. The polling was for 30 of the 60 seats in the Senate. At least 11 voters were killed, most of them in the Bình Định Province.

September

1 September

The U.S. Senate voted not to approve a resolution by Senators George S. McGovern (D-South Dakota) and Mark O. Hatfield (R-Oregon) to force President Nixon to withdraw all American troops from Indochina by 31 December 1971. The vote had 39 supporters (including seven Republicans) and 55 voting against it.

1 September - 7 May 1971

Operation Imperial Lake, a United States Marine Corps, Republic of Korea Marine Corps and U.S. Army operation in the Quế Sơn District, Quảng Nam Province begins. It was the last operation of the U.S. 1st Marine Division during the war. The operation resulted in 296 PAVN killed and 24 U.S. killed.

5 September - 8 October 1971

Operation Jefferson Glenn, an operation by the 101st Airborne Division and the ARVN 1st Division to shield critical installations in Huế and Da Nang begins. It was the last operation of the 101st Airborne during the war.

9 September

An ANK amphibious force of 1,500 men broke the siege of Kompong Thom after three months, driving away the PAVN and Khmer Rouge forces.

11–13 September

Operation Tailwind was a covert incursion into southeastern Laos by a company-sized element of U.S. Army Special Forces and Montagnard commando (Hatchet Force) of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG or SOG). The purpose of the operation was to create a diversion for a Royal Lao Army offensive and to exert pressure on PAVN forces.

October

7 October

In a nationwide address, President Nixon announced a five-point proposal for a truce to halt the war, with all sides to begin a ceasefire and the release of all prisoners of war, in exchange for broader negotiations in the Paris Peace Talks The North Vietnamese and VC delegations to the Paris Peace Talks both denounced Nixon's proposal the next day as "a maneuver to deceive world opinion," but stopped short of rejecting it entirely.

9 October

The Khmer Republic was proclaimed in Cambodia, four days after the parliament voted unanimously to abolish the 1,168 year old monarchy. Lon Nol was inaugurated as the republic's first president.

November

21 November

Operation Ivory Coast was a failed mission to rescue U.S. prisoners of war from the Son Tay prison camp conducted by United States Special Operations Forces and other elements of the U.S. military.

December

22 December

North Vietnam released their first accounting of American prisoners of war held there, with a partial list of 368 names in "the closest thing yet to an official accounting by Hanoi".

Year in numbers

Armed Force	Strength	KIA	Reference		Military costs - 1968	Military costs in 2025 US$	Reference
South Vietnam ARVN	968,000	23,346
United States US Forces	335,790	6,081
South Korea	48,540
Thailand	11,570
Australia	6800
Philippines	70
New Zealand	440
North Vietnam

Bibliography

Notes

1. ^ United States 2010
2. Clarke, Jeffrey J. (1988), United States Army in Vietnam: Advice and Support: The Final Years, 1965–1973, Washington, D.C: Center of Military History, United States Army, p. 275
3. "Operational Report - Lessons Learned Headquarters, 1st Infantry Brigade, 5th Infantry Division, Period Ending 31 July 1970" (PDF). Department of the Army Headquarters, 1st Infantry Brigade, 5th Infantry Division. 25 January 1971. p. 3. Retrieved 25 June 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
4. ^ Cosmas, Graham (1986). US Marines in Vietnam Vietnamization and Redeployment 1970-1971. History and Museums Division Headquarters United States Marine Corps. ISBN 9781494287498. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
5. "Reds Won't Take Own Sick POWs". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 27 March 1970. p. 6.
6. "Headquarters MACV Monthly Summary April 1970" (PDF). Headquarters United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. 17 August 1970. p. 12. Retrieved 4 July 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
7. ^ Stanton 2003, p. 13
8. Olson, James S. (2008). In Country: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. Metro Books. ISBN 9781435111844.
9. "'Win In Viet' March Attracts 50,000". Pittsburgh Press. 5 April 1970. p. 2.
10. Volkert, Kurt (2001). A Cambodian Odyssey: and The Deaths of 25 Journalists. iUniverse. p. 187. ISBN 9780595166060.
11. "How Errol Flynn's son was lost in Cambodia – all but a pile of bones". independent.co.uk. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
12. "1,000 Civilians Slain In Cambodia— Youth Describes Massacre Of 600 Seized At Village". Indianapolis Star. 19 April 1970. p. 1.
13. "Nixon to Pull Out 150,000 by May '71". Bridgeport (CT) Telegram. 21 April 1970. p. 1.
14. "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume VI,Vietnam, January 1969–July 1970 Editorial Note". United States State Department Office of the Historian. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
15. "Nixon Abolishes Job, Fatherhood Draft Deferment". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 24 April 1970. p. 1.
16. Tran, Dinh Tho (1979). The Cambodian Incursion (PDF). United States Army Center of Military History. pp. 193–4. ISBN 9781981025251. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
17. "GIs Attacking in Cambodia, Not an Invasion, Says Nixon". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1 May 1970. p. 1.
18. "Headquarters MACV Monthly Summary April 1970" (PDF). Headquarters United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. 17 August 1970. p. 83. Retrieved 15 March 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
19. "Tear Gas Scatters Stanford Protesters". Tucson (AZ) Citizen. 1 May 1970. p. 1.
20. "Senators call Nixon— Fulbright group wants conference on Cambodia". The Tampa Times. 1 May 1970. p. 1.
21. "4 Killed, 10 Hurt At Kent State — Firing Erupts As Guardsmen Chase Crowd". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 5 May 1970. p. 1.
22. "Sihanouk Organizes 'Royal Government'". Orlando Evening Star. 5 May 1970. p. 5.
23. "Hell night at Henderson" (PDF). Retrieved 20 November 2014.
24. "Red Attack in South Vietnam Cuts Down 29 Yank Troops". Des Moines (IA) Tribune. 6 May 1970. p. 10.
25. "500 Storm City Hall to Raise Flag— Construction Laborers Then Assault Pace Students". Daily News (New York). 9 May 1970. p. 3.
26. "Nixon Meets Protesters". Spokane (WA) Daily Chronicle. 9 May 1970. p. 1.
27. Tom McNichol (14 November 2011). "I Am Not a Kook: Richard Nixon's Bizarre Visit to the Lincoln Memorial". The Atlantic.
28. "Protesters Throng Capital — Youths At Lincoln Memorial Get Surprise Visit By Nixon". Tucson (AZ) Daily Citizen. 9 May 1970. p. 1.
29. "Five US generals killed in action". BBC News. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
30. "150,000 Parade for Nixon". Daily News (New York). 21 May 1970. pp. 1–2. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
31. "World War Threat Exists, Mao Warns". Fort Lauderdale (FL) News. 20 May 1970. p. 1.
32. "History of the League". National League of POW/MIA Families. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
33. "Cambodian Objectives Achieved, Nixon Says". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 4 June 1970. p. 1.
34. Hastings, Max (2018). Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975. Harper. p. 561. ISBN 9780062405661.
35. "Senate Repeals Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, 81-10". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 25 June 1970. p. 1.
36. "Reds Pour It On As Last GI Units Leave Cambodia". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 29 June 1970. p. 1.
37. "Operational Report - Lessons Learned, 23rd Infantry Division, (Americal), Period ending 30 April 1971" (PDF). Department of the Army. 15 May 1971. p. 31. Retrieved 25 June 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
38. Li 2007, p. 206
39. Fulghum, David and Maitland, Terrence (1984), South Vietnam on Trial, Boston: Boston Publishing Company, p. 11.
40. de Chaunac, Jacques-François (2003). The American Cavalry in Vietnam: "First Cav". Turner Publishing Company. p. 289. ISBN 978-1563118906.
41. ^ "Command History 1970 Volume III" (PDF). Headquarters Military Assistance Command Vietnam. 19 April 1971. p. E-12. Retrieved 25 June 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
42. "Operational Report, Lessons Learned, Headquarters, 23rd Infantry Division, Period ending 31 October 1970" (PDF). 15 November 1970. p. 42. Retrieved 25 June 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
43. "Command History 1970 Volume III" (PDF). Headquarters Military Assistance Command Vietnam. 19 April 1971. p. G-9. Retrieved 24 June 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
44. "One Dead, 40 Hurt in East L.A. Riot". Los Angeles Times. 30 August 1970. p. A-1.
45. "Viet Cong Attacks Fail To Disrupt Elections". Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal. 31 August 1970. p. 1.
46. "Pullout-of-Troops Proposal Defeated By Senate, 55-39". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 4 September 1970. p. 1.
47. Summers Jr., Harry G. (1985). The Vietnam War Almanac. New York: Random House. p. 55. ISBN 0-7394-4290-2. OCLC 9730994.
48. "Cambodian Force Breaks Siege of Kompong Thom". Dayton Daily News. 10 September 1970. p. 24.
49. "Nixon Proposes Indochina Truce", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 8, 1970, p1
50. "Viet Reds Knock U.S. Peace Plan". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 8 October 1970. p. 1.
51. "Cambodia Okays Republic Status". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 9 October 1970. p. 2.
52. "POW List Obtained From Reds— U.S. Contends It's Not Complete". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 23 December 1970. p. 1.
53. ^ Template:HCMC War Remnants Museum
54. Leepson & Hannaford 1999, p. 209

References

• Leepson, Marc; Hannaford, Helen (1999). Webster's New World Dictionary of the Vietnam War. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0028627466.
• Li, Xiaobing (2007). A history of the modern Chinese Army (2007 ed.). University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2438-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help) - Total pages: 413
• Stanton, Shelby L. (2003). Vietnam order of battle (2003 ed.). Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0071-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help) - Total pages: 396
• United States, Government (2010). "Statistical information about casualties of the Vietnam War". National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

• Years in the Vietnam War
• 1970 in Vietnam
• Conflicts in 1970
• United States history timelines