Video: 'Vietnam: A Television History - America's Enemy [5/11]' (June 18, 1965, at 44:10)
(Friday, June 18, 1965, 1965, 6:48 a.m. ICT; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — Under Operation Arc Light, B-52 aircraft were used for the first time today in the Vietnam War. Flying out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, 27 B-52s dropped 750 and 1,000-pound bombs on a Viet Cong stronghold.
Video: 'Vietnam: A Television History - LBJ Goes to War [3/11]' (June 13, 1965, at 37:38)
(Sunday, June 13, 1965; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — The Battle of Dong Xoai, a major battle fought during the National Liberation Front Summer Offensive of 1965 in Phuoc Long Province, South Vietnam, ended today with a Viet Cong victory.
Video: 'Gerald Ford: Mayaguez Incident'
(Thursday, May 15, 1975, 6:12 a.m. ICT; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and Cold War) — U.S. forces invaded the Cambodian island of Koh Tang today and recaptured the American merchant ship Mayaguez in the last official battle of the Vietnam War.
All 40 crew members had already been released safely by Cambodia; some 40 U.S. servicemen were killed in the operation, including 23 when their helicopter crashed due to a mechanical failure.
(Saturday, May 14, 1955, during the Cold War) — Representatives from eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, signed the Warsaw Pact, a collective defense treaty to counter NATO, today in Poland. The Pact was dissolved in July 1991.
Video: 'Vietnam War, The Mayaguez Incident (1975)' (4 videos)
(Monday, May 12, 1975, 2:18 p.m. local time; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and Cold War) — The White House announced today the new Cambodian government had seized an American merchant ship, the Mayaguez, in international waters.
U.S. Marines gained control of the ship three days after its seizure, not knowing the 39 civilian members of the crew had already been released by Cambodia.
Video: 'Vietnam The Ten Thousand Day War 12of13 Surrender' (May 7, 1975, at 44:24)
(Wednesday, May 7, 1975, during the Cold War) — On the same day that the Viet Cong celebrated its takeover of South Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, U.S. President Gerald R. Ford formally declared an end to the “Vietnam era,” ending wartime veteran’s benefits for new military recruits.
(Thursday, May 5, 1955; during the Cold War) — The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) became a sovereign state today when the United States, France, and Great Britain end their military occupation, which had begun with the end of World War II in 1945.
With Konrad Adenauer as chancellor (pictured above reading a paper), West Germany was given the right to rearm and become a full-fledged member of the western alliance against the Soviet Union.
Video: 'Vietnam a Television History Episode 11' (Apr. 30, 1975, at 50:04)
(Wednesday, April 30, 1975, 10:24 a.m. ICT; during the 1975 Spring Offensive of the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and Cold War) — South Vietnamese President Duong Van Minh announced today the unconditional surrender of the Saigon Government and its military forces to the Vietcong. Continue reading Minh surrenders, Vietcong in Saigon 40 years ago this hour (Apr 30 1975)
Video: 'Vietnam The Ten Thousand Day War 12of13 Surrender (Apr. 30, 1975, at 41:44)
(Sunday, April 30, 1975, 7:53 a.m. ICT; during the 1975 Spring Offensive of the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and Cold War) — The last ten Marine security guards and their commander (Major Kean) at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, South Vietnam, were evacuated on a Marine Corps helicopter this morning, concluding the United States presence in Vietnam. Total U.S. casualties for the war: 58,303 dead and 303,644 wounded. Continue reading Last American troops depart Vietnam 40 years ago this hour (Apr 30 1975)
Video: 'Vietnam The Ten Thousand Day War 12of13 Surrender (Apr. 30, 1975, at 40:02)
(Sunday, April 30, 1975, 4:58 a.m. ICT; during the 1975 Spring Offensive of the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and Cold War) — U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin boarded a Marine Corps helicopter this morning in Saigon and was flown to the USS Blue Ridge. Continue reading Ambassador Graham Martin departs Vietnam 40 years ago this hour (Apr 30 1975)
