Timeline, December 15th

[David]

FIRST INDOCHINA WAR:
December 15-16, 1951 (Year of the Hare [Tan Mao]): Hoa Binh campaign: The northern and southern blocking forces take up their initial positions as Mobile Group 1 clears the eastern approaches into the Ba Trai forest. Mobile Group 1 soon runs into elements of the 312 Division near Xom Doi. The North Africans drive the Viet Minh off, only to run into them again at Hill 116, 1 km northwest of Xom Doi. The 312 Division fights well, but is beaten back by superior French firepower and air support. By nightfall, Mobile Group 1 has taken the heights.

December 10-15, 1953 (Year of the Snake [Quy Ti]): Operation Pollux update: GAP 2, a force from the new garrison at Dien Bien Phu that consists of the 1st Foreign Legion Parachute Battalion (1 BEP), the 5th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion (BPVN), elements of the 8th Colonial Parachute Battalion (8 BPC), and two batteries of 105mm howitzers, with one Cricket recon plan and four B-26 bombers for support, heads out for Muong Pon, a third of the way along the Pavie Track to Lai Chau, where some of the many T'ai Light Companies withdrawing from Lai Chau are besieged. At first progress is "slow but normal," but on the morning of the 11th, the force is hit by Viet Minh infantry fire at the apparently abandoned village of Ban Tau. The para's fan out into a defensive perimeter and engage the enemy; 8 BPC suffers 11 casualties in a few minutes and the company is pinned down on a hill. The rest of the GAP 2 force reaches 8 BPC at 1400 on the 12th, but its advance is basically halted. Meanwhile, the French commander of the T'ai at Muong Pon again asks for help as well as a napalm strike on the surrounding enemy positions. To avoid another ambush, GAP 2 now marches along the hill line (which is completely covered by deep elephant grass), advancing 200 yards an hour, in full battle gear with no source of water available. Many para's collapse of dehydration, but the force marches on through the night. By 0800 on the 13th, the force is within 4 km of Muong Pon, and can hear the battle there, but must still cut its way through the elephant grass. In the meantime, Muong Pon is overrun, but GAP 2 keeps on, hoping to rescue some survivors. They reach Muong Pon by 1400, but it is deserted and the Viet Minh have withdrawn. Earlier dispatched commando elements of 8 BPC reinforced with a company of the 3rd T'ai Battalion arrive from the east. The force begins to withdraw at 1530, and is hit by heavy enemy fire about an hour and a half later. Unexpectedly, the Viet Minh have managed to install heavy weapons within 500 yards of the last night bivouac of the para's. The para's sustain heavy casualties and call in air strikes, which save the lead company, 5 BPVN, although it sustains 3 KIA , 25 WIA and 13 MIA. On the 14th, Viet Minh howitzers begin firing on the rear-guard element of GAP 2, which is the 1 BEP. and by 1450 the para's are engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Air support is called in, and ten minutes later, one bomber and the Cricket are hit by AA. When the enemy breaks off the attack, 1 BEP has 24 WIA, 28 KIA and MIA, and has lost a lot of equipment. 5 BPVN has lost another 3 KIA and 20 WIA, as well. The withdrawal back to Dien Bien Phu continues and the last elements of the force reach the garrison at 0735 on the 15th. Meanwhile, some surviving T'ai Light Companies are still fighting their way toward Dien Bien Phu, but are enduring supply and food shortages, and also in some cases heavy Viet Minh attacks.

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR:
December 15, 1964 (Year of the Dragon [Giap Thin]) (US Advisory): The first USAF gunship, an AC-47, enters combat in Vietnam.

December 15, 1967 (Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase III): "AAM Acquires Five Beautiful Bell 205s"

December 15, 1967 (Year of the Goat [Dinh Mui]) (US Counteroffensive Phase III): Operation Pershing, Battle of Tam Quan update: While serving as part of the forward element in an operation near My An, Company D of the 1/12th Cavalry becomes heavily engaged by a large enemy force.

December 15, 1968 (Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase VI): Operation Valiant Hunt begins on Barrier Island.

December 15, 1968 (Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase VI): Operation Navajo Warhorse I begins along the border between I and II Corps boundaries.

December 15, 1968 (Year of the Monkey [Mau Than]) (US Counteroffensive Phase VI): Operation Taylor Common update: Companion operation, Fayette Canyon, begins in Antenna Valley.

Elsewhere, Hill 558, site of Fire Base Spear, is occupied by the 1/3rd Marines. Task Force Yankee starts ground operations against Hills 1050 and 551, subsequently called Dagger and Cutlass.

December 15, 1969 (Year of the Rooster [Ky Dau]) (US Winter-Spring 1970): President Nixon announces that an additional 50,000 Americans will be withdrawn from South Vietnam by April 15, 1970.

December 15, 1972 (Year of the Rat [Nham Ty]) (US Cease-Fire): Nguyen Hue/Easter Offensive: In the heaviest raid of the war to date, US B-52s fly a 16-mission attack on supply bases in North Vietnam.

THIRD INDOCHINA WAR - OTHER:
December 15, 1978 (Year of the Horse [Mau Ngo]): Communist China claims there have been 1100 border incidents with Vietnam during the year.

POSTBELLUM:
December 15, 2000 (Year of the Dragon [Canh Thin]): State-owned Petro Vietnam finalizes a $1.5 billion natural gas extraction project with a foreign consortium that includes Britain's BP Amoco, Norway's Statoil and India's Oil and Natural Gas. Corp., which will extract natural gas from offshore deposits in the Nam Con Son basin, about 250 miles southeast of Vung Tau. The site is considered Vietnam's biggest field, with estimated reserves of 2.1 trillion cubic feet. Other parts of the agreement include a commercial transport agreement and a separate power plant to receive the gas. Vietnam produces 10 million tons of crude oil and 35 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year from its joint venture with Russia, VietsovPetro. Since it has no refinery, Vietnam exports almost all its output.