5 FEB--This Day in US Military History

2015-02-05T09:13:30-05:00

1975 – North Vietnamese Gen. Van Tien Dung departs for South Vietnam to take command of communist forces in preparation for a new offensive.

In December 1974, the North Vietnamese 7th Division and the newly formed 3rd Division attacked Phuoc Long Province, north of Saigon. This attack represented an escalation in the “cease-fire war” that started shortly after the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973. The North Vietnamese wanted to see how Saigon and Washington would react to a major attack so close to Saigon. President Richard Nixon and his successor, Gerald Ford, had promised to come to the aid of South Vietnam if the North Vietnamese launched a major new offensive.
With Nixon’s Watergate resignation and Ford facing an increasingly hostile Congress, Hanoi was essentially conducting a “test” attack to see if the United States would honor its commitment to Saigon. The attack was much more successful than the North Vietnamese anticipated: the South Vietnamese soldiers fought poorly and the United States did nothing. Emboldened by their success, the North Vietnamese decided to launch a major offensive against the South Vietnamese.
“Campaign 275″ began on March 1, 1975. The North Vietnamese forces quickly overran the South Vietnamese and the United States failed to provide the promised support. Saigon fell on April 30 and the South Vietnamese government officially surrendered.

https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/february-5/

February 5

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Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jul 10 at 2015 3:17 PM

2015-07-10T15:17:10-04:00

This was indeed a sad day 1SG Private RallyPoint Member, after North Vietnamese forces defeated the South Vietnamese which were essentially abandoned by the USA the communists began their purge of the southerners who were working with the USA, their families, etc. Many remember the pictures of the refugees clinging to Huey's and other helicopters which were destined for ships off the coast and then the pictures of those helicopters being dumped into the ocean while thousands of people desiring to be refugees were left to their doom.