The first major battle of Operation Lam Son 720 takes place as North Vietnamese forces hit the same South Vietnamese 500-man marine battalion twice in one day. Each time, the communists were pushed back after heavy fighting. Earlier, the South Vietnamese reportedly destroyed a North Vietnamese base camp and arms production facility in the A Shau Valley. On May 19, in a six-hour battle, South Vietnamese troops engaged the communists. Three Allied helicopters and a reconnaissance plane were downed by enemy ground fire. The fighting, air strikes, and artillery fire continued in the A Shau Valley through May 23; the South Vietnamese claimed the capture of more communist bunker networks and the destruction of large amounts of supplies and ammunition.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- Race car driver A.J. Foyt gets first pro victory, 1957
- American Revolution
- Americans suffer worst defeat of revolution at Charleston, 1780
- Automotive
- Fourth-generation NASCAR driver Adam Petty dies in crash, 2000
- Civil War
- North and South see bloody day at the Bloody Angle, 1864
- Cold War
- American ship Mayaguez seized, 1975
- Crime
- Body of Lindbergh baby found, 1932
- Disaster
- Forest fire sweeps across China, 1987
- General Interest
- George VI crowned at Westminster, 1937
- Berlin blockade lifted, 1949
- Blackmun confirmed to Supreme Court, 1970
- Hollywood
- Katharine Hepburn born, 1907
- Literary
- Poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti is born, 1828
- Music
- Bob Dylan walks out on The Ed Sullivan Show, 1963
- Old West
- Fur trader William Sublette heads west, 1832
- Presidential
- Teddy Roosevelt's trip to San Francisco is captured on film, 1903
- Sports
- Ernie Banks hits 500th home run, 1970
- Vietnam War
- Lyndon B. Johnson visits South Vietnam, 1961
- Heavy fighting erupts in A Shau Valley, 1971
- World War I
- Germany and Austria-Hungary sign pact to exploit Ukraine, 1918
- World War II
- Hitler backs Rashid Ali in his fight against Britain, 1941
May 12, 1971:
Heavy fighting erupts in A Shau Valley
Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!
This Week in History, May 12 - May 18
- May 12, 1961
- Lyndon B. Johnson visits South Vietnam
- May 12, 1971
- Heavy fighting erupts in A Shau Valley
- May 13, 1971
- Paris peace talks at standstill
- May 13, 1972
- Heavy fighting continues at Quang Tri and Kontum
- May 14, 1969
- President Nixon responds to National Liberation Front proposal
- May 14, 1970
- South Vietnamese sustain second highest casualties of war
- May 15, 1967
- U.S. positions south of the DMZ come under heavy fire
- May 15, 1970
- Air Force sergeant awarded Medal of Honor
- May 16, 1965
- Accident at Bien Hoa kills 27 U.S. servicemen
- May 16, 1968
- Navy Corpsman receives Medal of Honor for action
- May 16, 1972
- U.S. bombing destroys main fuel line
- May 17, 1970
- Operations continue in Cambodia
- May 17, 1972
- South Vietnamese reinforcements near An Loc
- May 18, 1966
- Laird charges
- May 18, 1969
- Communists attack Xuan Loc
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