Viet Cong forces overrun Cai Be, the capital of Dinh Tuong Province, killing 11 South Vietnamese militiamen, 10 women, and 30 children. On July 31, South Vietnam charged that the enemy troops involved in the attack were North Vietnamese Army regulars and that Chinese communist advisors led the attack. This claim was never verified, but it is likely that North Vietnamese regulars participated in the action. This incident and numerous intelligence reports indicated that North Vietnamese regular troops were moving down the Ho Chi Minh Trail in great numbers to join the fighting in South Vietnam. This marked a major change in the tempo and scope of the war in South Vietnam and resulted in President Lyndon B. Johnson committing U.S. combat troops. North Vietnamese forces and U.S. troops clashed for the first time in November 1965, when units from the newly arrived 1st Cavalry Division engaged several North Vietnamese regiments in the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in the Central Highlands.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- Armstrong walks on moon, 1969
- American Revolution
- Mad Anthony Wayne loses to Loyalists in New Jersey, 1780
- Automotive
- U.S. government study disputes Nader's charges against Corvair, 1972
- Civil War
- Confederates attack at the Battle of Peachtree Creek, 1864
- Cold War
- Truman issues peacetime draft, 1948
- Crime
- A serial-killing couple is apprehended, 1984
- Disaster
- Second great flood hits Johnstown, 1977
- General Interest
- Sitting Bull surrenders, 1881
- King of Jordan assassinated, 1951
- Viking 1 lands on Mars, 1976
- Hollywood
- Bruce Lee dies at age 32, 1973
- Literary
- Acclaimed author Cormac McCarthy is born, 1933
- Music
- Jan and Dean's "Surf City" hits #1, 1963
- Old West
- Homesteaders murdered by Wyoming ranchers, 1889
- Presidential
- Nixon watches first lunar landing, 1969
- Sports
- Sir Edmund Hillary born, 1919
- Vietnam War
- Viet Cong troops overrun town, 1964
- Duck Hook plan completed, 1969
- World War I
- Caillaux trial begins in Paris, 1914
- World War II
- Assassination plot against Hitler fails, 1944
Viet Cong troops overrun town
Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!
This Week in History, Jul 20 - Jul 26
- Jul 20, 1964
- Viet Cong troops overrun town
- Jul 20, 1969
- Duck Hook plan completed
- Jul 21, 1965
- Johnson considers the options
- Jul 22, 1967
- Taylor and Clifford begin tour of the Pacific region
- Jul 22, 1968
- North Vietnamese condemn Honolulu Conference
- Jul 23, 1964
- Taylor and Khanh have "heated" discussions in Saigon
- Jul 23, 1965
- Johnson urged to declare a state of national emergency
- Jul 24, 1965
- North Vietnam increases air defense capabilities
- Jul 25, 1964
- Joint Chiefs propose air strikes
- Jul 25, 1969
- Nixon announces new doctrine
- Jul 26, 1968
- South Vietnamese opposition leader tried and sentenced
- Jul 26, 1972
- South Vietnamese troops raise flag over Quang Tri
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