v • d • e Military engagements of the Vietnam War Sunrise – 1st Ap Bac – Go Cong – Hiep Hoa – Chan La – 34A – Long Dinh – Kien Long – Quyet Thang 202 – Nam Dong – Thanh Hóa – Gulf of Tonkin – An Lao – Bình Gia – Pleiku airbase – Market Time – Vung Ro Bay – Thanh Hoa Bridge – Song Be – Ba Gia – Đồng Xoài – Starlite – Chu Lai – Plei Me – Minh Thanh – Hump – Gang Toi – Ia Drang Valley – Game Warden – Sea Dragon – Crimp – Masher/White Wing – Cu Nghi – Kim Son Valley – A Shau – Birmingham – Xa Cam My – 1st Dong Ha – Wahiawa – Hastings – Minh Thanh Road – Prairie – Đức Cơ – Long Tần – Beaver Cage – Attleboro – Bong Son – Tân Sơn Nhứt airbase – LZ Bird – Deckhouse Five – Cedar Falls – Tuscaloosa – Tra Binh Dong – Bribie – Junction City – Francis Marion – Union – Hill 881 – 2nd Ap Bac – 1st Con Thien – Malheur I and Malheur II – Baker – Nine Days in May – Union II – Vinh Huy – Buffalo – 2nd Con Thien – July Two – Hong Kil Dong – Swift – Dong Son – Wheeler/Wallowa – 3rd Con Thien – Medina – Ông Thanh – 1st Loc Ninh – Dak To – Mekong Delta – Tam Quan – Thom Tham Khe – Phoenix – Khe Sanh – Ban Houei Sane – Bien Hoa – 1st Tet – 1st Saigon – Huế – Lang Vei – Lima Site 85 – Toan Thang I – Delaware – 2nd Dong Ha – May '68 – Kham Duc – Coral-Balmoral – Duc Lap – Sealords – Speedy Express – Dewey Canyon – 2nd Tet – Apache Snow – Hamburger Hill – Twinkletoes – Binh Ba – LZ Kate – Bu Prang – Texas Star – Chicago Peak – Khe Gio Bridge – Cambodia – Kompong Speu – Prey Veng – Snuol – FSB Ripcord – Tailwind – Chenla I – Jefferson Glenn – Son Tay Raid – Lam Son 719 – Chenla II – Ban Dong – Hill 723 – FSB Mary Ann – Long Khanh – Easter '72 – 1st Quảng Trị – 2nd Loc Ninh – An Lộc – Đồng Hới – 3rd Dong Ha – Kontum – Thunderhead – 2nd Quảng Trị – End Sweep – Hoang Sa – Iron Triangle – Svay Rieng – Phuoc Long – Ho Chi Minh – Buôn Ma Thuột – Xuân Lộc – Truong Sa – 2nd Saigon – SS Mayagüez Air operations Farm Gate – Chopper – Ranch Hand – Pierce Arrow – Barrel Roll – Pony Express – Flaming Dart – Iron Hand - Rolling Thunder – Steel Tiger – Arc Light – Tiger Hound – Shed Light – Carolina Moon – Bolo – Popeye – Niagara – Igloo White – Giant Lance – Commando Hunt – Menu – Patio – Freedom Deal – Linebacker I – Enhance Plus – Linebacker II – Homecoming – Babylift – New Life – Eagle Pull – Frequent Wind

Operation 34A (full name, Operational Plan 34A, also known as OPLAN 34Alpha) was a highly-classified U.S. program of covert actions against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV or North Vietnam), consisting of agent team insertions, aerial reconnaissance missions and naval sabotage operations. Though begun in 1961 by the Central Intelligence Agency, in 1964 the program was transferred to the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (SOG) during Operation Parasol/Switchback. The SOG was the cover name for a multi-service unconventional warfare task force under the direct guidance and control of the Pentagon.

After a series of operations, in which Republic of Vietnam (RVN or South Vietnam) commandos were captured after insertion into North Vietnam, SOG shifted the emphasis of its activities to maritime operations. A small fleet of fast patrol boats was acquired for use in the landing of small action teams and the offshore bombardment of small DRV military facilities (such as radar installations), with the pace of these operations doubling between June and July 1964.

During the same time frame, the U.S. Navy was conducting electronic surveillance operations (Desoto patrols) conducted by destroyers operating along the coast of North Vietnam. Although the two sets of operations were at least nominally independent of one another, the attacks carried out by the patrol boats provoked responses by the North Vietnamese military that were monitored by the American destroyers, thus providing very useful intelligence on DRV military capabilities.

On the morning of 2 August 1964, the morning after an attack on a North Vietnamese radio transmitter located on an offshore island — one of these destroyers, the USS Maddox, was reported to have come under attack by DRV naval patrol boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. This attack, and the ensuing naval actions, known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, were seized upon by President Lyndon Johnson to secure passage by the U.S. Congress of the Southeast Asia Resolution (better known as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution) on 7 August 1964, leading to a dramatic escalation of the Vietnam conflict. It has since been shown that the Gulf of Tonkin Incident was partly a fabrication, including testimony by participants, such as squadron commander James Stockdale, in the events themselves.

[edit] References

• http://www.usni.org/navalhistory/Articles99/NHandrade.htm
• http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1961.html

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