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25 Sep 1934

French Indochina
  • British Major General Douglas Gracey criticized Japanese troops under the command of Field Marshal Hisaichi Terauchi for failing to protect Europeans civilians in the CitĂ© HĂ©raud district in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina in the previous night, during which an unidentified group of Vietnamese killed, raped, and tortured somewhere between 100 and 300 Europeans. Gracey threatened Terauchi with prosecutions of war crimes, while ordering additional British, French, and Japanese troops to patrol the city. Later in the day, in support of the sentiments of the unidentified attacks in the previous night, various Vietnamese groups called for boycotts against European businesses, raised roadblocks in the suburbs of Saigon, and seized control of a power plant (which would be re-captured by British troops within hours) to further protest against the British-French administration. Future French Commissioner Admiral Thierry d'Argenlieu would cite this incident as the main catalyst for the start of the Indochinese War. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
16 Nov 1941

Photo(s) dated 16 Nov 1941
Japanese Navy Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa, Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Expeditionary Fleet, Saigon, French Indochina, 16 Nov 1941
1 Jan 1944

French Indochina
12 Jan 1945

Photo(s) dated 12 Jan 1945
Oil storage tanks south of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), French Indochina (Vietnam) burn after being bombed by United States Navy carrier planes, Jan 12, 1945
12 Mar 1945

French Indochina
  • The 540-ton La PĂ©rouse, the largest vessel of the French Indochina hydrographic group, became the was the last ship to be scuttled in Can Tho, Cochinchina, French Indochina (now Vietnam) during the Japanese invasion. ww2dbase [Can Tho, Cochinchina | HM]
2 Apr 1945

French Indochina
10 May 1945

French Indochina
21 Aug 1945

French Indochina
  • A coalition consisted of Cao Dai, Trotskyists, Hoa Hao, and Vanguard Youth personnel formed the National United Front and launched a demonstration in Cochinchina, French Indochina. ww2dbase [Cochinchina | CPC]
25 Aug 1945

French Indochina
  • A large pro-independence demonstration took place in Cochinchina, French Indochina. ww2dbase [Cochinchina | CPC]
2 Sep 1945

French Indochina
  • A large pro-independence demonstration, consisted largely of communists of various factions including the Indochinese Communist Party and the Vanguard Youth, took place in Cochinchina, French Indochina; it was estimated that 300,000 to 1,000,000 people participated. The demonstration was largely peaceful, although a number of violent acts were carried out against French civilians and Vietnamese who had worked with the French. By the day's end, the armed forces of the demonstrating coalition would take control of the city. ww2dbase [Cochinchina | CPC]
4 Sep 1945

French Indochina
  • An Office of Strategic Services team led by Lieutenant Colonel Peter Dewey arrived in Saigon, French Indochina to begin investigating war crimes and to collect intelligence. Dewey was immediately contacted, by letter, by member of the Republic of Vietnam to seek US support for the Vietnamese independence movement. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
8 Sep 1945

French Indochina
  • Members of Vanguard Youth and Hoa Hao (both of the Viet Minh) clashed with troops of Indochinese Communist Party in Can Tho, Cochinchina, French Indochina. ww2dbase [Can Tho, Cochinchina | CPC]
13 Sep 1945

French Indochina
  • British Major General Douglas Gracey arrived at Tan Son Nhut airport, Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina, flanked by British, Gurkha, and Indian troops. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
14 Sep 1945

French Indochina
  • British Major General Douglas Gracey, tasked with taking control of southern French Indochina from the Japanese, met with French commissioner Jean CĂ©dile. He had no plans with meet with any Vietnamese political leaders. ww2dbase [Cochinchina | CPC]
  • Viet Minh forces in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina struck against the Vietnamese Trotskyist leadership, using police forces to place them under arrest. This was effectively the end of the Trotskyist influence in Vietnam. Many of the arrested would be executed. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
19 Sep 1945

French Indochina
  • British Major General Douglas Gracey declared martial law in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina as means to strike at the influence of the Viet Minh. Various pro-independence groups began organizing a general strike to protest against the British occupation administration. ww2dbase [Cochinchina | CPC]
23 Sep 1945

French Indochina
  • In southern French Indochina, British Major General Douglas Gracey armed French prisoners of war in Cochinchina, French Indochina as recommended by French commissioner Jean CĂ©dile; in the evening, these French troops, bent on revenge, stormed and captured the Saigon City Hall and other administrative buildings from the Viet Minh, killing many innocent civilians and burning down homes during the process, critically damaging public trust in the European administration which had already been waning. Meanwhile, in northern and central French Indochina, several leaders in civilian spheres sent a joint message to the Vatican, asking Pope Pius XII to support for Vietnamese independence. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
24 Sep 1945

French Indochina
  • After dark, an unidentified group of Vietnamese men attacked the CitĂ© HĂ©raud district in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina, killing, torturing, and raping somewhere between 100 and 300 of Europeans. Japanese troops assigned to this district failed to stop the attackers; Gurkha troops were called in to control the situation. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
26 Sep 1945

French Indochina
  • British Major General Douglas Gracey, after facing several challenges from US OSS chief A. Peter Dewey, ordered Dewey to be dispelled from French Indochina. En route to the airport, Dewey, probably mistaken as a French official, was killed by the Viet Minh. Ho Chi Minh immediately wrote US President Harry Truman that the Viet Minh leadership disapproved this killing and the Viet Minh valued friendship with the Americans. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
3 Oct 1945

French Indochina
  • The main body of South East Asia Command forces arrived at the harbor of Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina. About 1,000 men were of the French Expeditionary Corps. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
5 Oct 1945

French Indochina
  • General Philippe Leclerc arrived at Tan Son Nhut Airfield in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina to take command of all French forces in the region. ww2dbase [Philippe Leclerc | Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
6 Oct 1945

French Indochina
  • A meeting with French and Vietnamese delegations was held at the office of Major General Douglas Gracey (who was largely absent from the meeting) in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina. The two sides agreed to release hostages, exchange prisoners, and to jointly look for the bodies of slain OSS Lieutenant Colonel Peter Dewey. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
9 Oct 1945

French Indochina
  • After sundown, a number of French and British positions in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina were attacked by Viet Minh forces. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
10 Oct 1945

French Indochina
  • Major General Douglas Gracey ordered his troops to march into the northern suburbs of Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina as a response to Viet Minh attacks on the previous night. Later in the day, Gracey and General Philippe Leclerc traveled to Singapore to attend an Allied conference; Gracey would receive additional reinforcements from Louis Mountbatten during the meeting, but he was also reminded that the preferred method for the situation in Saigon was to de-escalate via negotiations, not by force. ww2dbase [Philippe Leclerc | Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
31 Oct 1945

French Indochina
  • French High Commissioner Admiral Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu arrived in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina. Additional French troops also arrived at Saigon on the same day. ww2dbase [Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
30 Nov 1945

French Indochina
  • Field Marshal Hisaichi Terauchi formally surrendered to Admiral Louis Mountbatten in Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina. Terauchi agreed that his troops would continue to maintain order in French Indochina. A number of Japanese officers and men, fearing their fate, would slowly desert starting from this date, with some joining and fighting alongside of Viet Minh and Pathet Lao. ww2dbase [Hisaichi Terauchi | Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]
11 May 1950

French Indochina
29 Oct 1951

French Indochina
  • Marcel le Bihan departed Saigon, Cochinchina, French Indochina for Toulon, France. ww2dbase [Greif | Saigon, Cochinchina | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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