Why the US struggled to leave the war
- Created by: AliceSarah
- Created on: 13-06-17 18:18
View mindmap
- Why did the US struggle to end the war?
- Fall of Saigon - 1975
- Over the course of the door4 million Viet. killed, 57,000 US troops killed, 300,000+ wounded
- Saigon fell in April, US soldiers were airlifted away, civilians escaped by boat
- SV cities fell, and SV troops retreated and deserted towards Saigon
- In 1975 NV attacked SV via Cambodia
- Vietnamisation
- ARVN greatly expanded and trained
- 400,000 troops removed by 1971, only 150,000 left
- Training SV army to fight alone, use US supplies, remove US troops
- Response by Nixon to Tet, made in 1969
- US withdrawal - 1973
- Elections to be held to decide whether or not to unite Vietnam
- SV govt. could stay in power, but NV could keep bits of SV they already had
- US POW to be released
- All US forces would leave Vietnam - by 1973
- Tet - 1968
- World opinion turned against USA - Nixon didn't run again
- USA victory, but lots of civilian dead & refugees, and low morale
- NV army took over most fighting, not VC
- Forced to retreat - heavy losses
- Attacked 36 cities and took over the embassy for a bit
- VC launched a surprise attack on Tet (New Year)
- Reasons for US defeat
- Public opinion - Influenced Nixon, low US morale, BUT 50%+ US supported the war
- US weakness - bad tactics, soldiers didn't care, Viet. people hated them, not used to heat/jungle, weak SV army
- VC strengths - Viet. support, guerrilla, supplied by USSR & China, propaganda
- US Bombing
- 1971-2 new attacks, ports, roads, railways, cities. Slowed down NV's progress
- HCM trail through Cambodia and Laos, bombed them too
- USA kept bombing NV during talks
- USA wanted SV/NV split, NV wanted a united comm. country
- Paris talks 68-73 - slow progress
- Fall of Saigon - 1975
Comments
No comments have yet been made