The Vietnam War

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  • Created by: Sullynor
  • Created on: 11-12-16 16:44

V.Tactics 2

The Vietcong's tactics

  • They fought a guerrilla war, ambushing US patrols, setting booby traps and landmines, and planting bombs in towns.
  • They mingled in with the peasants, wearing ordinary cloth
  • es and trying to win their 'hearts and minds'. The Americans couldn't identify who the enemy was.
  • They were supplied with rockets and weapons by China and Russia. They used the Ho Chi Minh Trail - a jungle route through Laos and Cambodia - to supply their armies. The Americans couldn't attack their supply routes without escalating the war and they often couldn't find the hidden tunnels and trails used.
  • Their tactic was "hanging onto the belts" of the Americans - staying so close to the Americans so they could not use air or artillery backup without killing their own men.
  • The traps and psychological torture lowered the US soldiers morale.
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Background to Vietnam 2

  • France progressively colonised a major expanse of South-East Asia, including today's Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. This formed French Indochina in 1887.
  • In 1940France was defeated by Germany and so conceded control of Hanoi and Saigon to Japan in 1940. Then this control expanded to the whole of French Indochina in 1941.
  • During this war, an anti-Japanese movement called the Viet-Minh fought under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh for Vietnamese independence.
  • At the end of WWII the Viet Minh controlled North Vietnam and in Hanoi in 1945 they declared Vietnamese independence.
  • The French attempted to reassert themselves after this but failed. 
  • In 1949 a Chinese Communist revolution led by Mao Tse-Tung led America to believe that Ho Chi Minh was a puppet of Mao Tse Tung and so feared a communist take-over of the entirety of South-East Asia.
  • Because of this, the USA began to send financial aid to French forces in 1954 to set up a non-communist government. Eisenhower also sent $250 million a year and 'military advisors'.
  • In 1954 at Dien Bien Phu the French were defeated and at a peace conference in Geneva Vietnam was divided into North and South until elections could be held.
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V.Tactics 1

The Vietcong's tactics

  • They fought a guerrilla war, ambushing US patrols, setting booby traps and landmines, and planting bombs in towns.
  • They mingled in with the peasants, wearing ordinary clothes and trying to win their 'hearts and minds'. The Americans couldn't identify who the enemy was.
  • They were supplied with rockets and weapons by China and Russia. They used the Ho Chi Minh Trail - a jungle route through Laos and Cambodia - to supply their armies. The Americans couldn't attack their supply routes without escalating the war and they often couldn't find the hidden tunnels and trails used.
  • Their tactic was "hanging onto the belts" of the Americans - staying so close to the Americans so they could not use air or artillery backup without killing their own men.
  • The traps and psychological torture lowered the US soldiers morale.
3 of 16

A.Tactics 1

The Americans' tactics

  • They fought a hi-tech war with artillery and helicopters. This killed many innocent civilians, and failed to stop the Vietcong guerrillas.
  • They forced the peasants to leave Vietcong-controlled areas and made them live in defended strategic hamlets. This created immense opposition, and allowed Vietcong infiltrators into loyal areas.
  • Search and destroy patrols developed by General Westmoreland went out looking for "Charlie", as they called the Vietcong. But the patrols were very easy to ambush. These were often based on inadequate accounts and killed many civilians.
  • In February 1965, President Johnson ordered Operation Rolling Thunder - a massive bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
  • He sent US troops - 500,000 by 1969 - to fight in Vietnam.
  • In 1968, the CIA started Operation Phoenix, arresting, interrogating and killing suspected Vietcong activists.
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1Chemical Weaponry and Bombing

Agent Orange was a highly toxic chemical the Americans used to ***** foliage and expose the Viet Cong.

Napalm was also used to expose the Viet Cong soldiers but if it got onto the skin it would burn through to the bone, killing many civilians and pushing support towards Ho Chi Minh.

The US established very secure bases along the coast at the South of the country where Search and Destroy missions were launched from. 

In 1970-1972 an intense bombing campaign against the North Vietnamese capital Hanoi and the only major port of Haiphong forced North Vietnam to the negotiating table, but many other bombing campaigns were unsuccessful and expensive

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Background to Vietnam1

  • France progressively colonised a major expanse of South-East Asia, including today's Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. This formed French Indochina in 1887.
  • In 1940, France was defeated by Germany and so conceded control of Hanoi and Saigon to Japan in 1940. Then this control expanded to the whole of French Indochina in 1941.
  • During this war, an anti-Japanese movement called the Viet-Minh fought under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh for Vietnamese independence.
  • At the end of WWII the Viet Minh controlled North Vietnam and in Hanoi in 1945 they declared Vietnamese independence.
  • The French attempted to reassert themselves after this but failed. 
  • In 1949 a Chinese Communist revolution led by Mao Tse-Tung led America to believe that Ho Chi Minh was a puppet of Mao Tse Tung and so feared a communist take-over of the entirety of South-East Asia.
  • Because of this, the USA began to send financial aid to French forces in 1954 to set up a non-communist government. Eisenhower also sent $250 million a year and 'military advisors'.
  • In 1954 at Dien Bien Phu the French were defeated and at a peace conference in Geneva Vietnam was divided into North and South until elections could be held.
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A.Tactics 2

The Americans' tactics

  • They fought a hi-tech war with artillery and helicopters. This killed many innocent civilians, and failed to stop the Vietcong guerrillas.
  • They forced the peasants to leave Vietcong-controlled areas and made them live in defended strategic hamlets. This created immense opposition, and allowed Vietcong infiltrators into loyal areas.
  • Search and destroy patrols developed by General Westmoreland went out looking for "Charlie", as they called the Vietcong. But the patrols were very easy to ambush. These were often based on inadequate accounts and killed many civilians.
  • In February 1965, President Johnson ordered Operation Rolling Thunder - a massive bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
  • He sent US troops - 500,000 by 1969 - to fight in Vietnam.
  • In 1968, the CIA started Operation Phoenix, arresting, interrogating and killing suspected Vietcong activists.
7 of 16

Chemical Weaponry and Bombing 2

Agent Orange was a highly toxic chemical the Americans used to ***** foliage and expose the Viet Cong.

Napalm was also used to expose the Viet Cong soldiers but if it got onto the skin it would burn through to the bone, killing many civilians and pushing support towards Ho Chi Minh.

The US established very secure bases along the coast at the South of the country where Search and Destroy missions were launched from. 

In 1970-1972 an intense bombing campaign against the North Vietnamese capital Hanoi and the only major port of Haiphong forced North Vietnam to the negotiating table, but many other bombing campaigns were unsuccessful and expensive.

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The Tet Offensive 1

In January 1968, the NVA launched the Tet Offensive (In the Tet New Year), capturing a number of towns in South Vietnam.
They hoped that the people of South Vietnam would join them in the uprising but they didn't.
The North Vietnamese lost 45,000 men, including many officers. Their morale was damaged - the offensive proved that they could not defeat the Americans by direct attack.
It took the Americans a month to recover the towns and the process killed many civilians. Their confidence was badly shaken and the ancient city of Hue was destroyed. They won the Tet Offensive, but realised that they would never defeat the Vietcong.

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The Tet Offensive 2

In January 1968, the NVA launched the Tet Offensive (In the Tet New Year), capturing a number of towns in South Vietnam.
They hoped that the people of South Vietnam would join them in the uprising but they didn't.
The North Vietnamese lost 45,000 men, including many officers. Their morale was damaged - the offensive proved that they could not defeat the Americans by direct attack.
It took the Americans a month to recover the towns and the process killed many civilians. Their confidence was badly shaken and the ancient city of Hue was destroyed. They won the Tet Offensive, but realised that they would never defeat the Vietcong.

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The My Lai Massacre 1

  • In March 1968, the Charlie Company were sent on a search and destroy mission in the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai.
  • Though exact numbers remain unconfirmed, it is believed that as many as 500 people including women, children and the elderly were killed in the My Lai Massacre.
  • In 1970, a U.S. Army board charged 14 officers of crimes related to the events at My Lai; only one was convicted.
  • The brutality of the My Lai killings and the extent of the cover-up exacerbated growing antiwar sentiment on the home front in the United States and further divided the nation over the continuing American presence in Vietnam.
  • No Viet Cong or weapons were found 
  • The soldiers were told that as it was a Saturday most of the villagers would be at the market so they were ordered to destroy all houses and livestock.
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Public Opinion in the USA 1

The Vietnam War needed public support to be successful

The American media gave the war extensive coverage with reporters going on patrols with soldiers (no censorship).

Infamous images and reports of the use of Napalm and the amount of children killed horrified Americans. ('Hey, Hey LBJ. How many kids have you killed today')

There were anti-war protests throughout America. At Kent State University in Ohio, 4 students were shot during a protest.

Immense pressure was put on the government to end the war, especially after the My Lai Massacre in March 1968. 

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Public Opinion in the USA 2

The Vietnam War needed public support to be successful

The American media gave the war extensive coverage with reporters going on patrols with soldiers (no censorship).

Infamous images and reports of the use of Napalm and the amount of children killed horrified Americans. ('Hey, Hey LBJ. How many kids have you killed today')

There were anti-war protests throughout America. At Kent State University in Ohio, 4 students were shot during a protest.

Immense pressure was put on the government to end the war, especially after the My Lai Massacre in March 1968. 

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Nixon and Vietnamisation 1

In 1968 Richard Nixon was elected president on the promise that he would end US involvement in the Vietnam War.

He faced the issue of withdrawing America without it looking like a defeat by communism. 

His major strategy was Vietnamisation, the withdrawal of soldiers in phases whilst building up the South Vietnamese forces so they could continue alone. 

The Nixon Doctrine in 1969 redefined Americas role as a helful partner rather than military protector. If a nation was threatened by communism they could count on financial aid and political support but not military

This placed a limit on the policy of containment

By 29 March 1973 the last American forces had been withdrawn from Vietnam.

In 1975 the Vietnam War ended.

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Nixon and Vietnamisation 2

In 1968 Richard Nixon was elected president on the promise that he would end US involvement in the Vietnam War.

He faced the issue of withdrawing America without it looking like a defeat by communism. 

His major strategy was Vietnamisation, the withdrawal of soldiers in phases whilst building up the South Vietnamese forces so they could continue alone. 

The Nixon Doctrine in 1969 redefined Americas role as a helful partner rather than military protector. If a nation was threatened by communism they could count on financial aid and political support but not military

This placed a limit on the policy of containment

By 29 March 1973 the last American forces had been withdrawn from Vietnam.

In 1975 the Vietnam War ended.

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The My Lai Massacre 2

  • In March 1968, the Charlie Company were sent on a search and destroy mission in the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai.
  • Though exact numbers remain unconfirmed, it is believed that as many as 500 people including women, children and the elderly were killed in the My Lai Massacre.
  • In 1970, a U.S. Army board charged 14 officers of crimes related to the events at My Lai; only one was convicted.
  • The brutality of the My Lai killings and the extent of the cover-up exacerbated growing antiwar sentiment on the home front in the United States and further divided the nation over the continuing American presence in Vietnam.
  • No Viet Cong or weapons were found 
  • The soldiers were told that as it was a Saturday most of the villagers would be at the market so they were ordered to destroy all houses and livestock.
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