3.3 - The Nature Of The Conflict In Vietnam, 1964-68 Flashcards
What were the guerilla tactics used by the Vietcong?
Hit and run attacks - Didn’t expect them, Easy to pick off soldiers
Sabotaged roats /bridges - Cuts off the supply line
Stayed close to Us troops - for ambushes and Us had to think about
Used complex tunnel network - To lose US soldiers
Dressed likely ordinary Vietnamese people - To make it seem they aren’t the enemy
Propaganda use effectively - Gets support of villagers
Single ambush traps - Keeps soldiers on their toes
Used light weapons and equipment - To move efficienty and rapidly
Why were VC tunnels so effective?
- Complex 100 miles of tunnels
- Had several levels which contained hospitals,weapon and fuel storage and living space
- Vietnamese people were smaller than most Americans so tunnels were too small for US troops
How did the US respond to the VC tunnels?
First responded to this by destroying the tunnels by using ‘tunnel rats’ - troops who were small enough and went down to fight the VC or mine the tunnels to collapse them.
Though, eventually they just bulldozed over any tunnel entrances they found
What were the tactics used by the US?
- Operation Rolling Thunder
- Search And Destory
- Operation Cedar Falls
- Operation Ranch Hand / Chemical Welfare
What were the key features of Operation Rolling Thunder?
- Bombing campaign over North Vietnam
- Began slowly and did not target Hanoi or the port of Haiphong
- Targeted HCM Trail and industry
- Included napalm which burnt skin and pineapple bombs
- Continued until 1968. Caused a lot of damage to the trail and industry
- BUT - did not destroy the trail, North used tunnels for protection, thousand of civilians killed, bad for public opinion at home and made the North even more popular
What were the key features of Search And Destroy?
- US soldiers search jungle for VC camps, helicopters then bomb or spray Chemicals
- Some success in tracking down and killing VC
- VC often moved back in after these missions
- US bombing created refugees and chemical spraying harmed Ordinary villagers and turned them against the US
What were the key features of Operation Cedar Falls?
- 30,000 US and AVRN troops on search and destroy mission - focused on the Iron triangle where VC were strongest
- These areas then became free-fire zones that could be bombed any time
Many villagers did not understand the point of it and returned to their homes in free-fire zones Big civilian casualties only made US more unpopular
What were the key features of Operation Ranch / Chemical Warfare?
- Herbicides named after the colour of container (e.g. Agent orange and Agent Blue) To kill plant crops and make VC bases easy to find
- Over 3,000 villages sprayed, often with people still there. Poisoned water supplies and soil - this caused serious health problems at the time and for decades to come.
- Public outrage led to it ending in 1971
Why were US so ineffective overall?
- The failure to do enough damage to the VC
- The effects on the vietnamese people
- The fact that their policies created criticisms at home
What was the Tet Offensive?
A suprise attack by North Vietnam in January 1968, became a turning point in the Vietnam war. Also changed public opinion
What were the key features of the Tet Offensive?
- Nortn Vietnamese attack on 26 cities and bases in the South
- Launched on 30 in January 1968 on the Tet Lunar New Year (many ARVN Off duty)
- Beforehand, the North had also suggested that they were willing to negotiate - made it look like they were ready to give in
- Suprise attacks just before it to try to catch them off guard e.g at the US base at Khe Samh
What were the successes of the North Vietnamese / VC have at the start of Tet?
- Late 1967, North Vietnamese and VC attacked areas in South Vietnam south to the DM2 (Demilitarised Zone) to lure US and ARVN troops away from cities and military bases
- North Vietnamese suggested it might be willing to negotiate for and along with recent North Vietnamese and VC losses made US think they were ready to give In
- 20th January, North Vietnamese troops surrounded and attacked the US base at Khe Samh near the DM2. General Westmorland sent in 6,000 troops and bombers to defend it
Why were the attacks shocking to the US and ARVN?
- Usually for the fighting in Vietnam, cities were attacked. South Vietnam’s cities were regarded as the safest part of the country for the Us and ARVN, but now they seemed vulnerable
- Large scale attacks 84,000 troops
How did the Tet Offensive end?
Key cities and bases captured quickly, South Vietnamese revolution didn’t happen. VC almost wiped out. BUT a propaganda victory for VC as the US saw it as humiliating
