Military tactics of the Vietnam War 1965-1973

Question 1

By early 1965, how many soldiers did the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) have?

Answer 1

170,000

Question 2

Who supplied the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army with weapons and equipment?

Answer 2

China and the USSR

Question 3

What happened in November 1965 at La Dreng Valley?

Answer 3

U.S forces kill 2,000 Viet Cong for the loss of 300 troops.

Question 4

What was the name of the type of fighting the Viet Cong used?

Answer 4

Guerrilla warfare

Question 5

What is guerrilla warfare?

Answer 5

When small groups (VC) fight a larger and less mobile enemy using tactics such as retreating when the enemy attacks, raiding while the enemy camps, attacking when the enemy tires and pursue when the enemy retreats,

Question 6

Why did guerrilla warfare prove difficult for the US army?

Answer 6

Guerrilla fighters did not wear uniform; they had no base or headquarters, hard to distinguish from peasants, retreated to the jungle or underground tunnels.

Question 7

What was a Bouncing Betty?

Answer 7

A land mine that when thrown into the air, would explode at waist height, causing terrible injuries to the stomach or groin.

Question 8

What is a booby trap?

Answer 8

A concealed trap or device designed to cause injury or death once detonated.

Question 9

What percentage of casualties died from Booby traps?

Answer 9

11%

Question 10

What was the Ho Chi Minh trail?

Answer 10

A trail running from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia to South Vietnam supplying the Viet Cong.

Question 11

Explain the purpose of the Viet Cong underground tunnel complex.

Answer 11

It was used to avoid the worst effects of American air power. It was also used for storage, to aid the wounded, rest and ambush.

Question 12

What percentage of casualties was the result of ambush by the guerrilla fighters?

Answer 12

51%

Question 13

Approximately how long was the underground network used by the Viet Cong in South Vietnam?

Answer 13

240kms

Question 14

Approximately how many civilians (police, tax collectors, South Vietnamese government employees and peasants) did the Viet Cong kill between 1966 and 1971?

Answer 14

27,000

Question 15

Name two types of booby traps

Answer 15

Tripwires, tiger traps, punji stick pits

Question 16

What was Operation Rolling Thunder?

Answer 16

A large scale bombing campaign on industrial and military targets in North Vietnam by the USA, approved by Johnson and launched on 7th February 1965

Question 17

How long did the air offensive last?

Operation Rolling Thunder

Answer 17

1965-1972

Question 18

During Operation Rolling Thunder 1965-1972, the targets expanded. What were they?

Answer 18

Towns and cities in North and South Vietnam. Also Laos and Cambodia along the Ho Chi Minh trail.

Question 19

It can be said that Operation Rolling Thunder was effective to some extent. Why?

Answer 19

It disrupted supply routes
Allowed the US to strike at communist forces despite reducing forces on the ground after 1969.
Intense bombing between 1970-1972 in Hanoi forced the North Vietnamese into negotiation

Question 20

Why can we argue Operation Rolling Thunder was not a complete success?

Answer 20

It only slowed the Communists down as the Viet Cong continued to operate its supply lines. Communists were still able to launch a major assault on the South.

Question 21

What was the financial cost of the war?

Answer 21

The Communists shot down 14,000 US and South Vietnamese aircraft. American Life magazine calculated that it cost the USA $400,000 to kill one Viet Cong fighter.

Question 22

Who developed the policy of Search and Destroy?

Answer 22

US commander General Westmoreland

Question 23

What was the aim of Search and destroy?

Answer 23

US and South Vietnamese forces use helicopters to descend on villages and destroy any Viet Cong forces they found.

Question 24

What were the problems with search and destroy missions?

Answer 24

The raids were often based on inadequate information, inexperienced US troops often walked into traps, innocent villagers were mistaken for Viet Cong fighters, civilian casualties were high, approximately 6 for every 1 Viet Cong fighter. It also made the US and South Vietnamese fighters very unpopular with the peasants

Question 25

What was a ‘Zippo’ raid?

Answer 25

Another name for a search and destroy mission, named after Zippo lighters they used to set fire to villages.

Question 26

What is meant by ‘hearts and minds?’

Answer 26

President Johnson spoke regularly about the importance of winning hearts and minds in Vietnam. South Vietnamese began to support the Viet Cong when the US tactic of attrition (killing large amounts of the enemy) led to large numbers of civilian casualties.

Question 27

What did the success of the US and South Vietnamese forces at La Dreng Valley 1965 show the Viet Cong?

Answer 27

It showed that the Communists forces were no match for the US and South Vietnamese forces in open warfare. This did not daunt Ho Chi Minh however as he believed superior forces could be defeated using guerrilla tactics.