Pages 18-19 of Asia A5 booklet (Different ways the USA and the Communist fought the war) Flashcards
In early 1965, how many troops did the VC and NVA have?
170,000 soldiers.
Who were the VC and NVA heavily supplied by?
USSR and China.
What happened in November 1965?
In November 1965, The VC and the USA met for the first time in the La Dreng Valley.
How many people died in the La Dreng Valley battle?`
2,000 VC troops and only 300 American troops.
What did the La Dreng Valley battle force the VC to do?
It forced the VC to start using Guerrilla tactics.
Why was Ho Chi Minh not scared of going to war with the USA?
He had studied the Chinese using Guerrilla tactics, and had used them to beat the French and the Japanese.
What are the 4 principles of guerrilla warfare?
- retreat when the enemy attacks
- raid while the enemy camps
- attack when the enemy tires.
- pursue when the enemy retreats.`
What were the VC and NVA scared of?
They were scared of US airpower. So they developed close quarter fighting. This meant that US airpower couldn’t be used as they feared hitting their own troops. (Hanging on to American belts).
When was the Tet offensive?
The VC launched the Tet Offensive on 30th January 1968.
What was the Tet Offensive?
A VC attack on over 100 cities and military targets.
Why did the VC attack towns and cities in the Tet Offensive?
So that the USA couldn’t use air support in case they hit civilians.
Where did the USA air support destroy during the Tet Offensive?
They destroyed the ancient city of Hue. This made many South Vietnamese hate the USA.
What did the VC do to gain support from civilains?
They helped peasants in the fields during busy times of the year.
When was the VC ruthless?
- They killed peasants who helped the enemy.
- They led a campaign of terror against the police, tax collectors, teachers and other employees of the S. Vietnamese government.
Between 1966 and 1971, how many civilians did the VC kill?
27,000 civilians.
What 5 reasons are there for why the VC was a good army?
- Fighting for a reason.
- No uniform was worn, so invisible.
- Travelled light with small food rations.
- Used AK47s which were reliable and accurate. Worked well in the wet.
- Had machetes to cut through the jungle and make bamboo-spike booby traps.
What % of US casualties were caused by small arms fire?
51% of US casualties
What % of US casualties were due to booby traps?
11%
How long were the VC tunnel networks?
240km
Where did the USA constantly bomb?
The supply trail from N. Vietnam. But 40,000 Vietnamese worked to keep it open and supplied the VC with food, clothing and weapons.
How many VC and NVA solders died in the war?
It’s estimated that 1 million soldiers died in the war, but they were readily replaced by new volunteers.
What was the total amount of aid given the USSR and China?
$2 billion
How much did the Vietnam war cost the USA in total?
$110 billion ($2000 per second for 10 years)
What does the total cost of the Vietnam war for the USA not take into account?
Soldiers’ pensions and benefits to the families of those killed in action.
When did Operation Rolling Thunder launch?
7th February 1965.
What did Operation Rolling Thunder focus on?
Military and industrial targets in North Vietnam. It also spread to Laos and Cambodia along the Ho Chi Minh trails.
How many US helicopters were destroyed?
Almost 5,000 helicopters were destroyed, costing $250,000 each.
How many aircraft were destroyed?
3,500 aircraft were destroyed
How much was it calculated to cost to kill 1 VC soldier?
75 bombs, 400 shells and $400,000 to kill 1 VC.
How many of the bombs dropped were on S. Vietnam (the USA’s ally) and how many did it kill?
2/3 of the bombs dropped were dropped on S. Vietnam, killing around 50,000.
Between 1965-71, how many ammunition’s did the USA bombard Vietnam with?
The USA bombarded Vietnam with approximately twice the total ammunition used by the USA in all of the 2nd World War. Creating 2.6 million craters.
What did strong air power allow the USA to do?
Enabled the USA to reduce its ground forces from 1969.
Where did the USA bomb between 1970-72?
Intense bombing of Hanoi (N. Vietnam’s Capital) and the port of Haiphong.
Between 1970-72, how many shells were fired per day?
10,000 shells were fired per day at a cost of $1 million in 1970 values.
How many tonnes of munitions are estimated to be unexploded today?
An estimated 27,000 tonnes remain unexploded in Vietnam today.
What is napalm?
A chemical used to destroy jungles. It could also burn through skin and bone.
How many tonnes of napalm were dropped between 1965-73?
20,000
What is Agent Orange?
A highly toxic weedkiller.
How many missions used Agent Orange?
30,000 missions.
How many acres of forest and farmland were destroyed by Agent Orange?
More than 4 million acres were destroyed between 1961 -70. Affecting the lives of 1.3 million people.
How many litres of Agent Orange were used during the war?
82 million litres.
Between 1961 and 1970, how many pounds of herbicides were dropped?
100 million lbs.
How much did the risk of cancer increase amongst the soldiers who handled Agent Orange?
170%
What did the 1 year draft mean in terms of the US army?
this meant that the US army was often full of new recruits and lacked the experience of soldiers who had fought for a number of years.
What 4 reasons are there for why the US troops were badly prepared for war in Vietnam?
- 1 year draft
- Wanted to survive so their heart was not in the fighting.
- Carried 90 pound backpacks, made soldiers slow.
- Their M16 rifles jammed when wet.
Who were the search and destroy missions developed by?
General Westmoreland after bombing failed
During search and destroy missions, how many civilians died in order to find 1 VC weapon?
6
What was the result of the search and destroy missions on the civilians?
Search and destroy pushed many villagers toward the VC.
What is the most famous example of a search and destroy mission?
My Lai Massacre in March 1968, where 300 civilians were killed by US soldiers.
What also became a very unpopular image of the war?
Zippo raids
