The Nature Of The Conflict In Vietnam Flashcards
What were some of the VC tatics
The built thousend of 100 miles of tunnels, so the whole camp was underground, so they could hide and move supplies they need underground
When the US foumd them they were heavily booby trapped
How did they use tunnells effectively
They were experts at building booby traps using pits sharpend sticks and mines.
This meant the US soliders could never relax.
And they could be attacked from anywhere
How did the Vietcong get their supplies
They were supplied from the north by the Ho Chi Minh trail which ran through Laos and Cambodia
The Soviet Union and China sent uo to 6000 tonnes of supplies a day.
What methods did the USA use to try and defeat the VC
Search and destroy
Operation rolling thunder
Chemical weapons
What was operation search and destroy
This was when the US troops went into the jungle just to kill. Their success depended on the body count.
What was operation rolling thunder
This was an operation that led to heavy bombing of North Vietnam, that was far worse than anything seen in WW2.
The aim was to destroy military bases and equiptment in North Vietnam and to also destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail
What was the method to use Chemical weapons
The US airforce began to use defoliants like
Agent Orange’ - this stripped all the leaves from the trees so the VC couldn’t hide
Napalm - used to burn villages to force VC out into the open
Agent Blue - destroy crops
What was the effect of the methods the US used
They caused enourmous damage to the VC but did not win local support, which is important in this sort of war
When was the Tet Offensive
1968
What was the key features of the Tet Offensive
On the 30th of January 1968 North Vietnam attacked over 100 cities of south vietnam.
In Siagon the US embassy was seized.
North Vietnam had lots of casualties but the US were shocked by the attack, especially as the got into the embassy
What was the impact of the Tet Offensive
many in the US were shocked by this attack especially as they got into US embassy in Saigon.
The South now seemed more vulnerable than ever and many people in America saw it as a humiliating defeat
Anti war feeling grew
