The Viet Cong vs USA Flashcards
Who were the Vietcong?
A communist militia who disguised themselves by wearing normal clothing and using guerrilla tactics
Name 5 Vietcong tactics that affected the U.S. Troops
- the Vietcong code of conduct
- the Vietcong tunnels
- torture
- booby traps
- ho chi Minh trail
Describe the Vietcong code of conduct
They had the villagers on their side and their code of conduct ensured their safety as villagers would hide them
Describe the effectiveness on the U.S. Troops of the Vietcong code of conduct
This was very effective because it mean that U.S. Troops couldn’t tell the Vietcong from the other villagers
What was an impact of the U.S. Troops being affected by the Vietcong code of conduct?
In frustration, the U.S. Would set fire to villages in attempts to kill the Vietcong which made USA look bad and thy usually did tend up killing the Vietcong
Describe the vietcong tunnels
They lived underground in tunnel networks below the peasants villages and used this to their advantage to avoid USA and confuse them
Describe the effectiveness on the U.S. Troops of the Vietcong tunnels
This confused the U.S. Troops as they couldn’t understand where any of the Vietcong were when they were underground
Describe the vietcongs use of torture
They had very few weapons so they used diy warfare, including ants, Mosquitos, bamboo under the fingernails to intestate
Describe the effectiveness on the U.S. Troops of torture
This tortured and terrified the U.S. Troops and was cheap and easy for the Vietcong
Describe the vietcongs use of booby traps
They had various booby traps including holes in the floor and trip wires
Describe the effectiveness on the U.S. Troops of booby traps
The U.S. Troops were terrified of the Vietcong as they were unpredictable and potentially very dangerous
What was the Ho Chi Minh trail?
A trail going through the borders of neighbouring countries, like Laos and Cambodia, from north to South Vietnam so the communists in the north could supply the Vietcong with food and other resources whilst they were fighting the U.S. In the south
Describe the effectiveness on the U.S. Troops of the Ho Chi Minh trail
The U.S. Troops were confused by the lives of the Vietcong and how they managed to survive
What was the Ho Chi Minh trail a reaction to?
USA bombing the routes from North Vietnam to Saigon and making it difficult for them to get supplies to the Vietcong
Who set up base camps at regular points along the trail?
The national liberation front, base camps were for places for Vietcong to rest and seek medical help
By 1970, how fast could fit and experiences soldiers complete the Ho Chi Minh trail?
In 6 weeks, whereas at the start it took 6 months
How many supplies were the national liberation front able to send per day?
Approximately 60 tons of supplies were able to be sent per day
Why did USA find it hard to find the trail from the air?
The trail went through dense jungle
How did 10% of people die in the Ho Chi Minh trail?
10% dies of malaria
Name 4 of USA’s tactics against the Vietcong
- operation rolling thunder
- search and destroy
- agent orange
- napalm
What was operation rolling thunder?
Extensive bombing raids on military and industrial targets in North Vietnam
What was operation rolling thunder the beginning of?
An air offence that was to last 7 years
How many USA aircrafts did the Vietnamese shoot down?
14,000 aircrafts
What is mean by guerrilla warfare?
Irregular warfare for small groups of combatants, including ambushing, petty warfare, sabotage and torture etc
What were the impacts or problems of operation rolling thunder? Name 3
- damaged North Vietnams war efforts and supply routes
- USA could strike at communists whilst their ground forces were reducing
- it only slowed down the Vietcong didn’t defeat them
What was search and destroy?
Where US troops would launch raids where they would hunt for and bomb the Vietcong from their helicopters
What were zippo raids?
When the U.S. Troops would set fire to villages using their zippo lighters
What was an impact of search and destroy raids? Name 2
- they became infuriated by not being able to find the Vietcong
- their lighters became more of their weapons than their machine guns
What was agent orange?
A toxic weed killer used to destroy the Vietcong jungles, the USA used millions of litres to spray thousand of square kilometres
Name 3 impacts of agent orange
- destroyed crops and trees
- led to cancer and other diseases
- pre birth defects
What was napalm?
Another widely used chemical weapon to burn skin and bone of the Vietnamese
Name an impact of napalm
•there is a world famous picture of a young girl being burned by napalm which made USA look villainous
Name 4 other problems that USA faced in the Vietnam war
- heat and humidity was uncomfortable and they weren’t used to it whereas the Vietcong were
- backpacked weighed 41kg
- average age of soldiers was 19, they were inexperienced and didn’t even want to be there
- their rifles jammed when they made contact with water
How were USA tactics more successful? Name 4
- effective at taking down the locals
- superior tech
- more funds
- more troops from conscription
How were Vietcong tactics more successful? Name 4
- used to the heat and humidity
- superior knowledge and mobility
- intimidated the U.S. Troops because they didn’t know where they were hiding
- the US troops were inexperienced and fell for Vietcong booby traps
How did USA feel they would truly stop communism spreading?
If they won everyone’s hearts and minds
Why couldn’t USA win everyone’s hearts and minds?
The USA approach was to kill large numbers of the enemy, leading to large numbers of civilian casualties so more people supported the Vietcong
What was the my Lai massacre?
The mass murder of hundreds of civilians by U.S. Troops at the village of my Lai
When was the my Lai massacre?
March 16th 1968
How many victims were there of the my Lai massacre?
504
What were USA troops told before the massacre?
That the true civilians would be at the market so those left at the village would be members of the national liberation front
When U.S. Troops arrived at the village what did they find?
They didn’t find any national front members
What did many U.S. Troops do after not finding any Vietcong in my Lai?
They began to kill the villagers anyway
What villagers did the U.S. Troops mainly kill in the my Lai massacre?
The elderly, women and children
Who stopped the massacre?
An American helicopter pilot
How many soldiers were charged with being involved with the killings of my Lai?
26, despite the fact the whole army were involved
Which one soldier was found guilty of the my Lai massacre?
Lieutenant William calley
What did the massacre cause to happen in USA?
Caused the public opinion to shift in USA to anti Vietnam war
What was operation rolling thunder a U.S. Reaction to?
The Vietcong tet offensive
