The Vietnam War Flashcards
1
Q
Why did the US join the Vietnam war
A
- Attack on the Maddox - The US navy claimed that their ship the Maddox had been fired at by communists in North Vietnam. This gave them the excuse to send troops into Vietnam
- The Domino Theory - This was an American belief that if one country fell to communism so would another and then another in a knock on effect until a whole continent became communist. The US did not want
- Diem - He created a weak south. He persecuted a buddhist majority, taxed people heavily and took land from the peasants. The South Vietnamese turned against him and looked at communism as an alternative. The US had to help Diem to stay in power to keep South Vietnam communist
- The Geneva Agreement - In 1954 Vietnam was split into two, the north was communist under Ho Chi Minh and the South was capitalist under Diem. The US had to help the south to keep them communist
- The Truman Doctrine - This was an American foreign policy which stated that the US ‘contain’ communism and stop it spreading throughout the world
- South Vietnam produced valuable resources such as tin, rubber and petroleum that the US did not want to lose
2
Q
US tactics
A
- Agent Orange - This was a weed killer that was sprayed from US planes to defoliate the jungle and flush out the Vietcong. But it got into water supplies and soil which caused birth defects in many Vietnamese children
- Napalm - This was a bomb filled with gelling agent which could be heated to temperatures of 800 degrees celsius. They would be dropped from US planes. When the bomb would explode the gelling agent would get on the victims skin and caused severe damage, it could burn to the bone
- Strategic Hamlets - US soldiers would create fortification around peasants villages. They would be guarded by an armed guard. This was to stop the Vietcong getting help from the villagers. But the villager felt imprisoned by the Americans and were very unhappy because of this
- Search and Destroy - US soldiers would be helicoptered into villages where they suspected the Vietcong to be hiding. They would search for any hidden Vietcong or any hidden weapons. After they had searched they would burn the village to the ground to stop the Vietcong from returning
- Operation Rolling Thunder - This was a US bombing campaign targeting military and industry sites in North Vietnam. They changed to bombing towns and cities. However it was not very successful as it was only supposed to last 8 weeks but went on for 3 and a half years
- Vietnamisation - This was the gradual withdrawal of US troops from South Vietnam, an increase in the number of South Vietnamese troops to replace the US forces and also the Nixon Doctrine which was a promise to supply military equipment to support the South Vietnamese troops
3
Q
Vietcong Tactics
A
- Guerilla Tactics - this included retreating when the enemy attacks, raid when the enemy camps, attack when the enemy tires and pursue when the enemy retreats
- Tunnels - Elaborate tunnel systems that ran for 250 km underground. The Americans found it hard to infiltrate these. They were used by the Vietcong to house troops, transport, communication supplies and lay booby traps and surprise attacks
- Booby Traps - Punji sticks - sharpened bamboo sticks covered in human waste or animal venom. U.S. soldiers could fall on these and become seriously injured
4
Q
Why did the US fail to win the Vietnam War
A
- Tet Offensive - This was a surprise series of attacks launched during tet. Many south Vietnamese troops were on holiday when the attacks began. The US military was caught off guard. 50,000 communist troops died, although a military loss the Tet offensive was a stunning propaganda victory for the communists. many Americans began questioning military and political leaders who told them the war would be won soon
- The Mai Lai Massacre 1968 - Lieutenant Calley and his platoon were carrying out a search and destroy mission in the village of my Lai, they ended up killing 347 men, women, children and babies. The women had been raped before being killed. The US tried keeping news of the my Lai massacre quiet. In 1969 the US press got ahold of this information. This event shocked the US public opinion. This was the clearest evidence that the war was not going well for the Americans. A large number of Americans either refused to believe this event was true or felt it was justified as the villagers were helping the Vietcong
- The Vietcong knew the jungle much better than the Americans did. This allowed them to hide in places they could not be found. US troops were not used to jungle warfare
- The Vietcong did not always wear a uniform. This made it hard for the Americans to identify their enemy. They found it hard to tell who was a Vietcong member and who was a regular peasant
- The Vietcong were being supported by the Soviet Union and China, who supplied them with weapons and fighter planes to help defend themselves against the usa. The Vietcong also had the support of the peasants, as US brutality had turned them against America.
- There was a mass opposition growing for the Vietnam war back in America, as Americans were horrified by the brutality of US tactics, and were appalled by the high number of US soldiers being killed.
- The US troops lost the will to fight and were low on morale. Many didn’t believe that they were fighting for democracy or just didn’t care anymore.
5
Q
Why did Americans not support the Vietnam War
A
- It was the first televised war. Pictures of innocent civilians being killed, maimed and tortured were displayed on the TV and in newspapers. This made many Americans horrified and they turned against the war.
- Many disagreed with the number of black soldiers fighting yet they still had no civil rights back home
- Many soldiers were drafted in and had no choice but to fight
- Many did not want their soldiers fighting in a foreign land for a country that did not want their help
- There was a high body count
- Many of the soldiers were young and inexperienced
