The Vietnam War Flashcards
Which two countries had previously invaded Vietnam?
Japan and France
How did America support the French?
They gave the French $500 million a year to defeat the Vietminh
Why did America support the French?
They were fighting against the Vietminh- who were communist
What happened when the French fought the Vietminh?
They were eventually defeated in 1954
How was Vietnam divided?
Vietnam was divided into North (communist) and South (Capitalist) in 1954
Who was the leader of South Vietnam?
The corrupt leader Diem who was bitterly anti-communist, and also looked down upon Buddhists and peasants
Why did the USA support Diem?
He was anti-communist
How did the USA support Diem?
They supported his regime with about $1.6 billion in the 1950s
Why did support keep rising for the Vietcong rebels?
The Vietnamese people were treated with respect by the Vietcong, and their leader Diem was corrupt and did not help them
What happened in 1954?
The Americans prevented free elections from taking place in South Vietnam (despite what they had promised) because they feared the communists would win
How long did the Vietnamese war with the French last?
From 1946 to 1954 (8 years)
When was Diem overthrown?
1963- Diem was overthrown by his own army leaders- but governments that followed were equally corrupt, but still received US support
Who was the leader of the Vietminh and North Vietnam?
Ho Chi Minh
Who were the Vietcong?
Communist fighters taking orders from Ho Chi Minh, who wanted to liberate South Vietnam
Who was the Vietcong made up of?
North Vietnamese fighters and South Vietnamese opponents of the government
How did the Vietcong receive weapons and supplies?
The Ho Chi Minh trail
What did the Vietcong start doing?
Attacking S. Vietnamese government forces, officials and buildings, attacking American air force and supply bases
Why did the USA not want Vietnam to become communist?
Domino theory- if Vietnam fell to communism, surrounding countries would fall. Eisenhower was convinced that China + USSR were trying to spread communism over Asia
What was Kennedy doing by 1962?
Sending in increasing numbers of American ‘advisers’ to fight Vietcong
What continued to increase from 1962?
Tension between North and South Vietnam and amount of American involvement
How many American troops were in Vietnam by the end of 1962?
11,500
How many American troops were in Vietnam by the end of 1964?
23,000
When was Kennedy assassinated?
1963
Who became president after Kennedy?
Johnson- who was much more ready to commit to full-scale conflict in Vietnam to prevent spread of communism
When did full scale conflict begin?
8th March 1965
How did full scale conflict begin?
3500 US marines and combat troops came ashore at Da Nang
How many soldiers did the Vietcong have at the beginning of the Vietnam war?
170,000 in early 1965
What happened at La Dreng Valley?
November 1965- Vietcong lost 2000 and US only lost 300- Ho Chi Minh decided to use Guerrilla tactics
Why were Guerrilla tactics so hard to fight?
Attackers blended with the people, disappeared into the jungle,tunnels or villages, soldiers in constant fear of attacks or booby traps
Why did the Vietcong get support from the people?
The Vietcong were respectful of villagers and women, helped in the fields and returned what they borrowed
What civilians were not respected by the Vietcong?
Employees of the government (teachers, police, tax collectors etc) and those co-operative with their enemies
How many civilians did the Vietcong kill?
Between 1966 and 1971 they killed 27,000 civilians
Why did the Ho Chi Minh trail stay open despite S. Vietnamese and US bombings?
40,000 Vietnamese constantly worked to keep it open whatever the cost
How many Vietcong and North Vietnamese were killed in the war?
Approx. 1 million (much higher than US losses); but the Vietcong always had troops available; the fighters believed in what they were fighting for
When did the US bombing raids begin?
7th February 1965, this was known as Operation Rolling Thunder
How long did the air offensive continue for?
7 years (1965-1972)
How many bombs were dropped on North Vietnam?
More than were dropped on the Japan and Germany in the whole of WW2
What was the approximate cost (in air warfare) to kill 1 Vietcong soldier?
Life magazine (a famous US magazine) estimated it to be approx $400,000
What was agent orange?
A weedkiller which the US used to destroy the jungle where the Vietcong hid
How much agent orange did the US use?
Over the course of the war; 82 million litres
What two chemical weapons did the US mainly use?
Napalm and Agent orange
What was Napalm?
It was used to destroy the jungle,but also burned through skin to the bone. It killed many civilians and US soldiers too
What casualties did the search and destroy missions cause?
For every 1 Vietcong weapon captured there was a body count of 6
What were search and destroy missions also known as?
Zippo raids, Zippo- a lighter used to set houses and villages on fire
What was the Tet offensive?
A large scale communist attack on over 100 towns and cities in S. Vietnam, attack on US embassy in Saigon
Why did the Tet offensive happen?
So that the communists could: seize the initiative, break the stalemate, persuade S. Vietnamese people to join them
Did the Tet offensive succeed?
Not really; they embarrassed the US and appeared daring and brave, but 100,000 Vietcong were killed and they took 4 yrs to recover
When did the Tet offensive happen?
January 1968
When was the turning point of the war?
1968
When did the My Lai massacre occur?
16 March 1968
What happened at the My Lai massacre?
Between 175 and 500 innocent civilians were massacred by young American soldiers
When did footage of the My Lai massacre reach home?
Footage wasn’t released until 1969 (the next year) but caused American people to turn against the war
Why did the soldiers slaughter people at My Lai?
Lt. Calley ordered his men to kill the villagers saying they were all supporting or part of the Vietcong. They were all innocent.
Who was punished for the My Lai massacre?
Only Lt. Calley who was sentenced to life imprisonment but released after only 3 years despite certainty that he had murdered hundreds of innocent people
What did people in America do to protest against the war?
Burned draft cards, university protests, Washing demonstration, anti-war songs
Why did Nixon get elected?
On the promise that he wold end US involvement in the war
What was Vietnamization?
As American troops left, they were replaced with S. Vietnamese soldiers
When did US troops start leaving?
7th July 1969
When were all US troops out of Vietnam?
By the end of March 1973
When was a cease fire held?
From 1973 (January) to 1974
When did the South fall to the North?
Saigon, Southern capital fell in April 1975
What was the average age of a US soldier in Vietnam?
19
