US And Vietcong Tactics Flashcards
What was the word used for the vietcong’s tactics
Guerilla tactics
What is the meaning of guerilla warfare
It means small attacks carried out by a small number of people in order to inflict small casualties and disrupt the opposing army.
Why did the Vietcong’s tactics make it so hard for America to fight
They had no clue where anybody could come out from and kill them,they didn’t know who their allies and enemies were,they coulden’t engage in normal warfare
What did the US troops try to do to destroy the tunnels
Originally they tried to use tunnel rats to go down and fight the VC but eventually they had to just bulldoze over any tunnel entrances they found
What did the tunnels allow the Vietcong to do
It allowed them to move around the country with great facilities inside and also pop up and sneak attack the enemy at any point
Why was the use of booby traps from the VC significant
It scared the US as with every step they took they could be killed by a trap and they didn’t have any idea how to stop it
Why did the US tactics not work in Vietnam
Vietcong employed guerilla tactics and blended seamly with civilian population.
The jungle terrain provided excellent cover for the viet cong.
US search snd destroy often resulted in destruction of villages and civilian property pushing more people against them
The US focused heavily on military and didn’t focus on winning hearts
What was operation rolling thunder and when was it
A bombing campaign in 1965 all over North Vietnam.
It was very slow however as they didn’t want to escelate things
it only targeted the Ho Chi Minh trail ( which was a military route used by the Northern Vietnamese to suplly the Vietcong during the vietnam war. It ran beyond the vietnames border through cambodia and Laos)
Did rolling thunder work
The operation wasnt successful.
The bombs often fell in the jungle missing their targets due the jungle landscape.
The vietcong used the jungle to their advantage fighting a hit and run war against inexperienced American soliders.
They also used underground bases and tunnels for shelter from bombs.
Most people in north vietnam lived in farming communities so bombing urban targets did little to damage the country’s ability to supply troops.
It caused significant damage and destroyed lots of North Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh trail however this just made the North Vietnamese more determined to kill the US and the Ho Chi Minh trail was repaired due to lots of supplies being made in China and the USA anyway
When did the first millitary troops arrive in Vietnam
March 1965
What were the main tactics against the Vietcong
Search and Destroy missions
Airmobile tactics
Strtegic tactics
Chemical defoliants
Napalm
What did Search and Destroy missions do
Small units of US soldiers would search the jungle for VC camps and supplies and then called up helicopters to bomb or spray chemicals on them.
Were search and destroy missions succesful
Ni they werent succseful
. Poor intelligence (Military)
Vietcong used jungle to their advantage through using a hit andvrun war
Brutal tatics used by the American troops often lead more civilians to support the vietcong ( veitnamese communist)
What was operation Cedar Falls and when was it
In was an operation in which the USA targeted an area containing viet cong camps and supply caches(storage of resources re food and ammunition) in January 1967 troops evacuated the village of Ben Suc and then launched a devasting attack on the area.
Campaigns like this had mixed results. They did kill some viet cong but they also turned many more civillians into refugees who were then more likely to support communists
8th Jan 1967
1967,30,000 US and ARVN troops in the ‘Iron Triangle’ where the VC were strongest,They found Vc strongholds and bombed them.It failed as people had to be taken out of their homes and didn’t understand why and the bombing was intense and cintinued even when they returned in turn causing more people to join the VC,Also alot of the VC fleed to cambodia
What was operation Ranch Hand and when did it occur
Between 1962-71 over 24% of South Vietnam was sprayed with herbecide meaning both US soldiers and the Vietnamese were affected however it’s main goal was to destroy the crops and jungle that the VC hid in.However it angered the south as it caused many health problems
