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
They were based on traditional warfare and they didn’t realise that they needed to instead win the hearts and minds of the vietnamese people
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 and it only targeted the Ho Chi Minh trail and industry in North Vietnam
Did rolling thunder work
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 was the main tactic against the Vietcong
Search and Destroy missions
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
Not really as they occured on land which was booby trapped and many troops were ambushed by the VC,The US were treating it like traditional warfare where casualties mattered but it didn’t for the VC,they would fight till all of them were dead
What was operation Cedar Falls and when was it
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 1964-70 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
