US And Vietcong Tactics - US Involvement In The Vietnam War 1954-75 Flashcards
What advice was Johnson given regarding Vietnam 1964-5?
- All out bombing, will force them to negotiate
- Heavy bombing, will win the war
- Over in a few weeks
- War nearly won anyway
What was the advice given to Johnson like?
Delusional,arrogant,naive and misunderstood the situation
What was the main aim of US for Vietnam?
For South Vietnam to be a democratic govt. South Vietnamese hated the government and US had to win the “hearts and minds” of the people, they did not realise this
What were the tactics used in the Vietnam conflict?
- Us forces - eventually 600,000
- Hit and run tactics
- VC used US weapons against them → crude grenades and mines
- Young and old took part
- Booby traps used effectively
- Physcological impact on soldiers - “Took the fight out of you”
- Enemy could be very young kids (12-13 years old)
- Didn’t know who the enemy was
- US cleared whole areas / destroyed villages
- Napalm (chemical) and Agent Orange (defoliant - destroys plants) → used widely
- V. C tunnels were effective - cleverly made
- U.S tunnel rats
- V.C infiltrated Saigon
- Ho Chi Minh Trail worked very well
- TET offensive 1968 - V.C get into the US embassy - Footage shown worldwide → Has a big impact → US desire to continue the war falls significantly
- Nixon eventually withdraws
What were more tactics used in the Vietnam conflict by Vietnam?
Hit and run attacks - Didn’t expect them, Easy to pick off soldiers
Sabotaged roats / bridges - Cuts off the supply line
Stayed close to US troops - For ambushes and US had to think about strategies
Used complex tunnel network - To lose US soldiers
Dressed like ordinary Vietnamese people - To make it seem they arent the enemy
Propaganda used effectively - Gets support of villagers
Single ambush traps - Keeps soldiers on their toes
Used light weapons and equipment - To move efficiently and rapidly
Why were the VC tunnels so effective?
The Vietnimh used tunnels to move around and shelter during their war with the French. The Vietcong did the same thing, but their tunnels were much more complex. For example the Chu Chi area the VC had built almost 100 miles of tunnels, on several levels which contained hospitals, weapon, fuel storage and living space. Another benefit were Vietnamese people were smaller than most Americans so many tunnels were too small for US troops
How did the US respond to the VC tunnels?
The US First responded to this by destroying the tunnels by using ‘tunnel rats’ - troops who were small emough and went down to fight the VC or mine the tunnels to collapse them. Though, eventually they just bulldozed over any tunnel entrances they found
Why did being ambushed by the VC have an effect on US troops?
Being ambushed with every move will have an effect on US troops as they feel as if every move is predictable and they have already planned all scenerios possible. This makes US troops feel afraid and feel the need to stay diligent at all times
Why were the US tactics so innefective?
- The Failure to do enough damage to the VC
- The effects on the vietnamese people
- The fact that their policies created criticisms at home
