US Army Tactics

Question 1

What methods of fighting did the Americans use?

Answer 1

They fought a “high-tech” war relying on the latest technology, including planes, helicopters and chemical warfare. They also used “search and destroy” operations.

Question 2

What was “Operation Rolling Thunder” and why was it begun?

Answer 2

• It was a bombing attack on North Vietnamese military and industrial targets (e.g bridges, army barracks, railway lines, roads and arm depots).
• Operation Rolling Thunder started in February 1965. The aim was to end the North Vietnamese support for the Vietcong.
• Bombing did not cost as many American lives as ground warfare.
• At first, cities like Hanoi and Haiphong were not bombed because Johnson did not want to anger the USSR and a China too much by targeting civilians. But later, this policy changed and the USA began saturation bombing (everything in sight).

Question 3

What is meant by “search and destroy”?

Answer 3

• Army units were sent out into the villages and countryside to search for and kill any Vietcong they could find.
• This led to mug brutality against the Vietnamese, partly because the US soldiers were so afraid and angry when their friends were killed by the Vietcong.
• The US Army High Command measured the success or failure of a search and destroy mission by the “body count”, meaning the number of Vietcong killed.
• Search and destroy missions were backed up by helicopters, which were used to carry troops, arm and supplies. Helicopters were he best form of transport in the thick rainforests and swamps of Vietnam.
• Helicopters were also used as gunships armed with rocket launchers and machine guns.

Question 4

What did General Westmoreland mean by a “war of attrition”?

Answer 4

• He planned to kill so many Vietcong and NVA personnel that the Communist would give up.
• US casualties were always much smaller than those suffered by the Vietcong and NVA, which was why Westmoreland thought the USA would win.
• However, the North Vietnamese leaders were willing to accept massive casualties and planned to wear down the US for as long as necessary.

Question 5

What types of bombing did the Americans carry out during the war?

Answer 5

• In 1965, selective bombing was carried out during Operation Rolling Thunder, but as the war intensified this was replace by saturation bombing - meaning dropping bombs on everything.
• Three times as much explosive was dropped on Vietnam as was dropped on Germany and Japan during the whole of the Second World War.
• The Americans also used chemical weapons they used napalm (jellies petrol) and Agent Orange (a weed killer) to burn off leaves and vegetation.
• Napalm could also injure people horribly and Agent Orange contained dioxin, which poisoned the environment and caused long-term effects, such as cancers and deformities.