US Failures to End the War Flashcards
On what date did the NVA and VC launch the Tet Offensive?
31st of January 1968
What was the Tet Offensive?
- Massive attack on South Vietnam during the new year Tet festival
- Abandoned guerrilla warfare and attacked the US army and ARVN using conventional warfare
- Cities and US military bases were targeted in a carefully coordinated plan
How many places were targeted in the Tet Offensive?
100, including main areas of Saigon being occupied
How many Vietcong guerrillas captured the US embassy and for how long?
15 VC fighters for 5 hours
How many VC and NVA occupied a US and ARVN force in Saigon and for how long?
4500 fighters for 2 days
How long was Hue held for in the Tet Offensive?
25 days
What were the results of the Tet Offensive for the communist side?
- South Vietnamese population didn’t rise in support of the communists
- Vietcong morale was severely damaged as the Offensive proved they couldn’t defeat the US army in a direct attack
- VC never recovered from their extensive losses so NVA had to take on the major role on the communist side
- Even the NVA accepted they had been defeated and agreed to take part in peace talks
How many NVA were killed in the Tet Offensive?
45,000
How many VC were killed in the Tet Offensive?
30,000
How many US casualties did the Tet Offensive result in?
1500
Why was the Tet Offensive significant in the USA?
- TV and media coverage showed the Tet Offensive as a defeat for the US
- Public came to believe the war couldn’t be won because of the attack on Saigon and the US embassy
- People, including politicians, believed the war should be ended before more lives were lost in a hopeless war that could drag on for years
- World opinion on the war and US involvement enforced this view
- Because of opposition, LBJ decided not to seek re-election in 1968 as his reputation was fatally damaged
- Congress refused the request for another 20,000 troops to be sent to Vietnam to “finish off the job”
What was Vietnamisation?
The principle that the South Vietnamese governmenr would take over all civilian and military functions. Dependence on the USA would end and South Vietnam would have to “stand on its own two feet”
When did peace talks start between the USA and North Vietnam?
1968
How long did peace talks last?
On and off for 5 years
Why was progress in the peace talks slow?
- USA and North Vietnam both believed South Vietnam should be free from the influence of the other
- North Vietnam didn’t recognise South Vietnam as independent and thought if it was communist, the whole of Vietnam could be reunited
- Because North Vietnam didn’t see South Vietnam as independent, they would not accept that South Vietnam should be represented at the peace talks
Why did the USA continue to bomb North Vietnam despite peace talks?
- May have been due to the slow progress of the peace talks
- Nixon hoped it would force North Vietnam to take the peace talks more seriously
- North Vietnam was still supplying the VC with weapons along the Ho Chi Minh trail
- Keep pressure on North Vietnam while US troops were being withdrawn
In what year did Nixon order an invasion of Cambodia?
1970
What was the “limited” objective of the invasion of Cambodia?
To destroy the Ho Chi Minh trail
What effect did the invasion of Cambodia have?
- The extension of the war was unpopular, led to the Kent State University Protest
- Failed to close the supply route to the VC
How many US troops remained in Vietnam by 1970?
150,000 (previously there were half a million)
What was the NVA’s response to continued military pressure in 1972?
Invaded South Vietnam armed with Soviet tanks and artillery
What was Nixon’s response to the NVA’s invasion of South Vietnam in 1972?
Launched Operation Linebacker
What was Operation Linebacker?
- Massive air attack on North Vietnam
- Caused great destruction to strategic targets such as roads, railways and ports
How long did the bombing campaign of Christmas 1972 last?
11 days
How many bombs were dropped on North Vietnamese cities such as Hanoi in the bombing campaign of Christmas 1972?
200,000
What effect did Operation Linebacker have on peace talks?
- US administration invented the Madman Theory to put pressure on North Vietnam to come to the peace talks
- Showed North Vietnam that USA wouldn’t be forced out of the war or abandon South Vietnam
- Peace talks were resumed in January 1973
What was the Madman Theory?
It made it known that President Nixon was unstable and that if the war continued for much longer he could use nuclear weapons against North Vietnam
What were the conditions of the Paris Peace Agreement?
- US forces were to withdraw completely from Vietnam - by 1973 all troops had left
- US prisoners of war were to be released by North Vietnam - 600 prisoners of war were released
- North Vietnam was to recognise the government of South Vietnam - but the NVA could remain in areas they controlled during the ceasefire of 1972
- Elections to be held to decide whether Vietnam should be reunited
What were the events following the Paris Peace Agreement?
- The ceasefire gave the NVA time to prepare for an attack on the South
- Fighting between North and South Vietnam restarted in 1974, but no military help and limited financial help was given
- Congress passed laws to prevent the US bombing Vietnam and Cambodia
How did the fall of Saigon happen?
- North Vietnam continued the offensive into South Vietnam in 1975
- Attacked from Cambodia and Laos as well as from the north, against what was agreed in 1973
- The attack divided South Vietnam and split the ARVN forces
What happened during the Fall of Saigon?
- Major cities such as Hue and Danang fell to the Communists with little resistance, as South Vietnamese deserted in droves
- Refugees from the north began to flee southwards towards Saigon where they thought it would be safe. This “convoy of tears” was demoralising for the South Vietnamese
- NVA were in control of Saigon by April 1975
- Many citizens stayed to greet the NVA, others escaped however they could
- Remaining US officials were airlifted by helicopter from the roof of the US embassy to warships
- This was the end of US presence in Vietnam
