US Response to Vietcong Tactics Flashcards
What were search and destroy missions?
Seen as it was difficult to tell a Vietcong fighter from a normal peasant, the US used to search villages around South Vietnam. If they found a village that they suspected contained a member of the Vietcong, they would burn and destroy the whole village
What were search and destroy missions also known as?
Zippo raids, because of the lighters used to start the fires
What was Operation Rolling Thunder?
A period of continuous bombing raids by B-52 bombers
How many bombs were dropped during Operation Rolling Thunder?
Nearly 1 million tonnes
What were cluster bombs?
Bombs that were designed to be dropped, and then explode to release 600 smaller bombs
What 2 chemicals did the US use?
Napalm
Agent Orange
What was Agent Orange?
A toxic chemical that caused cancer and deformities in unborn children
What was Napalm?
A chemical that burned through jungle and forest, but also through skin and bones
What was the average age of the US soldiers fighting in Vietnam?
19 years old
What were all young men forced into?
They were conscripted for a 1 year ‘tour of duty’
What happened if people refused to join up and conscription?
A prison sentence
What did troops face in the jungle?
Booby traps and mines
Their M-16 rifles jammed easily if they became wet or dirty
What did many US troops mistakenly do?
Kill Vietnamese civilians because they were unable to tell them apart from the Vietcong
What were 4 impacts of US tactics?
Supply routes along the Ho Chi Minh trail were disrupted, but not long enough for the US to take the advantage
Few Vietcong fighters were captured and the tunnels were left intact
The US became unpopular with many of the peasants of Vietnam
Support for the Vietcong increased, as a result of the US tactics
What were the US troops also known as?
GIs - short for ‘Government Issue’ or ‘General Issue’
