US tactics in Vietnam

Question 1

What was the main US tactics during the Vietnam War?

Answer 1

Bombing (Operation Rolling Thunder)

Question 2

What did Operation Rolling Thunder target?

Answer 2

• military and industrial targets in North Vietnam
• towns and cities in N and S. Vietnam
• the Ho Chi Minh trail
• Cambodia and Laos, who were sympathetic towards the Vietcong

Question 3

In what ways did Operation Rolling Thunder work?

Answer 3

• It damaged North Vietnam’s war effort and disrupted supply routes
• From 1970 to 1972 intense bombing of North Vietnam forced them to negotiate for peace

Question 4

In what ways did Operation Rolling Thunder fail?

Answer 4

• Bombing could not defeat the communists, only slow them down
• Even after major bombing raids in 1972, the Communists were still able to launch a major assault on the South
• Civilian casualties as a consequence of bombing turned the Vietnamese people against the Americans

Question 5

What policy did General Westmoreland introduce to combat guerrilla warfare?

Answer 5

Search and destroy

Question 6

How did ‘Search and Destroy’ work?

Answer 6

• Heavily defended US bases were set up in South Vietnam
• Helicopters full of US troops would descend on a village and search and destroy and Vietcong soldiers

Question 7

What were some of the problems with Search and Destroy?

Answer 7

• The raids were based on inadequate information
• Inexperienced US troops often walked into traps
• Innocent villagers were often killed
• Made Americans more unpopular with civilians

Question 8

What was Agent Orange?

Answer 8

A chemical weapon that destroyed jungle (a defoliant)

Question 9

Why was Agent Orange used?

Answer 9

To destroy the jungle where the Vietcong would hide

Question 10

How much Agent Orange was used during the Vietnam War?

Answer 10

82 million litres

Question 11

What was napalm?

Answer 11

A highly flammable jelly that burned through jungles - but also through skin and bone if it landed on humans

Question 12

Why was Agent Orange controversial?

Answer 12

It is argued that it caused long-lasting health problems for as many as 3 million Vietnamese people

Question 13

Why was napalm important in changing people’s views on the war?

Answer 13

A photograph by Nick Ut in 1972 won the Pulitzer Prize. It showed a 9 year old girl running naked after Napalm burned off her clothes.

Many American people were disgusted.

Question 14

Approximately how many bombs were dropped on Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia)?

Answer 14

13 million tonnes worth - or nearly double the amount dropped by the USA during the entirety of WWII