USA - Vietnam Flashcards
What was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, 1954?
French 15000 troops, Vietminh 50000 and anti-aircraft guns. Lasted 55 days before French surrender. French were defeated for many reasons (Vietminh had support from locals, French underestimated them)
What is the Domino theory?
This was the belief that if on country fell to communism, its neighbours would follow.
What were strategic hamlets?
These were heavily defended villages that South Vietnamese people were moved to. The idea was to get them away from the Viet Cong and protect by the ARVN
How did vietcong fight?
very rarely fought pitched battles. They used guerrilla tactics. Therefore, it was impossible to identify Viet Cong soldiers
What was the gulf of Tonkin incident, 1964?
August 1964 the USA claimed that US warships had been attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin. This gave the US the excuse they needed and Congress gave Johnson the power to send US combat troops to Vietnam.
What were ‘search and destroy’ methods?
Their success depended on the body count. The number of dead Vietnamese brought back. It was usually impossible to tell which side they had been on.
Wht was Operation Rolling Thunder from 1965?
heavy bombing of North Vietnam the aim was to destroy military bases and equipment in North Vietnam and to destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail
What was the Tet Offensive, 1968?
massive attack by the North Vietnames upon South Vietnam, which began on 30 January 1968. In Saigon the US embassy was seized by the North Vietnamese.
What was the result of the Tet Offensive?
North Vietnamese suffered very high casualties but many in the US were shocked by this attack.
South now seemed more vulnerable than ever and many in America saw it as a humiliating defeat
What was vietnamisation?
This was an attempt to make sure the South Vietnamese could defend the country on their own with help from the US in providing training and equipment.
withdraw with honour, without it looking like a defeat.
Was vietnamisation successful?
No
What were the Attacks on Cambodia, 1970?
Bombing continued under Nixon to target the Ho Chi Minh Trail but it did not stop the trail operating
What happened in Laos, 1971?
US provided air support for South Vietnamese invasion to defeat communist groups in Battle of Tchepone resulted in the ARVN retreating
What was operation Linebacker?
The heavy bombardment of North Vietnam In response to the North’s Easter Offensive of 1972
What were reasons for the growth of opposition?
Tet Offensive, Cambodia Rising death toll, injuries, coast and
length of the war, black American opposition, Role of individuals like Muhammed Ali,
