USA Vietnam Flashcards
Who were the vietminh?
League for the independence of vietnam
Who were the ARVN
Army of the republic of vietnam (south)
What is the background of vietnam before the war?
Vietnam given to France after WW2
1950 France appealed for US support
France defeated at the battle of Dien Bien Phu
What support was there for South vietnam 1954 -63?
Eisenhower supported south despite the new corrupt leader
US believed in Domino Theory
Eisenhower sent advisors to help south vietnamese army
Who was the new corrupt south vietnam leader in 1954 - 63?
Ngo Dinh Diem
What was JFK’s early involvement in Vietnam?
Increased advisor numbers from 700 to 15,000
Ordered construction of strategic hamlets
Threatened to withdraw military aid then backed a plot to arrest Diem.
What escalastions happened to the conflict under Johnson? (3)
Vietcong became increasingly threatening
Arrival of American troops in Vietnam
Gulf of Tonkin incident
Why were the Vietcong more threatening under Johnson?
They used guerrila tactics and woukd scatter after any conflicts
When was the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
1964
What was the gulf of Tonkin incident?
US warships claimed to have been attacked so the US had an excuse to give Johnson the power to send US troops into vietnam
What was the main nature of VC tactics in vietnam from 1964, 68? (3)
VC built thousands of miles of tunnels
VC built booby traps
VC supplied by the Ho Chi Minh trail by China and the Soviet Union
What was the main nature of US tactics in vietnam from 1964, 68? (4)
Search and destroy missions most commonly used. Success depended on dead vietnamese
Operation rolling thunder 1965
Heavy bombing and chemical weapons
Use of napalm to burn villages
When was operation rolling thunder?
1965
What were the main features of operation rolling thunder?
Heavy bombing and use of chemical weapons like agent orange to destroy nature and VC cover
Did not win the hearts and minds of people
When was the tet offensive?
1968
What was the tet offensive?
A huge attack from north vietnam on south vietnam in 1968
What were the features of the tet offensive?
Huge VC deaths.
VC reached the US embassy in Saigon
What were the results of the Tet Offensive?
The south seemed more vulnerable
Many in America saw it as a humiliating defeat