Vietcong Flashcards
Who were the vietcong supported by?
NVA- North vietnamese army
What were the vietcong very experienced in?
Guerrilla warfare
Name 5 guerrilla tactics the vietcong used
1) worked in small groups to surprise attack US troops
2) Used hidden traps to kill or injure US soldiers
3) They hid in underground tunnels
4) They blended in with Vietnamese villagers
5) Vietcong tended to go to areas where Us had driven them out.
Give a disadvantage of young US soldiers?
had little time to gain experience as only conscripted for one year.
What was the North Vietnamese supply route?
Ho Chi Minh trail
Where did the Ho Chi Minh trail pass through?
Laos and Cambodia
What 3 things did the Ho Chi Minh trail allow for the North Vietnamese?
1) soldier
2) supplies
3) weapons
What was an advantage of the trails?
Decoy routes to confuse the Americans
Name 4 tactics the US used to overcome the vietcong’s tactics
1) operation rolling thunder
2) Search and destroy
3) Chemical weapons
4) Hearts and minds
What was operation rolling thunder?
A huge bombing campaign against the NVA which ran from March 1965 until 1968
What was search and destroy?
US would hunt the vietcong down and clear them out of villages.
What was the chemical weapon tactic about?
They used Napalm which was a burning jelly that could spread very easily and burn areas of the jungle and hidden targets.
What was the hearts and minds?
US tried to win the hearts and minds of the south so they wouldn’t help the vietcong
What tactic lead to the My Lai massacre?
Search and destroy
How many civilians were murdered due to the Mia Lai massacre?
300 unarmed civilians
