Vietnam Flashcards
What were the french planning to do at Dien Bien Phu?
Navarre, the french commander, tried to use french forces to bait the Viet Minh to reveal themselves and would then use what he thought were a sufficient amount of planes and tanks to destroy the French forces. He therefore setup a base camp at Dien Bien Phu to attract Viet Minh forces.
What was the Viet Minh plan at Dien Bien Phu?
Giap decided to build his force before his attack and therefore waited for troops and machinery to be secretly transported through the mountains.
Compare the force of the French and Viet Minh before the battle at Dien Bien Phu.
Viet Minh - 50,000 troops (33 infantry battalions), (6 artillery regiments) (1 regiment of engineers)
French - 13,000 troops (half of these were inexperienced)
Describe the major events of Dien Bien Phu.
On the 13th March 1954, Giap launched his attack with a huge artillery barrage, while Viet Minh forces moved forwards to attack different French Fire bases. The French forces were unable to destroy the camouflaged guns and soon the airstrip was destroyed; French paratroopers continued to drop in however. On may 7th 1954, Giap ordered the final assault and by 5:30 PM a Navarre ordered a ceasefire and surrender.
What were the consequences of the battle?
The battle lasted 55 days. The Viet Minh lost 7900 troops and had 15,000 wounded. The French had 11,000 casualties and had 5,600 wounded as well as 8,000 became prisoners of war. The Viet Minh were able to win due to weapons from the USSR and China. A rich european state had been defeated by a weak, inexperienced force. At the 1945 Geneva Peace conference Vietnam was split in half.
what were the major causes of the American intervention in Vietnam?
- The south Vietnamese government did not try to setup a united Vietnamese government and the USA, who were backing them, did not push them for fear of Communism winning.
- The Domino Theory and Eisenhower and Dulles wanting ‘Massive retaliation’
- Diems growing unpopularity led to the creation of the National Liberation Front.
What were the immediate actions of the USA in Vietnam?
In 1954, after the Geneva Accords, Kennedy and the CIA staged a coup in the South of Vietnam due to Diems increasingly undemocratic rule, as a result he was assassinated on November 1st 1963. He was then shot and Johnson became president three weeks later.
What happened at the Gulf Of Tonkin?
On the 3rd of August 1964, the USS Maddox clashed with Communist patrol boats and fired upon them. Johnson then sent a resolution to ‘take all necessary measures’ which gave him unrestricted access to SE in case of a communist attack. After this air-raids began on North Vietnam and by December 1965, 200,000 US troops were stationed; in 1966 another 200,000 were sent. By the end of 1967 500,000 troops were stationed in Vietnam.
What were the main difficulties with fighting against Guerrilla Warfare?
- Difficult to locate the enemy
- There were no open battles, so only small groups could be picked off
- After an attack, Guerrillas would run off into the jungle and could not be found, or would set traps behind them as to not be pursued.
- The Vietcong and NLF were supported by the peasants and were therefore hard to find in villages.
- The USA were inexperienced in fighting against Guerrilla tactics and did not know the terrain or climate.
How did the USA respond to Guerrilla tactics?
- Napalm
- Agent Orange
- Operation Rolling Thunder (1965)
- ‘Hearts and minds’
What effect did Guerrilla tactics have on the American troops?
The constant ambushes and night attacks, as well as the alienation from the local population led to a sense of desperation and nervousness; this deteriorated the morale of the US troops.
Describe the events of the Mai Lai Massacre.
On March 16th 1968, Charlie Company entered the town of Mai Lai on a search and destroy mission. The US believed that the village was a centre for Vietcong and so the troops were ordered to slaughter the livestock, destroy the houses and all of the children. The result of this was the murdering of 300-400 innocents including women, elderly and children. Several old men were bayoneted and the Lieutenant Commander Calley machine gunned a group of prisoners in a ditch.
What were the reactions to the Mai Lai Massacre?
The event was covered up and depicted as a success with the majority of the dead being tagged as Vietcong. Word of the massacre reached the US in November 1969 when journalist Seymour Hersh published interviews with veterans of the Massacre. The White House and Pentagon began an investigation and Calley was sentenced with murder in september 1969. Life Magazine had also published photographs of the attack.
What were the effects of the Mai Lai Massacre?
It belittled faith in the American Military in Vietnam. The military commission investigating the event found widespread failures of leadership, discipline and morale amongst the troops. As ‘Career soldiers’ had all retired the war was being run by draftees who lacked intelligence. The US citizens created pressure for the end of the war as they saw America becoming the evil force.
Name two US anti-war slogans.
“Hey! Hey! LBJ, How many kids did you kill today?”
“Eighteen today, dead tomorrow”
