Vietnam Flashcards
Before ww2 who was Vietnam ruled by
France
During the war who was Vietnam conquered by? How’d they treat Vietnamese
Invaded by Japanese
Treated Vietnamese savagely
Strong ant-jap resistance movement called what? Emerged under the leadership of who?
The viet minh
Under Ho Chi Minh
In 1930 what political party did Ho Chi Minh found a
The Indochinese Communist Party
When Second World War ended what did the Viet Minh do
Entered northern city Hanoi in 1945 and declared Vietnam independent
What did french do following the Vietnam delcreation of independence
Came back wanting to rule
9 years of war follow
Viet Minh had North
France had south
From 1949 who was Ho Chi Minh supported by?
China who had turned communism that same year
Who helped the south
USA
How much money did USA put into french war effort per year
$500 million
When did France pull out
1954
Why did America prevent elections from taking place
Cos they feared communists would win
Eisenhower and Dulles believed in what theory
Domino theory
To Eisenhower and Dulles who was te first domino
Vietnam
In 1955 who did America help set up a republic in the south
Ngo Dinh Diem
Why was ngo dinh diem unpopular
Belonged to landlord class which treated peasants badly
Was Christian n showed little respect for Buddhist religion of most Vietnamese
Corrupt regime, family in positions of power no elections not even for local councils
Did America like ngo dinh diem
No
Dulles said “we knew of no one better”
How much money did America endorse in ngo dinh diem in 50s
$1.6 billion
What followed diem being overthrown and when
Diem overthrown November 1963
Governments that followed equally corrupt nonetheless got supported by America
Viet cong set up in
December 1960
Viet cong started attacking south gov and American air bases and supply bases what did Kennedy do
Sent in military personnel he called “advisers”
What event began the Vietnam war
The gulf of Tonkin
In August 1964 north Vietnamese patrol boats opened fire on us ships there and us congress passed the Tonkin Gulf resolution
When did operation rolling thunder begin
February 1965
What was operation rolling thunder
A gigantic bombing campaign against North Vietnamese cities factories army bases and Ho Chi Minh trail
It continued for 3 years
When was USA OFFICALLY at war with Vietnamese
On 8th of march when 3,500 us marines combat troops came ashore at Da Nang
Why did us send troops to Vietnam
-containment
-domino theory
“Military-industrial complex”
What was the “military-industrial complex”
Eisenhower warned of In 1961
Said America gained business from conflict and that groups of armed forces and business could become too influential in his last speech as president
Who had superior technology and firepower
America
In early 1965 how many soldiers did the Viet cong have
170,000
Ho already had guerrilla success when beating the
French
What uniform did the guerrillas wear
None
They were indistinguishable from the civilians
Guerrilla attack wore down American
Morale
Made them scared
What percent of us casualties were from booby traps. What was job for checking them killed
Going “on point”
11% Bcos of booby traps
51% American casualties from
Hand to hand combat
What was “hanging in to the American belts”
Close quarter fighting
Americans Cldnt use guns without hitting their own men
How many VC worked on HCM trail to keep it going despite bombing
40,000
Viet cong tactics
Guerrilla
Making civilians on their side or killing them
Supplies
Commitment
Total vc and nV killed ?
Estimated at 1 million
This was more than America
VC truly believed in their cause
They refused to give in and fought willingly
Unlike Americans
Main us tactic
Bombing
Could Air Force defeat VC
No just slow them down
Who developed policy of search and destroy
General Westmorland
How did searcha nd destroy work
Helicopters full of troops descended on village and would destroy VC found
Problems with search and destroy
Raids based on inadequate info
Us troops à walked into traps
For every VC weapon found there was a body count of six
Lots of innocent villages mistaken for VC freshholds
Made American unpopular with peasants makin em support VC
What chemical weapons were used
Agent orange ‘weedkiller’ to destroy jungle where VC HID
Napalm also used to destroy jungles but it burnt flesh down to the bone
How many litres of agent orange used
82 million litres
From 1967 what was the average age of American troops
19
Morale amongst US conscripts was low. What did US do which foolishly put down war effort
Introduced policy of only giving troops one year of service which meant as soon as soldiers gained sufficient experience they were sent home
