Vietnam for test Flashcards
How did President Kennedy get involved in Vietnam between 1961 and 1963?
Increased the number of advisers to more than 16,000 by 1963.
Allowed Diem to be assassinated and supported his replacement by anti-communist army generals.
Strategic hamlets programme to stop VC from recruiting peasants. 5,000 built by 1962.
Identify five American military tactics used during the Vietnam War.
The Strategic Hamlets Programme
“Search and destroy” patrols
Bombing campaigns (Operation Rolling Thunder)
Herbicides (Agent Orange)
Napalm
Describe America’s Strategic Hamlets Programme.
Started by JFK. Whole villages in Viet Cong areas were moved to new sites controlled by the South Vietnamese government. American soldiers controlled who entered and left, and gave building materials, food and money to the villagers to build new farms and homes.
What evidence is there that the Strategic Hamlets Programme was ineffective?
Peasants did not like having to leave their homes and villages, and were forced to build new villages without pay.
Many did not see the Viet Cong as a threat, and did not like constantly being stopped and searched. The programme helped to increase support for the Viet Cong.
What happened on “search and destroy” patrols?
American troops were sent on patrols from helicopters. They would target villages and destroyed any Viet Cong forces found.
What evidence is there that “search and destroy” patrols were ineffective?
Patrols and raids were often based on inadequate information.
Innocent villages were mistaken for Viet Cong bases, leading to civilian casualties and deaths. This made the US army unpopular amongst the Vietnamese population.
(The proportion of civilian to VC killed was 6:1)
What is a good example of a failure of a search and destroy mission?
Operation Cedar Falls: 1967
Describe the bombing campaigns used by the US army.
Operation Rolling Thunder began in February 1965 and targeted North Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh trail and suspected Viet Cong bases. It ended in 1968.
What evidence is there that the bombing campaigns were effective?
It damaged North Vietnam’s war effort and destroyed supply routes.
It affected North Vietnamese industry
What evidence is there that the bombing campaigns were ineffective?
The bombing only slowed down the communists – Ho Chi Minh Trail was rebuilt and continued to operate.
The financial cost of the campaigns was enormous – it cost $400,000 to kill one Viet Cong fighter.
What were Agent Orange and Agent Blue, and why were they used during the war?
Highly toxic weed killers used to destroy the Vietnamese jungle and crops where Viet Cong fighters and bases were hidden.
What was the name of the operation which dropped herbicides like agent orange on South Vietnam?
Operation Ranch Hand. Between 1964 and 1970 over 24% of South Vietnam was sprayed with herbicides.
Why did the use of herbicides fail to win over the hearts and minds of the people?
The herbicides were up to 50% stronger than ones used in the USA
Over 3,000 villages were sprayed without warning the inhabitants first.
Caused many health problems for people.
What was napalm, and why was it used during the war?
Napalm was another chemical weapon. It was dropped from planes and destroyed Vietnamese jungles / villages.
How many tons of napalm were used?
20,000 tons