Air and Ground War EQ: What strategies were used by both sides during the Vietnam War?

The Air War N. Vietnamese attack American bases Johnson starts Operation Rolling Thunder: massive air strike in the North Concentrated on Ho Chi Minh trail Unsuccessful?

Operation Rolling Thunder More bombs dropped on Vietnam than all the bombs dropped by the Allies during WWII

Defoliants Used to expose enemy supply routes Agent Orange stripped leaves and shrubs

Effects of Agent Orange Vietnamese babies deformed and stillborn after exposure to Agent Orange A Vietnamese general exposed to Agent Orange

Defoliants Napalm Fire Napalm Burn Victims Napalm: jellied form of gasoline used to destroy farms and forests Napalm Burn Victims

The Ground War Search and destroy missions No territorial goals Who is the enemy? Farmers by day; guerillas at night. Very patient people willing to accept many casualties. The US grossly underestimated their resolve. The guerilla wins if he does not lose, the conventional army loses if it does not win.

The Ground War cont. Vietcong lived in complex tunnel systems under ground Effective for guerilla warfare

Cassava diet Vietcong Tunnel for tourists

Punji stick/booby traps: sharpened bamboo sticks hiding under foliage