VIETNAM THE WAR

GENERAL WILLIAM WESTMORELAND GENERALS GENERAL WILLIAM WESTMORELAND VS. GENERAL VO NGUYEN GIAP

MILITARY OBJECTIVES U.S.: Stop the spread of communism Keep South Vietnam “free” Vietnamese: Just hold on; the longer the better Avoid fighting head to head Make Americans not like the war

Comparing Vietnam to WW II and Korea NO front lines--no exchange of land NO huge exchange between large armies--very small “fire fights” NO clear cut objective “beat Germans back to Germany”

TERMS TO KNOW VIETCONG---communists who are in South Vietnam fighting against the U.S. DMZ---demilitarized zone---the border between North and South Vietnam

TERMS TO KNOW II HO CHI MINH TRAIL---the supply route from North Vietnam down into South Vietnam---we tried to destroy it, built again the next day. Went through Laos/Cambodia See next slide

TERMS TO KNOW III TET OFFENSIVE---Tet---Lunar New Year----big push by NVA/Vietcong. Attacked everywhere at the same time….turning point in the war

US soldier resting during Tet

U.S. MILITARY TACTICS I. Average age----U.S. combat (fighting) soldier Vietnam-------->19 Iraq War-------->26 WW II---------->30 II. “Limited” war? You do not go in all the way, you limit what the military can do!

U.S. MILITARY TACTICS III. Strategic bombing-----”whistling death”--- Vietnamese would hear the bombs before they would see them (7,600,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Vietnam)

U.S. MILITARY TACTICS A. “Defoliation”---destroy all plant life to expose the enemy hiding in the jungle B. Agent Orange---chemicals mixed together to burn trees and plants. Caused birth defects in veterans’ children C. Napalm---Jellied gasoline that burns EVERYTHING and is hard to put out.

TRANSPORTATION AND FIGHTING A. Helicopters---used to drop men into the covered jungle. Highest death rate in Vietnam B. Only shoot when fired upon?---first orders given to soldiers in Vietnam. LIMITS! C. Search and destroy---look and kill the enemy in the jungle. Set men up for ambushes!

Search and Destroy

TECHNOLOGY AND FIGHTING D. “Fragging” of officers---When men kill their CO because they do not want to follow orders. Usually someone “new” who is an idiot!

VIETNAMESE MILITARY TACTICS I. Guerilla warfare---Ambush the enemy, hide in the jungle, snipers, booby traps, only attack when you outnumber the enemy. II. Booby traps---land mines, bamboo spikes, punji traps, human bombs, trip wires III. Tunnels and trails ---hide in tunnels, used bikes to carry supplies (page 738)

The Tunnels

Hidden Tunnel entrance

VIETNAMESE MILITARY TACTICS C. Civilians are the enemy?---Used women, children to attack the U.S.; hard to know who to shoot at; NO CLEAR CUT ENEMY------>My Lai Massacre!! II. From “Charlie” to “Sir Charles”----had no respect for Vietnamese until they started to fight against them

Civilians as Soldiers?