Air and Ground War Identify: Ho Chi Minh Ngo Dinh Diem Vietminh Vietcong Which forces made up the two opposing sides during the Vietnam War? U.S. military and South Vietnamese forces vs. Vietcong and North Vietnamese

Essential Question: What strategies were used by the Americans and the Vietcong in the air and ground war?

The Air War 1965-1968 N. Vietnamese attack American bases Operation Rolling Thunder: massive air strike in the North Concentrated on Ho Chi Minh trail Use of defoliants to expose enemy supply routes (Agent Orange)

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

U.S. army helicopter spraying Agent Orange

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

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

Cluster Bombs: spray sharp metal fragments Carpet bombing: no intended target, cover large area

The Ground War 1965-1968 Search and destroy missions No territorial goals Vietcong used guerilla tactics and booby traps 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.

Vietcong lived in complex tunnel systems under ground Effective for guerilla warfare

Cassava diet Vietcong Tunnel for tourists

Punji stick traps: sharpened bamboo sticks hiding under foliage