The Vietnam War 1954 1975 Map Brink of

The Vietnam War 1954 - 1975

Map

Brink of War v v New leader in S. V. = Nguyen Khanh N. V. takes advantage of S. V. unrest/chaos = increased attacks v v Gulf of Tonkin incident – Aug. 1964 v v Pres. Johnson = U. S. troops needed to help S. V. (both @ border & V. C. within S. V. ) Pres. Johnson claimed N. V. “attack” on USS Maddox & ordered bombing strikes on N. V. - ** gives justification for U. S. military involvement now Tonkin Gulf Resolution – passed by Congress; granted president broad military powers in Vietnam

The Air War 1965 -1968 v 1965: “Operation Rolling Thunder” = Sustained bombing of N. V. v U. S. tactic: Carpet Bombing w/Napalm = gasolinebased bomb v v Used to set fire to jungle & root out tunnels Overwhelm N. V. w/superior airforce “The Americans thought that the more bombs they dropped, the quicker we would fall to our knees and surrender. But the bombs heightened rather than dampened our spirit. ”

v V. C. tactic: Elusive network of tunnels The Ground War v Allowed surprise attacks then disappear quickly 1965 -1968 v V. C. tactic: Ambush U. S. w/land mines & booby traps v Even disassembled & reused U. S. land mines

“For most of us, the Vietnam War was an endless plodding across flooded rice fields and tangled jungle trails in search of an elusive enemy. Most often we were harassed more by heat and leeches than by the communists. ”

U. S. ’s War of Attrition U. S. tactic: Search-and-Destroy missions = uprooting civilians w/suspected ties to V. C. , killing their livestock, & burning villages v U. S. weapon: Agent Orange = leaf-killing toxic chemical v v Helped w/dense jungle terrain v U. S. weapon: Napalm v Helped to expose V. C. tunnels v Use of these weapons often wounded civilians and left villages & surrounding areas in ruins

Troop Disillusionment v v @ start of war, troops believed fighting to halt communism AND win “hearts and minds” of Vietnamese peeps w/econ. & social aid U. S. misunderstood its foe – U. S. = war was strictly a military struggle – V. C. = battle for their very existence & ready to pay any price for victory v Morale declined as war progressed – no gains, jungle terrain fighting & U. S. deaths increased v By 1967 – 500, 000+ U. S. troops

“Wherever we were, we had to win over the [Vietnamese] people if we wanted to accomplish our mission. . . American soldiers fighting in their country for them to have a free society. ”

“Vietnam is no gain that I can see, Dad. We’re fighting, dying for a people who resent our being over here. This war is all wrong. ” “We Americans aren’t the guys in the white hats, riding white horses. Maybe we shouldn’t be in Vietnam. Maybe I’d gotten my a** out in these bushes for nothing. ”