The Vietnamese had a large advantage during the War because the civilians helped fight, the jungle came with many dangers and helped with guerrilla warfare, and the Vietnamese knew the land and tunnels. “No war is easy for those who fight it and each conflict brings its own challenges” (Llewellyn). The Viet Cong were successful fighters because they were used to fighting countries to stay communist. This allowed them to develop many tactics. The American mission was to secure South Vietnam, gain trust and loyalty of the citizens, and eradicate the Viet Cong. However, it seemed nearly impossible (Jennifer). Most American soldiers who were drafted completed eight weeks of basic training, followed by courses in infantry, artillery, engineering …show more content…
“One historian estimates between 150 and 300 US personnel died in Vietnam from the effects of a snakebite” (Jennifer). Not only did they have to worry about the enemy, but they also had to worry about the environment which was an enemy in itself. Sometimes soldiers would accidentally kill members on their own side because of the dense foliage (Geographical). Additionally, “The heat, humidity, monsoonal rain and groundwater meant that uniformed Gls were almost constantly drenched with water or sweat” (Jennifer). Most of the time, the soldiers were sleeping on the jungle floor so animals also posed a threat to them (Effects). Due to all of these factors, “...Americans were forced to kill civilians even if they had no proof that they were for sure enemies, because there was no definite way to tell” (Sarah). The nature and animals in the jungle added to the conflict in the War for American …show more content…
For example, “Many animal species were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War” (Effects). Agent Orange was later found to be cancer causing which was not only detrimental to the soldier's health but the animal's health as well. TCOD also caused uncommon tumors in the animals who were in the environment during the war (Effects). It also had an effect on the trees, “The combination between eco-toxicants and napalm bombs led to the destruction of nearly 3 million hectares of natural forests, and the disappearance of nearly 90 million cubic meters of timber… (Effects). That is how the War also had a negative effect on the
When a war starts only one can come out victories. America as shown over and over again that they can take on anyone and that they aren’t afraid to fight. Like in both world wars America came out victories and showed they could stand and fight. But through their victories they gained a arrogance that they couldn’t be stopped. When America entered the Vietnam war they got a gut check and were shown that they can be stopped. Both the world wars showed everyone that America is a power house and is not a force to reckoned with, but the Vietnam war also showed that even the most powerful can get beat.
I think the U.S. did what was right in matter of stoping the communist to get control of the situation of the whole country. In my opinion the U. S saw the option to intervened in the Vietnam war as the only way to help because in that moment the Republic Democratic of Vietnam had the back up plan from the Soviet Union, but somenthing I don't agreed with the war was that the country should never send the troops to Vietnam. The reason of my opinion was that the country send the troops with new technology, but did not did the required research or wait until the war in Vietnam between the two side continued for a period of enough time to collect the pros and cons of the situation.
Kara Hinson The war in Vietnam started in 1955 and lasted until 1975. Many Americans believed it was a pointless war that had no meaning. The United States became involved in the Vietnam Warbecause they wanted to stop the spread of communism. This war took 50,000 lives and wounded 300,000 American men. Due to the My Lai massacre which killed hundreds of innocent and unarmed Vietnamese civilians, protests about the draft start all over the country, because of draft dodgers and draft deferment, and the government misleading people back home, this was known as the credibility gap, Americans are turning against the war in Vietnam. This leads to anti-war protesters, known as doves springing up across the United States demonstrating their opposition to the war.The Vietnam War is one of the most known wars in history, many innocent people were killed that had no involvement. United States soldiers came up with strategies to kill off the Vietcong, but occasionally the United States was not sure who were Vietcong and who were not. Napalm was a jellied gasoline that explodes when dropped in large canisters the napalm was usually dropped on villages. When the napalm was dropped on the villages, the Vietnamese houses and vegetation were destroyed. Napalm burned men, women, and children who were in the villages the clothes would burn completely off their bodies. Agent orange another substance used this was sprayed by an aircraft over the jungle. Agent
The Vietnam War was perhaps one of the most controversial and disputed wars in American history. Initially sparked by a communist uprising in northern Vietnam, the war quickly became a scramble for the containment of communism by America and other anti-communist nations. After the communists in North Vietnam defeated the French and relinquished their control over the country, a now independent Vietnam split into two opposing sides, with South Vietnam fighting alongside numerous anti-communist nations in a struggle to prevent the spread of communism. During what seemed to be the final stages of the war, efforts were made to restore peace and temporarily appease North and South Vietnam until some more solid decisions could be made about the fate of the country. These efforts included the Geneva Accords, which were later thwarted, and the signing of the Paris Peace Accords.
The Vietnam War, a war whose beginnings and causes were questionable. Some say it was necessary for the US to intervene others say that there was no need to shed innocent blood over something that could have been solved using words. As I researched this war I couldn’t help but to stop and really think about the reasons we entered the war.
The Vietnam War can be considered as a hot battle that was part of an even greater conflict, the Cold War. It began with little political involvement and left the country divisive by the concluding years of the war. The atrocities that American troops experienced and committed helped shape the unpopular opinion on the war. The war in Vietnam became America’s longest running conflict that coincided with chaos, controversies and ultimately distraught citizens back home.
In a matter of seconds, citizens no longer have any property, everything belongs to the government. The United States believed this would happen if they did not join the Vietnam War. “Communism is like one big phone company”(Bruce). The spread of communism would be like wildfire and eventually reach the United States and take make it a communist country. The United States believed they would suffer a greater pain if they did not join the war, also the people of the United States would be upset by the choice to join the war. Many believed the war did not concern the United States and should not join. This caused a huge conflict on if the United States join the war or if they should just leave it alone and it would all just blow over. Eventually, the United States agreed that with the Soviet Union aiding North Vietnam it was just too much much for the United States to not join the war.
With the US beginning to go into a cold war with the USSR, communism was the number one enemy of the US at the time. Asia in particular was a region where the US had a lot of missed opportunities in trying to stop communism. Vietnam, formerly Indochina, was a great source of materials and a good area to set up operations against communist China, and keep a barrier between less powerful nations. Thus when communism appeared in the region, the US was sure to try and stop it.
The Viet Cong, also known as the National Liberation Front, and the People 's Army of Vietnam were the main forces fighting against the South Vietnamese Government and the United States (Todorovic). Much of the fighting was not face to face. Most of the fighting was done using the tactic of guerrilla warfare. This is when a small group of soldiers attacks a larger one, usually using their most advanced type of technology, and running away after attacking. They also commonly used minefields and snipers to take out American Troops without putting themselves in danger (PBS.org). One minefield could take out an entire group of U.S. soldiers. Another very important part of the
Vietnamese army had a major advantage over the U.S; they knew the forests well, and had
soldiers were fighting because they had been drafted. They just wanted to survive and go home. They would not have to face any direct consequences of losing the war. The Viet Minh, however, were fighting for a cause, and used much the same tactics as the United States in their war for independence. The American Revolution used guerilla warfare tactics to defeat the superior power of the British army. The U.S. could have taken from this experience, and perhaps fared better in Vietnam.
Even before the war had started, 80% of Vietnam itself was in support of the regime Ho Chi Minh, therefore, the United States were stacked against the odds. Within the United States government itself, there was a large divide between those that wanted the war, hawks, and those that strongly opposed the war, doves. Without a doubt, the communist Vietnam had numerous advantages against the United States even before the war started like landscape and better war tactics, such as, setting up bear traps around the jungle, digging tunnels to the camps around Vietnam, and bombing some camps at night while hiding out during the day. Tactically, the Soviet Union played a large role in spreading the communist mindset within Vietnam. By providing ammunition, soldiers, and moral support, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics had a large enough influence within the country that the war was practically between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War had a large impact on the Vietnam war and based on the domino theory, the United States just simply did not want to lose Southeast Asia and were prepared to go to war even if the likelihood of them winning was low. The communist Vietnamese even had an advantage in terms of soldiers because civilians joined forces against the United States military in order to remove the invaders from their territory. This commenced to non-stop fighting, violence, and death throughout Vietnam, the United States, and other nations that took part in the war. Although the idea of containment was why the war seemed reasonable, the fact that Vietnam turned completely communist anyway invalidates the cause for the war, while also undermining the reason millions of lives were lost during the years of
The Vietnam War began, because of Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) being conquered by the Japanese, in 1941. This led to the creation of the Vietnamese nationalist movement, formed by Ho Chi Minh to resist the Japanese. The Vietnamese national movement also known as the Vietminh, was a communist front organization. To stop the spread of communism through Asia, the United States intervened. The war lasted for 19-20 years, and involved countries such as South Vietnam, North Vietnam, United States, South Korea, Australia, Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, Khmer Republic, Laos and the Republic of China. The war was known as a guerrilla war, which meant the use of tactics such as ambush, sabotage and petty warfare. Guerrilla warfare is a very unconventional style of warfare. It is when small groups of soldiers use stealthy tactics to inflict damage on the target. The casualties suffered by both sides were immense however, the Communists had the upper hand throughout the majority of the war. Not only was it their home turf, they also had the support of a large percentage of the civilian population. The effective use of guerrilla tactics by the Viet Cong played a very important role on the outcome of the war, and is also the primary reason why the United States lost. The following essay will outline the reasons why the guerrilla tactics used by the Viet Cong played a very important role on the outcome of the Vietnam War. The first paragraph will
Tactics in Vietnam were an important factor in the victory of the Vietcong over the U.S. There were fundamental differences in their fighting methods, which the Vietcong were able to take full advantage of. The Vietcong used Guerrilla warfare, this meant that they used their knowledge of the area they were fighting in to hinder the U.S. The U.S army had been used to conventional warfare, in the form of bouts of fighting. Guerrilla warfare meant that they had to be constantly alert and Booby traps meant that many soldiers died and witnessed horrific deaths. This was naturally unnerving for the soldiers concerned, particularly so because many of the soldiers were young and inexperienced.
The Guerrilla warfare was definitely the main Vietnamese benefit. The US battalions faced plenty of difficulties while trying to reach their foe due to the fact that the Viet Cong army had no uniforms, front lines and it consisted of a few hundred men. The biggest issue for the American commanders was not how to defeat the enemy, but how to locate them. The US tactic “search and destroy” puts thousands of American troops searching the Viet Cong army into the jungle. The purposes were to find and destroy as much as possible enemies and capture their resources .By occupying these main points the Americans were able to weaken the foe. Plenty of the war experts and the officials argued that the western superpower forces should have used counter-insurgency strategy, which allowed to put guerrillas in to a conventional war.