VietnamWar
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TIME<br />
Why did Vietnam War go wrong for the USA?
US and Vietnam troops resting in a forest near Binh gia, US soldiers exhausted and<br />
exasperated fighting in such unfamiliar terrain, in January 1965, whilst unbeknownst to much<br />
of the public.
USA, South Vietnam and other allied forces waiting to be deployed in Vietnam on the 8th of<br />
March, 1965. The US being overconfident after 2 successful implementations of the<br />
Containment Policy. The fact that Vietnam being a poor South East Asian State, meant that it<br />
was not only going to be outnumbered but also outgunned, disillusioned the forces that it would<br />
be a quick and easy operation.
USA with advanced technology, most notable the UH-1A/B/C/D/E/F/H/L/M/P Iroquois<br />
"Huey", utility transport and gunship helicopter, which allowed for extreme mobility for<br />
search and destroy operations. This is also gave them quick reaction which could have been<br />
used against the National Liberation Front’s (Viet Cong) Hit and Run Tactic.
A South Vietnamese soldier kicking Viet Cong suspect. Since Vietcong had no official uniform<br />
nor identification and could hide among civilians or the local population, hence most of Viet<br />
Cong suspects were accused with little to no evidence, souring the support of the local<br />
population for the South Vietnamese Democratic government as soldiers usually rely on brutal<br />
tactics to force suspects to confess
Soldiers waving at the Iroquois "Huey", utility transport and gunship helicopter, while a<br />
wounded soldier waits in pain for help to arrive. With increasing battles taking place in rough<br />
terrain such as forest or swamplands, battles on each side become increasingly costly. This<br />
negates the mobile advantage the US Soldiers have with helicopters, as in this terrain,<br />
issues with finding clearings to land safely, to evacuate or transport soldiers and supplies<br />
start arising.
A Tunnel Ferret staring down at a Viet Cong Tunnel with a flashlight and pistol in hand. “Tunnel<br />
Ferrets” were American, Australian and New Zealand soldiers who had been trained in Tunnel<br />
Warfare where they would navigate through the Viet Cong Tunnels, where the Viet Congs<br />
retreat to for hiding. However, this tunnels would usually stretch on far and wide and were<br />
usually laced with traps, and would’ve taken the soldiers days to finally cover every corner the<br />
labyrinth underground.
Two soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in the clearing, wait for a medivac which will<br />
evacuate the body. As the war dragged on, the illusion that the war would be a quick and<br />
decisive battle slowly faded, as the war seemed to go on and on. A small anti-Vietnam war<br />
movement starts to gather momentum the longer the war dragged on.
A Vietnamese litter-bearer passes the bodies of US and South Vietnamese soldiers. American<br />
suffered lots of casualties in the hands of the Vietcong. It reached its peak in 1968, when<br />
roughly 16,000 troops lost their life in the year alone. Death toll of the Vietnam war increase<br />
exponentially. So did the American Movement to the end the war.
31 st January 1968, US and South Vietnamese troops standing their ground against the Viet<br />
Cong during the Tet Offensive. This was a major shock to the US government and public as<br />
it showed that the Viet Cong were not as weak as previously claimed. This would then go on<br />
to weaken domestic support as it proved that the end of the war was no where insight, and<br />
would spark many Anti-Vietnam War demonstrations. The most infamous being the Kent State<br />
University Demonstration which led to the death of 9 people when Police open fired on to the<br />
crowd.
Upon being elected, U.S. President Richard Nixon introduced a new strategy called<br />
Vietnamization that was aimed at ending American involvement in the Vietnam War by<br />
transferring all military responsibilities to South Vietnam. The increasingly unpopular war had<br />
created deep divisions in American society. Nixon believed his Vietnamization strategy, which<br />
involved building up South Vietnam’s military strength in order to facilitate a gradual withdrawal<br />
of U.S. troops, would prepare the South Vietnamese to take responsibility for their own<br />
defence against a Communist takeover and allow the U.S. to leave the conflict with its honour<br />
intact.
US soldiers packed up and ready to leave Vietnam. During the period of 12 Feb - 19 March<br />
1973, US troops began to withdraw from Vietnam, after Nixon took over as the President of<br />
US , and the truce between both sides were agreed upon during the Paris Peace Accord on<br />
January 27 1973, ending the Vietnam War. However, the government was fully aware with the<br />
absence of the US in Vietnam, Saigon would one day fall into the hands of the Communism.