Vietnam War Military History

American Role  Observer  Gave French aid against Vietminh –Part of strategy to fight communism –By 1954—US pays 80% of cost  French ask for assistance-US refuses

Geneva Agreement  1954  Laos and Cambodia made independent  Vietnam divided –Elections in 2 years –North under control of Ho Chi Minh –South—Diem  South refuses to hold elections in 1956

Problems with South  Never a “true nation”—artificial construct  Diem sets up dictatorship –Attacks enemies –Catholic minority given favored positions  Never has support of people in South –Insurgency starts—initially not control by North  US sends in advisors

Advisor Stage  Initially advise ARVN to fight “American style”  President Kennedy sends LBJ to investigate situation in Vietnam.  Sends in more “advisors” –Up to 16,000 helping the Vietnamese  Massive influx of technology –Helicopters, tanks, aircraft

John Paul Vann  Advisor in 1962  Counter-insurgency skills  Becomes frustrated with ARVN  Battle of Ap Bac –Lack of assertiveness of ARVN –Reply on artillery and firepower –Allow enemy to escape  Vann attempts to report problems –Ignored—leadership only reports success –Goes to Press—NY Times

Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)  US Navy doing surveillance of North  Same time secret CIA missions in North  N. Vietnam does not realize difference  Attack USS Maddox  3 days later—repeat attack –Many question if attack really happened

American Response  Turning Point  Johnson not completely honest with public  G of T resolution written, waiting for right moment  Mistake-- obtain Declaration of War?

Americanization  Limited War –Limited manpower –Limited goals  Allow S. Vietnam to exist without communist intervention  Probably impossible to accomplish  War of Attrition –Kill more than enemy can field –Bodycounts important

 Westmoreland asks for more troops  American public told that victory is close

Air War  Rolling Thunder—drop more tonnage than WWII –More in South than North –Gradualism –Controlled in Washington –Hanoi, Haiphong harbor, Chinese border off limits  Problem-few suitable targets for strategic bombing

Different Result?  JCS drew up list of 94 targets in 1965 –Claimed it would knock North out of the war in 2 weeks. –Most targets were on off-limits list

Change in Air War  Late in War--Negotiation strategy –Linebacker I  Force NV to negotiate –Linebacker II  Break negotiations impasse  Most restraints removed  Very effective—high losses of B-52s

Naval Role  Significant Role  Fire support—use of carriers and battleships  Interdiction of supplies –Operation Market Time  Stop coastline resupply of VC  Riverine Warfare –Control the rivers—Mekong River –Generally successful

Tet Offensive  Turning Point of war  Seemingly impossible major attack  Hit urban areas –Crushed—VC basically destroyed as force  Politically- US defeat, NV victory –Role of media-Walter Cronkite  Johnson begins to have doubts –Halts bombing, stops troop increases

My Lai Massacre  Attack by American troops on unarmed women and children –Area of known heavy VC activity-”pinkville” –Charlie Company recently lost popular Srgt.  Killed over 400 Vietnamese  Cover-up –revealed by NY Times  Came to be a symbol of American actions in Vietnam –Blow to military credibility

Change in policy  Westmoreland asks for 200,000 more troops  Johnson’s advisors start to tell him the war is unwinnable. –Recommend disengagement  Johnson leaves big issues for Nixon to resolve in 1969  Nixon claims to have “secret plan”

Failed American Strategy  Depended heavily on search and destroy missions  Depended on sophisticated surveillance and heavily armed patrols to locate enemy  Then destroy with airstikes, artillery and air cavalry  Need for repeated sweeps  Hard to identify enemy—high civilian losses

Vietnamization  US slowly withdraws –Turns over equipment to ARVN  Nixon Administration decides to walk away  Negotiations with North Vietnamese

Secret War in Cambodia  Nixon began to bomb communist bases in neutral Cambodia.  April, 1972 American and Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia  Hope to cut North Vietnamese supply lines  Failed to achieve its goal –Destabilizes the Cambodian government  Massive protest in America—appears to be expansion of war

End is near  1972-NV launches major offensive –Smashes SV forces –US bombs North-nothing else  Early in 1973, negotiated settlement reached –SV government in place –Allowed VC and NVA in control of parts of South

End  January 1973-last American combat soldier leaves South  March 1975-North launches another offensive –US fails to help –North wins

Cost of War  Military, social and political disaster  58,000 Americans killed  3-4 million Vietnamese  Cost of war estimated at $100 billion  Nonmonetary costs much higher –Undermined confidence in American institutions