American Strategy and Tactics-Vietnam War

American Strategy and Tactics-Vietnam War

1. Aerial Bombing

   • OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER
     • Regular air attacks on North Vietnam
     • Dropped bombs on key positions in order to cripple North Vietnam's economy
     • Make it difficult for supplies to reach the Viet Cong
     • Lasted from March 1965-November 1968
     • Only intended to last 8 weeks but lasted a total of 3 years
     • 1 million tons of bombs were dropped
     • US hoped that operation Rolling Thunder might halt the flow of Northern troops into the South
   • PROBLEMS
     • Not very accurate
     • Sometimes Us troops ended up getting bombed
     • Civilans were often hurt as well as enemy troops
     • Air strikes were called to places where there may or may not be enemy troops so therefore it may have been a waste of time and resources
     • Difficult to get the bombs to hit the target directly

2. Napalm

   • Bombs that when in contact with the ground released flaming petroleum jelly
   • Like a burning shower
   • Stuck to anything: Houses, forest, human skin
   • Sprayed from US planes and river boats
   • 400,000 tons of napalm was dropped by the US on to suspected enemy targets

3. Defoliants

   • Destroyed plants
   • US had problems finding out where the Ho Chi Minh trail was
   • Defoliants were sprayed over suspected parts of the traiil
   • By destroying the plants it made it easier to see supplies being moved
   • Over 4 million Vietnamese civilians were exposed to the poisonous gasses
   • Over 400,00 deaths related to Agent orange
   • 500,00 children born with birth defects linked to the acids
   • Got into water supplies
   • 77 million litres of defoliant sprayed over vietnam
   • Best defoliant known as Agent Orange

4. Search and Destroy

   • Idea to find the Viet Cong in the Jungle and in villages
   • Began in 1965
   • Viet Cong disguised as civilians
     • Made it hard for US to tell the difference between peasants and the Viet Cong
   • Mai Lai masscre
     • March 16th 1968
     • Fired at civilians in the Village
     • harmless people injured and killed
     • Many men were at work so not affecteed
   • Zippo raids
     • burnt down huts
   • Unsuccessful
   • made the Vietnamese hate the Americans more
     • More Viet Cong Support

5. Strategies

   • Strategic Hamlets were set up in 1962
     • Peasants hated this idea and many joined the Viet Cong
     • US moved villagers away from Viet Cong
   • Idea was to isolate the Viet Cong from Villages
   • Blockaded ports to stop supplies
   • Bombarded positions where aircraft carriers were
   • Pineapple Bombs dropped on Villages creating pressure in hospitals

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