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Ch22 sec1&2 new2012
Here are potential responses to the assignment questions: 1. Soldier morale dropped as the war dragged on because they saw no end in sight to the fighting, they were frustrated by guerrilla tactics, and many turned to drugs as a coping mechanism. Specific examples include soldiers fragging officers, increased drug use, and disillusionment with the war effort. 2. The US military relied too heavily on superior firepower but did not understand guerrilla warfare or win over local support. They could have focused more on counterinsurgency, protecting civilians, and political solutions in addition to military tactics. Search and destroy missions and use of napalm/Agent Orange backfired by alienating the Vietnamese people.
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Ch22 sec1&2 new2012
- 1. Ch. 23 TheWar in Vietnam Section 1: Background to Conflict Section 2: US Involvement & Escalation Info from American Nation textvook: Fighting photo: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Bruce_Crandall Boyer, Paul S., Sterling Stuckey, and Rinehart Holt. "Vietnam War." The American nation: Civil %27s_UH-1D.jpg/300px-Bruce_Crandall%27s_UH-1D.jpg War to present. Annotated teacher's ed. Austin, Map photo: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/HoCMT.png/220px- Tex.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2001. Ch23. HoCMT.png Print.
- 2. Causes of theWar Vietnam's desire for freedom : After WWII, France reclaimed Vietnam as a colony. The Communist Vietminh fought against the French. The Domino Theory : The U.S. believed if the Communists took over Vietnam, communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia. South Vietnam fails to comply with Geneva Accords : After French rule ended in 1954, elections to unify Vietnam under one rule were set for 1956. However, the leader of South Vietnam refused to hold them. North Vietnam attempts to unite country under Communist rule : In 1959, North Vietnam began sending weapons to Vietminh in the south in hopes of uniting the country under Communist rule. U.S. supports anti-communist South Vietnam : The United States began to send South Vietnam military advisers and troops.
- 3. French Rule inVietnam Vietnam had been a French colony for almost a 100 years. During WWII Japan invaded Vietnam and took it over. After WWII the French attempted to regain control over Vietnam but was met with resistance from Ho Chi Minh, a communist leader of the Vietminh, also called the Vietnamese Nationalists. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Ho_Chi _Minh_1946_cropped.jpg
- 4. French vs. Vietminh The Vietminh were based in the north and fought against the French who were based in the south. The U.S. backed the French with money and supplies because Eisenhower feared domino theory. The French were ousted out of Vietnam in May 1954 when they were overran at Dien Bien Phu. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Domino_theory.svg/ 586px-Domino_theory.svg.png http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Dien_Bien_P hu002.jpg/800px-Dien_Bien_Phu002.jpg
- 5. Geneva Accords The Vietminh and Vietnamese nationalists (non- communists) negotiated the Geneva Accords: temporarily split Vietnam at the 17th parallel planned a national election in 1956 to determine the government of Vietnam The Vietminh (communist) were based in the north while the Nationalists (non-communist) were based in the south. Ngo Dinh Diem, the president of South Vietnam, canceled the elections; the US, afraid of the communists gaining control of all of Vietnam, backed Diem.
- 6. Ho Chi MinhTrail Due to Diem’s harsh government a communist rebel group formed in South Vietnam (Vietcong) to oppose Diem. Ho Chi Minh supported the Vietcong by sending them supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/th umb/c/cd/HoCMT.png/365px-HoCMT.png
- 7. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/38/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c_self-immolation.jpg Photo of aBuddhist monk setting himself on fire in public to protest Diem’s government. Even though Diem grew more and more unpopular in South Vietnam the US continued to back him; until Nov. 1, 1963 a US backed military coup executed him.
- 8. Vietnamese Leaders Ho Chi Minh Ngo Dinh Diem Communist Anti-communist North Vietnam South Vietnam Totalitarian Unpopular because Popular because he seen as corrupt, brutal gave land to peasants and favored wealthy. Supported Viet Cong Refused to partake in in South Vietnam. 1956 nationwide election. http://upload.wikimedia.org/w http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi ikipedia/commons/1/17/Ho_C a/commons/9/9b/Ngo_Dinh_Diem_- hi_Minh_1946_cropped.jpg _Thumbnail_-_ARC_542189.gif
- 9. Gulf of TonkinIncident In 1964 the U.S.S Destroyer Maddox was operating in waters off the coast of North Vietnam and reported being under attack. President Johnson took this opportunity to ask Congress to give him the power to escalate the war in Vietnam. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/USS_Maddox_%28DD-731%29.jpg 4/MaddoxTonkin1.svg/608px-MaddoxTonkin1.svg.png
- 10. Gulf of TonkinIncident Britannica Encylopndia, ‘Gulf of Tonkin Resolution’, from youtube.com on May 10, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s_gxMn9ELY
- 11. Gulf of TonkinResolution Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution on August 7, 1964; which gave Johnson broad military powers in Vietnam. With the advice of his advisors Robert McNamara Robert McNamara and Dean Rusk http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Robert_McNamara_ official_portrait.jpg/480px-Robert_McNamara_official_portrait.jpg president Johnson decided to escalate the war and began sending large numbers of American troops to Vietnam. The 3 men together http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Dean_Rusk %2C_Lyndon_B._Johnson_and_Robert_McNamara_in_Cabinet_Room_meeting_February_1968.jpg /250px-Dean_Rusk %2C_Lyndon_B._Johnson_and_Robert_McNamara_in_Cabinet_Room_meeting_February_1968.jpg
- 12. The war escalates… In 1965, over 61% of Americans favored escalation of the war and by the end of 1965 180,000 US soldiers were in Vietnam General William Westmoreland, leader of American forces in Vietnam, was unimpressed by the South Vietnamese allies and continually asked for more troops. By 1967 there were over 500,000 US soldiers in Vietnam. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/t humb/9/94/Gen_William_C_Westmoreland.jpg/4 80px-Gen_William_C_Westmoreland.jpg
- 13. U.S. Involvement inVietnam: • Domino Theory; aided French forces at regaining control after WWII. Eisenhower • Began sending money and weapons to South Vietnam • Military advisors sent to train South Vietnamese army • Believed in the Domino Theory • Increased the number of military advisors and army special forces, Kennedy or Green Berets • Advisors were not to take part in combat, but many did • Believed an expanded U.S. effort was the only way to prevent a Johnson Communist victory in Vietnam • Asked Congress to pass the Tonkin Gulf Resolution • Escalated war by sending more troops
- 14. War in theJungle The US believed its superior weaponry would lead to victory in Vietnam but the jungle terrain and guerrilla tactics used by the enemy turned the war into a frustrating stalemate. They used booby traps, land mines and even American weapons against them. The Vietcong used hit-and-run tactics and were interspersed amongst the civilian population making it hard for http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/ 110612-M-EV637-065.jpg/800px-110612-M-EV637-065.jpg American’s to determine friend from foe.
- 15. Tunnels The Vietcong added to their elusiveness by constructing elaborate tunnels that they could use to launch surprise http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/VietnamCuChiTunnelstrapopen.jpg attacks and then quickly disappear. They could eat, sleep, store weapons, and treat their wounded in the tunnels. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Tunnel_rats.jpg/476px-Tunnel_rats.jpg
- 16. Tunnel Rats andVC tunnels wwww.Militaryvideo.com, ‘’Tunnel Rats in Vietnam War’’, from youtube.com on May 10, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6ZbPqvfvBI
- 17. U.S. weaponry andtechniques Westmoreland believed that the superior weapons and manpower the US possessed would make the communists crumble. The communists continued to suffer and resist and were willing to fight to the last to obtain their freedom. Americans also tried to win the “hearts and minds” of the rural population but their tactics to combat the Vietcong included the use of napalm and Agent Orange which left the countryside in ruins. US soldiers also conducted Search-and-Destroy missions which destroyed villages suspected of ties to the Vietcong.
- 18. Napalm A gasoline basedbomb that set fire to the jungle http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d4/TrangBang.jpg/220px-TrangBang.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/French_indochina_napalm_1953-12_1.png
- 19. Agent Orange a chemical defoliant used by the US. It was later found to be http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/US-Huey-helicopter-spraying-Agent-Orange-in-Vietnam.jpg/800px-US- Huey-helicopter-spraying-Agent-Orange-in-Vietnam.jpg toxic and to cause many deaths and birth defects. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Agent-Orange-dioxin-skin-damage-Vietnam.jpg
- 20. Search & DestroyMission Click the Link Below to watch a movie on Search and Destroy missions in Vietnam: http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/videos#search-and-destroy “Search and Destroy.” 2012. The History Channel website. May 10 2012, 6:44 http://www.history.com/videos/search-and-destroy.
- 21. The Soldiers As the war continues soldiers became disillusioned with the war effort and morale declined a lot. Many soldiers turned to alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs Some soldiers even resorted to “fragging” their superior officers. killing them in the heat of the battle with a fragmentation grenade. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Chec king_house_during_patrol.jpg
- 22. The Early Warat Home The high cost of the war led to a decline in the economy and the lack of funds to continue the Great Society programs President Johnson had initiated. Johnson and military personnel continually told the American public that the war was going well. A credibility gap developed between what Johnson said about the war and what the public began to believe based on the gruesome images of US soldiers in body bags that they saw on the nightly news.
- 23. Ch 22 Sec1&2 Assignment Take out a sheet of paper and answer the following: 1. Evaluate why you believe soldier morale dropped steadily as the Vietnam War dragged on. Use 3 specific examples from Ch 22 Sec 1&2 to back up your argument. 2. Assess the United States military tactics in fighting the Vietnam War. What could they have done differently?
Editor's Notes
- #4 Japan surrenders to allies in 1945 and a nationalist group declared vietnam independent…and hoped the US would support their independence Ho chi minh means he who enlightens He believed that a communist revolution was a way for vietnam to be free from foreign rule. He received help from ussr.
- #5 French fought ho chi minh and vietnamese for 8 years. U.S. didn ’t send troops because Eisenhower did not want to send soldiers to Asia so shortly after Korean conflict. Dien bien phu March 13 – May 7, 1954 55 days nearly 300,000 lost between both sides. Vietminh used guerrilla war tactics to beat French who had superior weapons and technology.
- #6 By this time, Kennedy is President. Kennedy increased $$ and sent military advisers to Diem/S. Vietnam because accusations that Democrats were being soft on communism.
- #8 Dien attcked Budhism because fed up with their demonstrations against him. Imprisoned many clerics and destroyed Buddhist temples,
- #10 Kennedy did not support the execution of diem. A few weeks later Kennedy also fell to an assassins bullet and was replaced by LBJ. It is also said that the Vietminh attacked the USS Turner Joy. The attack of the destroyers was known as Gulf of Tonkin incident. This escalated U.S. involvement in Vietnam. In Recent government reports we have conflicting information on what really happened. Johnson said the North vietnames were the first to attack and shoot at the destroyer but recent reports seem to show that the US instigated and exaggerated the attack by spying and maybe even firing first. But regardless it was this events that increased US involvement.
- #11 Kennedy did not support the execution of diem. A few weeks later Kennedy also fell to an assassins bullet and was replaced by LBJ. It is also said that the Vietminh attacked the USS Turner Joy. The attack of the destroyers was known as Gulf of Tonkin incident. This escalated U.S. involvement in Vietnam. In Recent government reports we have conflicting information on what really happened. Johnson said the North vietnames were the first to attack and shoot at the destroyer but recent reports seem to show that the US instigated and exaggerated the attack by spying and maybe even firing first. But regardless it was this events that increased US involvement.
- #12 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave the president authorization to take action in Vietnam without the declaration of war. Because only congress has the power to declare war… After the resolution passed there was rapid increase in american troops sent to vietnam…
- #13 Westmoreland and the American ground troops use tactic known and search and destroy missions. They would locate the enemy and then call for airstrikes to attack.
- #18 Westmoreland (and the politicians in the US)