War Expands in Vietnam

29-2

One American’s Story

• Stan Goff sent to Vietnam

• Machine gunner

• Engaged Viet Cong

• Viet Cong to weak to face American firepower

• Guerilla warfare- surprise attacks by small bands of fighters

• Viet Cong were an elusive enemy

• South Vietnam was weak• Ineffective leadership• 1964- Viet Cong and the NVA forces

controlled most of South Vietnamese countryside

• United States subtle• General Minh- South Vietnamese Leader• General Nguyen Khanh- Leader in the NVA• General Khanh eventually overthrew General

Minh

Direct Military Involvement Begins

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• Johnson planned to bomb North Vietnam in 1964

• Ho Chi Minh was negatively supporting North Vietnam

• August 2, 1964- U.S. destroyer Maddox fired on by two North Vietnamese torpedo boats

• Second possible attack reported• Johnson asked Congress to pass the Gulf of

Tonkin Resolution• http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=47

779540619101779#

Johnson Sends Troops

• March 1965- Bombing of North Vietnam began• Number of troops sent increased from 75,000 to

184,000 in 6 months• Escalation- policy of increasing military

involvement• General William Westmoreland- commander of

U.S. forces in South Vietnam• 536,000 U.S. forces sent by 1968• Stiff domestic and international opposition

provoked by American military efforts

• 3000119115.GIF

A Different Kind of War

• United States was overconfident• Landscape frustrated soldiers• Chinese forces threatened United States• Unfamiliarity with land proved to be a

disadvantage• Assumptions that had dominated US

foreign and military policy since 1945 were brought into question

U.S. Disadvantages

• Young, inexperienced soldiers• Years of service required shortened• No frontline• Viet Cong and NVA blended with general

population• Unpredictable attacks put in place• The entire nation became their enemy• http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Asia/Vi

etnam_War_US_Lost.html

Guerilla Warfare• Style of fighting differed• Sudden, unexpected attacks put the United States on the

defensive side• Viet Cong had advantage because they were fighting on their

own land• U.S. was yet to explore and learn about the land• Land and climate frustrated American soldiers• Soldiers not used to Vietnamese landscape• Viet Cong stayed dedicated• Vietnamese never gave up• “They see the war entirely as one of defense of their country

against the invading Americans, who, in turn, are seen merely as successors to the French.”~ Prisoner from Viet Cong

American Strategies

• Offensive and defensive setups• Napalm- jellied gasoline that burns violently• Agent Orange- a chemical that kills plants and other

greenery• Harmful chemicals destroyed Viet Cong hideouts and

food supply• Villagers harmed• U.S. plan backfired• Agent Orange harms everyone who comes in contact

with it• Search-and-destroy missions• Innocent villagers feared Americans and communists

Tet: A Turning Point

• 1967-war at stalemate• General Westmoreland stayed positive• North Vietnam believed they could not sustain

on the defensive side much longer• Victory was essential before the death of North

Vietnamese communist leader, Ho Chi Minh

The Tet Surprise• January 30-31, 1968- Communists launch Tet

offensive• Tet Offensive- surprise Communist attack on

U.S. and North Vietnamese forces in 1968• 85,000 soldiers sent to bomb cities and towns• 100 towns and cities bombed by Viet Cong

and NVA soldiers• Attack on Tet, Vietnamese celebration of

Lunar New Year• http://www.encyclomedia.com/video-tet_offen

sive.html

The Tet Surprise (Contd.)

• Soldiers dressed as citizens and bombed local places• Citizens and soldiers killed• Ended ineffective• No land gained• 45,00 soldiers lost• U.S. embassy in Saigon,

South Vietnam’s capital,bombed

• http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1862.html

U.S. Doubts Grow

• U.S. stunned by Tet offensive• Tet offensive pierced General Westmoreland• “Credibility Gap” present• Tet offensive made U.S. citizens question U.S.

government’s wisdom in entering war• U.S. citizens started protests against

continuation of war• Peace talks between U.S. and Vietnam began

in 1968

Works Cited"Gulf of Tonkin." Bodies of Water. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. <http://911review.com/precedent/century/imgs/tonkin.jpg>."Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (Britannica.com)." Google Videos. Web. 04 Apr.

2010. <http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=47779540619101779#>."Powerpoint Templates." Office Online Home Page - Microsoft Office Online.

Web. 04 Apr. 2010. <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC300011911033.aspx?AxInstalled=1&c=0>.  "Tet Offensive." United States History. Web. 05 Apr. 2010. <http://www.u-s-

history.com/pages/h1862.html>."Tet Offensive Video Clips, Free Online Videos – Encyclomedia." Free

Video Clips - Streaming Online Videos - EncycloMedia. Web. 05 Apr. 2010. <http://www.encyclomedia.com/video-

tet_offensive.html>. "Tet Offensive." Vietnam War. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Tet- Offensive-Map.jpg>.

Works Cited (Contd.)

"Vietnam." Asian Countries. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. <http://www.mon-photo.com/Asia/Vietnam_1/vietnam.gif>."Vietnam War." Military. Web. 05 Apr. 2010. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/vietnam.htm>."Vietnam War." The Vietnam War. Web. 05 Apr. 2010. <http://www.vietnampix.com/end.htm>."Vietnam War Videos, Photos, and Stories." Battles of War - War

History Videos and Footage. Web. 05 Apr. 2010. <http://www.battlesofwar.com/Vietnam_War.php>. "Vietnam War." Vietnam War. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. <http://www.cubanology.com/Vietnam/images/vietnamTrenches.jpg >.