The Vietnam War. Nour, Kayti, Lily, Devin, and Hayleigh

Transcription

1 The Vietnam War Nour, Kayti, Lily, Devin, and Hayleigh

2 When did the war begin between North Vietnam and South Vietnam? Since there was never a declaration of war from either side the starting date of the war is debated upon. Some view that start date when the first battle between the North and South occured and others think that it was when the first U.S. bombing happened. After reviewing data from the war the U.S. Department of Defense recognizes November 1, 1955 as the start date of the war and the date they started counting American Casualties. This was when the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) was established by President Truman.

3 When did the U.S. become involved? In early August 1964, two U.S. destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin reported that they were fired upon the by North Vietnamese forces. President Johnson asked permission from Congress to increase the U.S. military presence in the area in response to the North s actions. On August 7, 1964 Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authoring Johnson to take any measures necessary to retaliate and to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in Southeast Asia (Vietnam War). Even though U.S. advisors had already been in the country for years this resolution made it official. Secretary of Defense Robert. McNamara points out action in Gulf of Tonkin during a briefing at the Pentagon

4 Why did the U.S. become involved? Active U.S. involvement began 1954, but ongoing conflict stretched throughout the region from several decades back. After Ho s takeover of communist power, a battle was waged at Dien Bien Phu in May 1954 that ended in the defeated of the south and a northern victory that deceased the French and almost a century rule in Indochina. Later on, a subsequent treaty signed in 1954 at the Geneva conference inevitably split what is known as the North and the South. With the Cold War intensifying worldwide, President Dwight D. Eisenhower pledged his full support to Diem and South Vietnam, providing Diem with military support to fight in the Vietnamese war.

5 What is Communism and why was the U.S. so afraid of it spreading to other countries? Communism is an advocacy of classless society where private ownership has been abolished and all that of production is done by the community. As of popular belief, all people were created equal and workers controlled the produce. In September 1945, Vietnamese nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence from France inevitably starting a mass war. After a communist victory in Indochina, a provoked U.S. delivered military and financial support to Greece and Turkey causing the Domino Theory, when one country becomes communist then the rest will fall with it, which scared the U.S. to control the spread in Europe and Middle East.

6 The Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a series of attacks organized by the North Vietnamese army as an attempt to subdue rebels in South Vietnam and lessen the United States involvement in the war. It began on January 31, 1968 when 85,000 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops simultaneously attacked major cities, military installations, and towns located across South Vietnam. The offensive ended in the fall of 1968 with both sides claiming victory. Because the attacks began on the Vietnamese New Year, or Tet, the event earned the name The Tet Offensive.

7 The Viet Cong The Viet Cong were soldiers from South Vietnam who fought alongside the North Vietnamese army to unify all of Vietnam under Communism. The name Viet Cong is translated to mean Vietnamese Communist therefore it is used to describe these communist supporters from the South. During the war, The Viet Cong soldiers used Guerilla fighting tactics such as setting booby traps, planting bombs, and staging ambushes on their enemies. While fighting, the soldiers wore plainclothes making it difficult for their enemies to identify them as the threat. These two tactics took the opposing armies by surprise allowing the Viet Cong to enter in battle with the upper hand. While engaging in hand-to-hand combat, the Viet Cong soldiers hung onto the utility belts of their enemies. This maneuver made it impossible for opposing armies to use artillery without injuring their own comrades. When transporting their supplies, the Viet Cong used a route through the jungles of Laos and Cambodia. This ensured their supplies would remain untouched by enemies because an attack in this location would drastically intensify the war. Ultimately, the Viet Cong used fierce and strategic tactics that caught their enemies off guard throughout the war.

8 How many soldiers died in the war? There were 1.1 million dead soldiers from North Vietnam South Vietnam estimated 200, ,000 dead soldiers 58,200 U.S. soldier man died South Korea suffered 4,000 men Thailand calculated 400 dead More than 500 died from Australia New Zealand reported 3 dozen

9 How many troops did the U.S send in total? The Vietnam War was the longest deployment of U.S. soldiers, there were 12 years of American military combat When the U.S first got involved in 1961, Kennedy sent a little over 400 U.S. Army Special Forces The highest number of U.S. troops recorded was 543,400 in 1969 The total amount of Americans who fought for South Vietnam was 2.7 million More than 58,000 U.S troops died or remain missing, while 300,000 soldiers were wounded

10 When did the U.S. begin to withdraw? Finally, in January 1973, representatives of the United States, North and South Vietnam, and the Vietcong signed a peace agreement in Paris, ending the direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. Its key provisions included a cease-fire throughout Vietnam, the withdrawal of U.S. forces, the release of prisoners of war, and the reunification of North and South Vietnam through peaceful means. The South Vietnamese government was to remain in place until new elections were held, and North Vietnamese forces in the South were not to advance further nor be reinforced.two months after the signing of the Vietnam peace agreement, the last U.S. combat troops leave South Vietnam as Hanoi frees the remaining American prisoners of war held in North Vietnam.

11 How did the conflict end? On April 30, 1975, the last few Americans still in South Vietnam were airlifted out of the country as Saigon fell to communist forces. North Vietnamese Colonel Bui Tin, accepting the surrender of South Vietnam later in the day, remarked, You have nothing to fear; between Vietnamese there are no victors and no vanquished. Only the Americans have been defeated. The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular foreign war in U.S. history.

12 Works Cited Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. Tet Offensive. Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 Feb. 2018, Accessed 3 Mar Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. Viet Cong. Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 22 Nov. 2017, Accessed 19 Mar Domino Theory History, Accessed 19 Mar GCSE Bitesize: Vietcong and American Tactics. BBC, BBC, Accessed 19 Mar U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War: the Gulf of Tonkin and Escalation, 1964 Office of the Historian, Accessed 3 Mar