1 / 27

Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh. Communist leader of North Vietnam Began as a nationalist seeking independence from France. Asks US for help (no) Asks Soviets for help (yes) Creates the Vietminh & fights the French. French War in Indochina. French paratroopers land. Vietminh march. Begins in 1945-1954

vartan
Download Presentation

Ho Chi Minh

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Ho Chi Minh • Communist leader of North Vietnam • Began as a nationalist seeking independence from France. • Asks US for help (no) • Asks Soviets for help (yes) • Creates the Vietminh & fights the French

  2. French War in Indochina French paratroopers land Vietminh march • Begins in 1945-1954 • French meet stiff resistance & guerilla tactics • Request American aid • By 1954--US provided 80% of $ for war!!

  3. Dien Bien Phu • Mountaintop French air base and fortress • NW Vietnam by Laotian border • 1953--16,000 French troops take on 60,000 Vietminh • Turned back constant attacks, but siege began • May 7, 1954 surrendered with no ammo & supplies Vietminh front lines Destruction at Dien Bien Phu

  4. Dien Bien Phu results • French had 5,000 Killed; 10,000 captured • Vietminh had 25,000 killed • Only 1000 French left Vietminh charge base Vietminh capture base

  5. Leads to Geneva Conference • Split North & South Vietnam • North is communist • South is Democratic with US help • Ngo Dinh Diem chosen (Catholic)

  6. Buddhist Protests

  7. North invades South Vietnam • Begin fighting each other

  8. Tonkin incident • US destroyers attacked in Gulf of Tonkin • “allegedly” • Johnson calls for Congress to grant war powers • Johnson receives total contol with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

  9. US begins--SATURATION BOMBING • Before launching major attacks on the North--US tries massive bombing • B-52 bombers • Thousand of tons in each plane • Tried to overwhelm Northern cities B-52 bombers doing work Aftermath of bombs

  10. Helicopter landings • Trying to leave after search & destroy missions or patrols • Helicopters were widely used for difficult transportation and evacuations

  11. TUNNEL SYSTEM

  12. MORE TUNNELS

  13. Village searches: for VC

  14. Search & Destroy

  15. More War conditions • Conditions for Americans were miserable • 90-95 degrees & humid • Carry 60 lb packs • Swamps & paddies • Leeches & jungle rot • Fungi infections • Malaria • Skin diseases & more

  16. ELEPHANT GRASS • 90 plus degrees • Up to 15 feet high • Edges of grass like rose thorns or razor blades • Enemy can easily hide in the grass • Booby traps along paths

  17. BOOBY TRAPS • Things you might see along walking paths, in villages, elephant grass, rice paddies, etc. • Animal snares • Punji stakes • Landmines & grenades attached to tripwires • Poisonous snakes in tunnel entrances

  18. LANDMINES • Thousands littered across Western Vietnam and in other regions of the world still today…. • Afghanistan • Africa (civil wars) • Angola Buried landmines & grenades Vietnamese boy teen hit by mine

  19. NAPALM • Jellylike, gasoline substance used extensively in Vietnam • Tumbled out of planes • Used on jungle, villages, and humans!! • Total destruction

  20. The monsoon season

  21. Carrying wounded through swamps

  22. More streams to cross

  23. Leeches • Catch these while wading across streams, paddies, rivers, and more • Grow up to 6 inches • Only way to get off skin--cut them off with a knife!!!

  24. TET OFFENSIVE • Before Tet, Americans thought we were winning the war. • Morning of Jan.30, 1968 - surprise attack by V.C. & NVA • Tet is a major holiday in Vietnam - “Gentleman’s Agreement”

  25. TET OFFENSIVE • V.C. & NVA attack 68 cities and 50 towns • Fighting lasted from 3 days to 2 weeks • Bloody & Ferocious: both sides suffered high casualties • In Hue: V.C. captured 1,000 politicians & teachers and buried them alive in one mass grave

  26. TET OFFENSIVE • Tet was a military & psychological defeat for Americans • After Tet: How do we get out of Vietnam??? • Two months later: President Johnson is out, Nixon is in.

  27. Role of the Media • Brings the war “home” to Americans daily • Presents the “reality” of war • Helps to fuel the anti-war protests that had been developing in America • Johnson forced out

More Related