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The Vietnam War: 1954-1975

The Vietnam War: 1954-1975. Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the Fish. VIETNAM - Escalation and Fighting. The violence and brutality of the Vietnam War affected civilians as well as soldiers.

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The Vietnam War: 1954-1975

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  1. The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the Fish

  2. VIETNAM - Escalation and Fighting • The violence and brutality of the Vietnam War affected civilians as well as soldiers.

  3. Escalation of American involvement began in 1965 and continued through 1968. • Beginning of 1965 - 25,000 troops • End of 1968 - 500,000 troops

  4. How did battlefield conditions in Vietnam affect American soldiers? • The Vietnam war was characterized by small engagements (fights) that involved guerilla-type warfare. • For US soldiers, it was difficult to know the difference between friend (ARVN [South Vietnamese regular army]) and foe (VC [Viet Cong])

  5. Battlefield conditions in Vietnam • American tactics consisted of “search and destroy” missions and massive bombing of VC targets. • “Operation Rolling Thunder” - intensive bombing campaign from 1965-1968 • Americans had absolute mastery of the air throughout the course of the war.

  6. Bombing during Vietnam inflicted heavy damage on the landscape and thousands of military and civilian casualties. • Americans used ‘saturation bombing’ and fragmentation bombs • Americans also used chemicals to defoliate the landscape • Napalm • Agent Orange

  7. US casualties increased. • Casualties began to mount and TV networks broadcast scenes from the battlefield • Weekly body counts became standard TV fare for nightly news.

  8. America’s first ‘TV’ War • People’s perceptions of the war were more and more influenced by television news reports

  9. “Hawks” and “Doves” • Hawks - supported the war • Doves - opposed the war • Although the majority of Americans still supported the Vietnam War, there was increasing disagreement in both government and the public mind over US Vietnam policy.

  10. A Growing Antiwar Movement • More and more people saw the Vietnam war as a waste of federal tax money that could have been applied to LBJ’s Great Society domestic social programs.

  11. LBJ attempted to rally support • War faced growing protest and unpopularity at home. • LBJ continued to promote the war in order to maintain support for GREAT SOCIETY programs in the USA. • Escalation continued. • A growing ‘credibility gap’.

  12. •A coordinated set of attacks by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese during Tet (Vietnamese New Year) •US tactical victory - inflicted heavy losses on the VC and North Vietnamese •North Vietnamese strategic advantage - American public support of war dropped The Tet Offensive: 1968

  13. The impact of the Tet Offensive on American Public Opinion • After the Tet Offensive in Jan-Feb of 1968, public opinion turned more sharply against continuing the war. • Vocal anti-war protests increased • Many Americans felt that: • US soldiers were not given a chance to win • US didn’t have a clear objective in Vietnam for victory • LBJ made surprise announcement he wouldn’t seek re-election in 1968

  14. Tet Illustrated Communist (VC) brutality and the brutality of the war in general • In recapturing Hue (Vietnamese city), VC murdered 5000 civilians before surrendering. • Suicide bombers hit civilian targets as well. • South Vietnamese responded in anger and brutality as well.

  15. My Lai Massacre- 1968 • US soldiers under Lt. William Calley murdered Vietnamese civilians at My Lai (village) [250+] • US helicopter crew stopped the slaughter • Story with pictures published in LIFE magazine in 1971 • American public horrified. • An isolated incident but shocking that American soldiers could or would commit such atrocities

  16. Review Questions - answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper • Describe how the battlefield conditions affected the following people in Vietnam: • US Soldiers • Vietnamese civilians • Explain why the initial military action resulted in a stalemate. • Describe the Tet Offensive of 1968. Explain how and why it proved to be a turning point in the Vietnam War. • Choose a position either for (hawk) or against (dove) the war. Write a brief letter to the editor from that position.

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