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Introducing the Vietnam War. Learning Targets. Explain how the U.S. got involved in the Vietnam War. Compare and contrast the U.S. and NVA/Vietcong strategies. Predict the effectiveness of each plan. Priming: A Soldier’s Experience. A Soldier’s Experience. THE VIETNAM WAR.
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Learning Targets • Explain how the U.S. got involved in the Vietnam War. • Compare and contrast the U.S. and NVA/Vietcong strategies. • Predict the effectiveness of each plan.
Priming: A Soldier’s Experience A Soldier’s Experience
1954: Geneva Accords--1954 • Vietnam divided when French left • North Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh & communist • South Vietnam - Ngo Dinh Diem & anti-communist Ho Chi Minh Divided at 17th parallel Ngo Dinh Diem
1. Diem’s leadership of South Vietnam • Refused election • Persecuted Buddhists • Overthrown and followed by unstable gov’ts Growing Problems
2. Growth of the Vietcong • Vietcong (VC) = communist guerillas in S.Vietnam fighting the S. Vietnamese gov’t • tried to fight with strategic hamlet plan(move villagers for “protection”) Growing Problems • Add walls and moat • backfired • 80% of countryside supported • Vietcong
Eisenhower sent aid due to domino theory • 1961: JFK follows with “military advisors” U.S. Aids South By 1963, 16,000 American troops are Training in South Vietnam
Tonkin Gulf Resolution • August 2, 1964: U.S. destroyer Maddox attacked in Tonkin Gulf
Tonkin Gulf Resolution • Congress gave President Johnson (LBJ) war powers Senate Vote: 88 to 2 “to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force…”
Think, Pair, Share • Explain why the United States got involved in Vietnam. • Explain how the United States got involved with Vietnam. • Should the U.S. have involved themselves in the conflict in your opinion?
American Escalation • General William Westmoreland, U.S. Commander
U.S. strategy: bomb North, ground troops in South • 1968: 538, 000 U.S. troops American Escalation
Operation Rolling Thunder • Bombing Raids of North Vietnam 643,000 tons of bombs 5 times Hiroshima 3 years Air Force Chief of Staff Lemey about bombing them “back to the stone Age.”
Focused on Ho Chi Minh Trail (supply line for Vietcong and N.Vietnam) • failed Operation Rolling Thunder Dealt with 2,700 roads And tunnels NVA actually increased supply NVA Tung, “The bombs heightened rather than dampened our spirits.”
Search and Destroy Missions: seek VC and destroyed villages • Jungle warfare, so defoliants used (Agent Orange/Napalm) Ground War
NVA and Vietcong • Commander of NVA – Vo Nguyen Giap • 1965: Strategy shift to guerilla tactics, Giap against
NVA and Vietcong • Tactics- tunneled base camps, booby traps, and punji spikes.
Journal Reflection • Compare and contrast the U.S. strategies with the NVA and Vietcong strategies in a double bubble. NVA & Vietcong strategies U.S. strategies similarities differences differences
Think, Pair, Share • Predict which side’s strategies will work best - the U.S. Strategies or the NVA & Vietcong strategies. Why?
Khe Sanh • Important for intelligence on Ho Chi Minh Trail • 40,000 NVA vs. 5,600 U.S. for over 2 mths. • U.S. win, shows NVA resolve
Tet Offensive • Massive attack by North on Vietnamese New Year • Military victory for South/U.S. • Morale victory for North 100 towns and cities Attacked; 12 air bases attacked 42,000Vietcong casualties