The First Indochina War lasted from 1946 and 1954 from a long campaign of the Viet Minh resisting back against the French. The Viet Minh won the First War after the Japanese and Vichy French surrendered in 1945. But things would be complete Deja vu in the next war.
The Second Indochina War started on the 1st of November 1955, which was officially between North and South Vietnam. But it would involve the United States, South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines to fight for South Vietnam.
The U.S. had direct involvement from the start of the war. It started with just American military advisors coming when France was still fighting against the Viet Minh. After the French quit the war, the U.S. established had military and financial responsibility. The Americans would then increase the number of troops that would be heading into the country. The U.S. Army's first major battle with North Vietnam had started in Ia Drang Valley in 1965, since then, the U.S. had been fighting the Communist North.
The Western Allies were gripped by the fear of Communism, at the time, Communism was spreading to multiple countries. The U.S. believed that if they kept their stand in Vietnam, then all of South East Asia wouldn't fall under Communism.
By 1967, over a hundred thousand American troops were in South Vietnam. Many were stationed in bases like Con Thien and Da Nang.
Bases like Con Thien were used as a frontline for America's war against Communism, and to prevent the Communists from taking over the South. This Frontline was a chain of American artillery bases just south of the border dividing North and South. The border between the two was a 'No Man's Land' on either side called "The Demilitarized Zone" which literally cut Vietnam in half.
The government of South Vietnam was a delicate republic and was governed by a military elite whose army (ARVN) needed America's help. The capital of South Vietnam was Saigon. The South Vietnamese Government leaders who had affiliations with its Political Parties, or its military, or were independent didn't stay in office for more than eight years, or even just a few months.
Communist North Vietnam was backed by the Soviet Union and China. Its capital city was Hanoi, and its leader was a lifelong Communist and a hardened nationalist, Ho Chi Minh. He was also known as 'Uncle Ho' by his supporters. Ho Chi Minh was known for wanting to bring a form of independence and democracy to Vietnam.
North Vietnam had an army of 500'000 Vietnamese Soldiers (NVA). Ho Chi Minh had driven out the French Colonial government in 1954, then he resolved to push out the Americans and reunite Vietnam under Communism.The U.S. Military was lead by General Westmoreland, who was a veteran general with a clutch of medals from World War 2 and Korea. Westmoreland an American force of half a million troops to support 800'000 South Vietnamese (ARVN) troops.
But aside from facing the NVA from the north, the Americans and their South Vietnamese allies also faced thousands of Communist guerrilla fighters inside South Vietnam itself. The South Vietnamese rebels called themselves the 'National Liberation Front. The 'Vietcong' (VC) as the Americans called them. They didn't wear uniforms out which made it very easy for them to blend into the surrounding environment with the other villagers. This made things more problematic for the US troops because it was very difficult to tell friends from foes. Most of the time, American soldiers were fighting an enemy they just couldn't pin down.
The Vietcong were also well supplied by the NVA allies. The supply line which was set up by Ho Chi Minh himself was an incredible feature. North Vietnamese fighters, arms, and equipment were sent down a network of unpathed roads and paths called the 'Ho Chi Minh Trail'. This went down for thousands of square miles down the length of Vietnam. It was largely concealed in the jungle and among the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail was critically important for the Communist war effort. The only weapon that the U.S. had against it was constant airstrikes. The U.S. Bombers and Strike aircraft like B-52s targeted strategic points in North Vietnam like railways, bridges, and factories. In several sorties, American Bombers mainly targeted the Ho Chi Minh Trail to cut it off. Other Bombers in South Vietnam act on Intel reports and hit Vietcong strongholds. Many explosive bombs, toxic smokes like Agent Orange, and incendiaries like White Phosphorus and Napalm caused terrible destruction.
But unlike World War 2 where Allied bombings were vital in crippling German facilities which increased the war effort against the Nazis, North Vietnamese were getting more used to counteract against the U.S. Bombings and were in better cover, which in a way, made them even stronger than their American adversaries. Even though most bombings were hitting their targets, they made less damaging effects to the enemy and more on the area around them, so bombing wasn't really routing the Communists out. The country which so many depended on was laid to waste, and it wasn't winning the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese people. Bombing targets were often in and around civilian villages, so it was inevitable that civilians were killed.
To route out the Communists, there was no alternative to march in on foot. The ARVN and the U.S. sent countless patrols out in the countryside to try and hunt down the Vietcong as well looking for any telltale warning signs which might indicate Vietcong's presence. But the Americans were also fighting the scorching hot conditions as well as a scarcely visible enemy and the weight of the kit the Americans had to carry with them, which made the patrols more and more difficult.
Most patrolling U.S. soldiers had never seen a country or experienced a condition like this, and most were at a young age, they were carrying heavy kits and people were trying to kill them. In a single firefight, they wouldn't be getting any support so they would have to eat, drink and apply medical care with just what they were carrying.
Traveling in the countryside wasn't as difficult for the Vietcong. They could travel a lot lighter because they had support from supply routes and friendly villages. All they had to carry was their weapon (AK-47), a bag of rice, a mosquito net, and a tarp. They had excellent camouflage and they could probably hear a Marine Company from a mile away. American patrols could be fatal and many of the troops found them pointless anyway. You wouldn't be fighting a set-piece battle you would be trained and equipped for because the enemy was just so slippery and elusive.
Eventually, the Americans did adapt to this way of fighting, but by the time they were starting to make some headway into the war, things were about to change and take a dramatic turn for the worst...
The Vietcong were also well supplied by the NVA allies. The supply line which was set up by Ho Chi Minh himself was an incredible feature. North Vietnamese fighters, arms, and equipment were sent down a network of unpathed roads and paths called the 'Ho Chi Minh Trail'. This went down for thousands of square miles down the length of Vietnam. It was largely concealed in the jungle and among the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia.
But unlike World War 2 where Allied bombings were vital in crippling German facilities which increased the war effort against the Nazis, North Vietnamese were getting more used to counteract against the U.S. Bombings and were in better cover, which in a way, made them even stronger than their American adversaries. Even though most bombings were hitting their targets, they made less damaging effects to the enemy and more on the area around them, so bombing wasn't really routing the Communists out. The country which so many depended on was laid to waste, and it wasn't winning the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese people. Bombing targets were often in and around civilian villages, so it was inevitable that civilians were killed.
To route out the Communists, there was no alternative to march in on foot. The ARVN and the U.S. sent countless patrols out in the countryside to try and hunt down the Vietcong as well looking for any telltale warning signs which might indicate Vietcong's presence. But the Americans were also fighting the scorching hot conditions as well as a scarcely visible enemy and the weight of the kit the Americans had to carry with them, which made the patrols more and more difficult.
Most patrolling U.S. soldiers had never seen a country or experienced a condition like this, and most were at a young age, they were carrying heavy kits and people were trying to kill them. In a single firefight, they wouldn't be getting any support so they would have to eat, drink and apply medical care with just what they were carrying.
Traveling in the countryside wasn't as difficult for the Vietcong. They could travel a lot lighter because they had support from supply routes and friendly villages. All they had to carry was their weapon (AK-47), a bag of rice, a mosquito net, and a tarp. They had excellent camouflage and they could probably hear a Marine Company from a mile away. American patrols could be fatal and many of the troops found them pointless anyway. You wouldn't be fighting a set-piece battle you would be trained and equipped for because the enemy was just so slippery and elusive.
Eventually, the Americans did adapt to this way of fighting, but by the time they were starting to make some headway into the war, things were about to change and take a dramatic turn for the worst...
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