Position:Home>History> Why it was hard for US to defeat communists in Vietnam?

Look up these topics in regards to Vietnam!.

- Guerilla Warfare
- Insurgency
- North Vietnamese Army (NVA)
- Viet Cong (VC)
- Khmer Rouge
- Mai Lai Massacre

If you read about the war, you should be able to figure out quite quickly that we couldn't beat the communists for a series of reasons!. More than anything else, part of winning a guerilla war or counter insurgency is bringing the locals onto your side!. Without local support, an insurgency or guerilla movement dies out quickly!. However, in Vietnam, Americans made a bad name for themselves by slaughtering villagers (Mai Lai Massacre) and using bombing against Communist troops (killed 65,000 civilians)!.

So your paper should focus on the guerilla war (shoot and hide), the lack of discernable targets for American air support, and the killing of local civilians!. The combination of these three factors (and others) made it impossible for the US to have a definitive victory!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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The Vietnamese communists suffered major military defeats in South Viet Nam while fighting the US military!. Three different military strategies were tried by Hanoi, and each was defeated in turn!.
!!. The guerrilla war strategy used by the Viet Cong was decisively beaten in the Tet Offensive, 1968, when it suffered over 100,000 dead, had its political leadership on the ground exposed and destroyed, and its role in war ended!.
2!. The People's Army of Viet Nam lost the extended battles with the US during 1969-72, and Hanoi agreed to a cease-fire in order to regroup its forces!. The vaunted guerrilla leader and commander of PAVN!. Vo Nguyen Giap, was demoted and replaced due to the losses!.
3!. Hanoi tried an Easter Offense in 1972 after most US combat units, and all ground combat units, had been withdrawn from Viet Nam!. It launched an armored force directly across the boundery between North and South, and sent its tanks and other armor into battle!.!. A combination of US air power and South Viet Nam's Army destroyed the force!.

Saigon fell three years later due to the US Congress's cut-off of funds for any US military response to the fourth armored invasion attempted by Hanoi!. This last aggression was in direct violation of Hanoi's agreements made to end US military involvement!.

In the last invasion, there were NO US military forces within South Viet Nam, and any air strikes or military resupply to Saigon were forbidden by Congress!. Congress unilaterally voided a series of agreements and committments made by two US Presidents concerning military aid and support!.

Hanoi won on the political battleground in the US!. It never won a battlefield victory fighting US forces!. North Vietnamese battle deaths are reported by Hanoi to have been 900,000, although many experts believe that figure is false, with actual battle deaths in the range of 1!.2 million!.

See the link for an analysis of common US media myths about the war;
http://www!.aliennationreport!.com/VIETNAM!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Look up, "A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam," by Lewis Sorley which contrasts William Westmoreland's "search and destroy" strategy (which is what many remember about Vietnam strategy) with Crieghton Abrams' later "control and hold" strategy for the war!. One line from the book, "The fighting wasn't over, but the war was won!."Www@QuestionHome@Com

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In Viet-Nam, the U!.S!. was confronted with an enemy that was determined to defend their cause at any cost!. The North Vietnamese created a very efficient jungle warfare fighting machine, aided by superpowers such as Russia and China!.
The North Vietnamese fighters could survive for days on a bowl of rice!. On the other side, our brave soldiers efforts where severely hampered by the fact that the war was being directed by Politicians in Washington instead of the Commanders in the field, in effect leaving our soldiers to fight with one hand tied behind their backs!. also the unpopular nature of the War back home did much to demoralize our fighting men!. Including high profile people like Jane Fonda going to Hanoi and in effect characterize our soldiers and country as Baby killers and murderers!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Because they fought an unconventional, guerrilla war by blending in with civilians!. In order for the U!.S!. to have a military victory, we would had to kill hundreds of thousands of innocents!. It could have been done, but the price was way too high!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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try googleWww@QuestionHome@Com

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