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Military Tactics In The Vietnam War

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The Vietnam War was a contentious and polarizing conflict that took place between 1955 and 1975. It pitted the Communist forces of North Vietnam, supported by the Soviet Union and China, against the South Vietnamese government, backed by the United States. Despite the enormous military and economic assistance provided by the US to the South Vietnamese, the war ended in a humiliating defeat for the Americans. The effectiveness of the Vietcong military and tactics played a significant role in this outcome. As historian Gabriel Kolko noted, the Vietcong's guerrilla tactics and ability to win the support of the local population gave them a crucial advantage over the US military (Kolko, 1985). The Vietcong employed a range of unconventional tactics, …show more content…

19). He argues that the Vietcong's ability to effectively use guerrilla tactics and gain the support of the local population gave them a significant advantage over the US military. Kolko notes that the Vietcong's tactics of blending in with the local population and operating in small groups made it challenging for the US military to locate and defeat them. Additionally, the Vietcong employed hit-and-run tactics, striking quickly, and disappearing before the US military could respond, inflicting casualties on the US military without sustaining significant losses …show more content…

Instead, they fought a war of attrition, using guerrilla tactics that relied on ambushes, booby traps, and surprise attacks" (Karnow, 1983, p. 365). Karnow argues that the Vietcong's tactics were effective in creating a sense of insecurity among the US forces, who were constantly on edge and never knew when or where the next attack would come from. This is supported by the

personal account of a US soldier who served in Vietnam. In his memoir, Philip Caputo describes how "the Vietcong could strike at any time and from any direction, and their attacks were often sudden and deadly. They were experts at setting traps and using mines and other booby traps to inflict casualties on US forces" (Caputo, 1977, p. 124). Caputo's account emphasizes the psychological impact of the Vietcong tactics, as the constant threat of attack created a sense of fear and uncertainty among US soldiers. Although Caputo's is a first-hand account as open to his own bias and

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