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Turning Points In The Vietnam War

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Guerilla warfare was a highly used and effective tactic all throughout history in cases like the Vietnam War. Guerilla warfare is a military tactic used in conflict; many people believe it to be a type of psychological combat. Former US Secretary Henry Kissinger once said “One of the cardinal maxims of guerrilla war: the guerrilla wins if he does not lose. The conventional army loses if it does not win.” (Kissinger). This quote from Henry Kissinger suggests that Guerilla can never lose to the conventional army unless all the guerillas are eliminated. If the conventional army fails to do so then the conventional army is the one at loss.
The battle of Dien Bien Phu was a major turning point in the Vietnam War which would further lead to full …show more content…

This campaign and attacks would have the US citizens question President Johnson’s claims of victory against the communists. In 1968 the Vietminh started a military campaign which would later be called “The Tet Offensive”. During the Lunar New Year the campaign would launch a series of devastating attacks on major cities in French-Vietnamese territory. In an article published by National Geographic, it states “Although a military loss, the Tet Offensive was a stunning propaganda victory for the communists. In fact, it is often credited with turning the war in their favor. The South Vietnamese began to lose influence as Viet Cong guerrillas infiltrated rural areas formerly held by the South Vietnamese government.” (National Geographic). The article then goes on to explain that the United States were pushed into a stalemate and weakened their ties with French-Vietnam (National Geographic). South Vietnam realized the Vietcong Army and Guerillas weren’t going to stop and were ambushing their urban areas. These attacks would largely impact the war leading to both sides surrendering and the peace agreements that would end the …show more content…

In the popular case of The American Revolution, Great Britain was the conventional army while the 13 colonies sought for freedom but knew their militias couldn’t take on Britain’s forces one on one. There were guerilla bands of volunteer soldiers used to even out the odds of battles and would drive the British down to uneven battlegrounds and temporarily restrict the movement of supplies. Guerilla tactics were used early on in the war, not any later than the Battles of Lexington and Concord and seemed to carry out throughout the war. The guerillas in the American Revolution were thought to be like a swarm of mosquitoes bothering you; they won’t kill you but they might drive you away (Muscato). It may be true that The American Revolution wasn’t won by Guerilla warfare alone but it did make for a motivating factor for Britain to step

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