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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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The guerilla tactic is where fighters work as part of a small band to make hit-and-run attacks. This tactic was a smart way to attack the British without getting attacked themselves. Another important tactic was one the colonists used during the battle of Yorktown. During this battle the British were retreating in Yorktown when Washington and his army came down from the north heading toward Virginia. At the same time the French Navy, the colonists ally, moved to the coast near Yorktown blocking the sea escape.

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the American Revolution, the most significant was the use of guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare is a form of warfare fought by irregulars in which quick, small-scale actions against orthodox military are executed. The Continental Army’s use of this tactic, as well as their success with it, is prevalent throughout the war. Though large field battles were fought in the revolt, the Americans attempted to avoid such fights and used more of a “hit-and-run” methodology. In small groups, colonial soldiers would deteriorate British forces with quick, unexpected attacks.

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In The Patriot there a few scenes showing the Britain lining up into different squads all neat, orderly, and marching, then the colonists start jumping up and out of trees, bushes, and grass; therefore, surprising the British, giving the colonists an advantage for a little while. The scene from The Patriot shows that during the Revolutionary War the British fought like you were supposed to: in squads and properly, while the colonists just showed up out of nowhere and used the element of surprise to their advantage. “Americans during the Revolutionary War adopted many of the guerilla warfare tactics.... The militias would go on the occasional drill, but they were by and large farmers, artisans, and merchants...not professional soldiers” ( War In the American Revolution).

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Nonetheless, in the Revolutionary war, Americans changed the game and created what was called guerilla warfare. Guerilla warfare was first used in the battles of Lexington and Concord. These tactics included ambushes, raids, hidden shooters, etc. Against the British militia —the strongest army in the world— Washington, commander and chief of the colonial militia, found it necessary to use these tactics to defeat such a large and traditional army. Guerilla warfare tactics is what put Washington’s army ahead in the war.

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Kevin Marcotte Mr. Eaton Period: G 3/6/17 Guerilla tactics of the American Colonials helped their war effort Anyone who knows anything about the American Revolution knows that the Colonist’s militias were known for their battle tactics. They had multiple different tactics but most commonly know is their guerilla warfare tactics. Guerilla tactics were a major reason for the victory of the war. Instead of the traditional warfare Britain used guerilla tactics were more successful due to its sense of surprise.

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The Vietnam War was fought between the North and South Vietnamese over Communism. The North pushed for a communist regime while the South favored a more democratic government. During the time of this war, the U.S. was pushing towards containing Communism, and vowed to support any nation resisting communism. Although America’s policy of containment had good intentions, this often led to the support of corrupt leaders and governments. President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam was Catholic and did not lead well.

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The Vietnam War, which lasted from 1955 to 1975, was one of the most divisive and controversial conflicts in American history. It was a military conflict between the Communist North Vietnam, and South Vietnam, with the United States and other Western powers supporting the Southern Vietnamese. The war was fought in the context of the Cold War because the United States feared that Communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia if North Vietnam managed to take control of the entire country. The war had such a profound impact on American society, and still remains a subject of intense debate and analysis today. After World War I, Vietnamese leader, Ho Chi Minh, expressed many grievances against the French colonialists.

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The United States was involved in the Vietnam War in the 1960s in order to support South Vietnam’s fight for an economic and cultural ties to the West. On the other hand, North Vietnam supported the ideas of a communist economy. However, the United States’s involvement in the war caused a million of dollars and lives lost, lost of faith towards the country’s government, and divided the nation instead of uniting as one. More than three million people in the war died, and out of those three million, 58,000 were Americans. The Americans and the people in South Vietnam had fought for their beliefs of a modern Westernized country while North Vietnam had fought for a communist economy.

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In 1968, the Vietnam troops issued The Tet Offensive, which was uprisings in South Vietnam that surprised the American Military. The war became brutal, with mistreatment of American prisoners by the Vietnamese. American planes dropped chemicals and more bombs than ever seen in history. The intensity and brutality of the fighting of war were now broadcasted on television, which shattered confidence in Johnson's Administration’s capabilities to be victorious in the war.

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Citizens in the Revolutionary war period use Guerrilla warfare more so than militiamen, a well known example of this is the Boston Massacre in which 5 Boston Colonists were fatally shot, but it worked out, because british Captain Thomas Preston was arrested. After, the British militia had nobody to fill his spot. An example in Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh in December of 1965 ordering a change in the way the war in the south was to be fought. From that point on they would avoid pitched battles with the Americans and unless the odds were clearly in their favour, they would otherwise focus on hit and run

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The militiamen ambushed their opponents, instead of waging open battles with clearly thought-out formations. Their knowledge of the land and their “uncivilised” methods of warfare gave them the key element of surprise, and they used this to their advantage. Another factor which led to the British defeat in the American Revolution was the nationalities of the British forces. Because many of the British soldiers were from countries other than Britain, they had less incentive and less morale as they were not fighting for their country, but fighting for money. This meant that they would be less efficient in battle as they would not be willing to sacrifice themselves for another

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North Vietnam was known for its harsh and effective fighting tactics over the course of the war, including guerilla warfare. Although some might say that the U.S. lost the war in Vietnam because of the tactics used by the North Vietnamese, they actually lost the war because of heavy protesting from citizens, a lack of strength

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The turning point battle in the war is the Battle of Saratoga in Saratoga County, New York on October 7, 1777 because the battle that was led by Benedict Arnold and a few fellow commanders defeated British General Burgoyne was a major victory for the American forces, forcing a British army to surrender this led to the French in joining the war against Britain and helping the colonists with

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In 1972, North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam. South Vietnam forces struggled on their own until the United States issued aid through US airpower- once again, becoming further involved in the war. Fighting continued through the next few months but as more and more antiwar demonstrations took place by those waiting for Nixon’s plan to follow through, negotiations were made to officially pull the United States out of the war. In January of 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed and the United States was officially withdrawn from the war in Vietnam. The steady growth of anti-war protests throughout the Vietnam War showed the passion American people had for their country, as well as others, well being.

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At a young age children are greatly influenced by the chief adult figures in their life. For Hughes’s early years his central figure was his grandmother who instilled in him the character seen throughout his life and in his writing. Hughes’s love for his people originated from the stories she told him about his grandfather and uncles who had been abolitionist. Hughes expressed that his grandmother would mostly enjoy talking about her father who apprenticed numerous slaves to himself in order to set them free. His family’s potent tongue came from his great grandpa’s generosity and equality towards Negroes.

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