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Why did the USA fail to win the VW by '68? - Coggle Diagram
Why did the USA fail to win the VW by '68?
NV Strengths + Tactics
Peasant Support
VC strengthened abilities to gain recruits with Cadres
Mao's Army Code showing peasants respect to win H+M
Contrasting with lack of respect from US and ARVN
Guerilla Tactics
Ingenuity and sophisticated tactics to lower morale of US forces
Punji Sticks = Required extensive time out of searching to get victim out by heli.
HCMT
Vital for logistics
Military resolve and determination where NV built roads from extensive US bombing
Highlighted dependency on USSR + Chi. to fight a prolonged war
USA Weaknesses
ARVN uncommitted + not well-trained
US soldiers weakened by media (anti-war in US)
MLK '67 claimed war was undermining "Great Society"
Damaged Johnsons war effort
Failure to understand Vi. context
Little to win H+M by ignoring local factors and the NLF as anything other than communist
US money failed= diverted through corrupt practices + caused severe disruption
Culture in Vi. was idea of community not US modern individualism
USA Tactics/Policies
Bombing
Operation RT= failure as V. was agrarian country with well disguised targets
Operation RH= spraying chemicals killing 3 million acres of vegetation in SV.
Alienated peasants with livelihoods destroyed
Free-fire zones = success measured by 'body count'
Peasants have com. sympathies
US morale worsened with drug taking + desertions
My Lai '68 347 V dead
Search and Destroy
Impossible to accurately identify enemy
Crops + houses destroyed undermining US efforts
Success measured by BC