THE VIETNAM WAR AND U.S. INVOLVEMENT
Introduction
The common name "Vietnam War" or "War in Vietnam" - is the second Indochina war in Vietnam with the U.S.. It began around 1961 and ended April 30, 1975. In the Vietnam War, it is called the War for Liberation, and sometimes the American war. The Vietnam War is often regarded as the peak of the "cold war" between the Soviet bloc and the People’s Republic of China, on the one hand, and the United States with some of its allies - on the other. In America, the Vietnam War is considered the dark spot in its history. In the history of Vietnam, this war is perhaps the most heroic and tragic event. The Vietnam War was a the same time a civil war between the various political forces in Vietnam and the armed struggle against the U.S. occupation.
After 1955 France as a colonial power leaves Vietnam. Half of the country north of the 17th parallel, or the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, is controlled by the Communist Party of Vietnam, the southern half, or the Republic of Vietnam - by the United States of America, who controls it through the puppet South Vietnamese government.
In 1956, in accordance with the Geneva Agreements on Vietnam, the country had to have a referendum on the reunification of the country, which further provided for the election of the president in the entire Vietnam. However, the president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem refused to hold a referendum in the South. Then Ho Chi Minh creates the National Liberation Front (NLF) of South Vietnam, which starts a guerrilla war to overthrow Ngo Dinh Diem and hold general elections. Americans called the National Liberation Front the Viet Cong (or DRV). The word "Vietcong" has Chinese roots (Viet kongshan) and is translated as "Vietnamese communist." The U.S. provides aid to South Vietnam, and increasingly gets involved into the war. In the early 60's they moved troops into South Vietnam, each year increasing their numbers.
A new phase of the Vietnam War began on the 2nd of August, 1964. On this day, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier "Maddox" came to the coast of North Vietnam, and was allegedly attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. Until now it was unclear whether or not the attack occured. But the Americans had presented evidence of aircraft carrier’s damage from the Vietnamese boats’attack.
In response, the U.S. President L.Johnson ordered U.S. air force to attack naval targets in North Vietnam. Other targets of DRV were also bombed. Thus the war spread to North Vietnam. From this period, the Soviet Union joined the war by providing military-technical assistance to the DRV.
The U.S. allies in the Vietnam War were South Vietnamese Army, contingents of Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. On the other hand only fought the North Vietnamese Army and the National Liberation Front. In North Vietnam were located Soviet Union’s and China’s military experts who were allies of Ho Chi Minh. They were not directly involved in the fighting, with the exception of defense of DRV’s objects against U.S. Air Force military raids at the beginning of the war.
The chronicle of the Vietnam War
Local fighting between the NLF and the U.S. Army took place every day. There were some major combat operations, which involved a large number of personnel, arms and military equipment.
In October 1965, the U.S. Army has taken in South Vietnam a major offensive against the troops of the NLF. 200 thousand American soldiers, 500 thousand soldiers of the South Vietnamese army, 28 thousand soldiers of the allies were involved in this offensive. With the support of 2,300 planes, 1,400 tanks and 1,200 cannons the offensive developed from the coast to the border with Laos and Cambodia. Americans could not defeat the main force of the NLF and retain territories captured during the offensive.
In the spring of 1966 another major offensive began. It involved 250 thousand American soldiers. This attack also did not bring substantial results.
Autumn offensive in 1966 was even more extensive and carried out to the north of Saigon. 410 thousand U.S., 500 thousand South Vietnamese soldiers and 54,000 allied troops took part in the offensive. They were supported by 430 planes, 2,300 heavy cannons and 3,300 tanks and armored personnel carriers. On the other hand, there were 160 thousand soldiers of the NLF and 90 thousand soldiers of the North Vietnam Army. No more than 70,000 American soldiers and officers were directly involved in the fighting as the rest served in parts logistics. The U.S. Army and its allies ousted part of the NLF forces on the border with Cambodia, but most of the Viet Cong managed to avoid defeat. Such an offensive in 1967 did not bring decisive results.
1968 was a turning point in the Vietnam War. In early 1968, the NLF had a brief operation "Tet", capturing a number of important facilities. The fighting was even close to the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. During this operation, the NLF forces suffered heavy losses and in the period from 1969 to the end of 1971 moved to the tactics of limited guerrilla warfare. In April 1968, due to the significant loss of American aircraft over North Vietnam, U.S. President L.Johnson ordered the cessation of the bombing, except for the 200-mile zone in the south of the DRV. The President Richard Nixon took a course on "Vietnamization" of the war, that is, the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops and a sharp rise in the South Vietnamese Army combat capability.
In March, 1972 with the support of the North Vietnam Army NLF launched a large-scale offensive, taking the capital of the bordering with North Vietnam province of Quang Tri. In response, the U.S. resumed bombing campaign in North Vietnam. In September 1972, the South Vietnamese troops were able to return Quang Tri. In late October, the bombing of North Vietnam was halted, but resumed in December and lasted almost twelve days before the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973.
End of the Vietnam War
On January 27th, 1973 Paris Accords ceased fire in Vietnam. In March 1973, the United States finally withdrew its troops from South Vietnam, with the exception of 20 thousand military advisors. America continued to support the South Vietnamese government with enormous military, economic and political assistance.
In April 1975, after a lightning operation, "Ho Chi Minh" North Vietnamese troops under the command of the legendary General Vo Nguyen Zapa defeated the demoralized South Vietnamese army left without allies and captured all of South Vietnam.
Overall, the evaluation of South Vietnamese Army and the U.S. actions in South Vietnam by the international community was sharply negative because of their cruelty. In Western countries, including the United States there were mass anti-war demonstrations. The American media in 1970s was not on the side of its government and often showed senselessness of war. Many recruits tried to avoid military service in Vietnam.
Public opposition to a certain extent affected the position of President Nixon, who decided to withdraw troops from Vietnam, but the main factor was the military and political hopelessness of further continuation of the war. Nixon and Secretary of State Kissinger came to the conclusion that the Vietnam war unwinnable, but blamed on the Democratic Congress, which formally adopted the decision on the withdrawal of troops.
The Vietnam War statistics
Estimated deaths from both sides – 2,122,244.
General U.S. losses – 58,169 people. Wounded – 304,000.
General South Vietnamese losses – 440,357. Wounded – 499,000.
General civilians’ losses – 587,000. Wounded – 935,000
Shot down 4,865 helicopters and 750 planes of the U.S. Air Force aircraft.
Explode 6,727,084 tons of explosives, which is several times more than during the Second World War
Financial costs U.S. - $350 billion (in today's terms - more than $1 trillion).
Military and economic aid from China and the Soviet Union – $3 billion.
The political and economic causes of the Vietnam War
An indirect confirmation of the negative role of large corporations in the U.S. policy is the statement of one of the presidential candidates in the Republican Party Ron Paul in 2007, who said:
We’re not moving toward Hitler-type fascism, but we’re moving toward a softer fascism: Loss of civil liberties, corporations running the show, big government in bed with big business. So you have the military-industrial complex, you have the medical-industrial complex, you have the financial industry, you have the communications industry. They go to Washington and spend hundreds of millions of dollars. That’s where the control is. I call that a soft form of fascism — something that’s very dangerous.
Ordinary Americans initially believed in the justice of American involvement in the war, considering its struggle for democracy. As a result, a few million Vietnamese were killed as well as 57 thousand of Americans.
The political necessity of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War by the U.S. administration was explained to the public by "falling domino effect," that after the conquest of South Vietnam by Ho Chi Minh the Communists will spread their influence on all countries of South-East Asia.
The Soviet Union provided assistance to the South Vietnam Army by providing arms, fuel, military advisers, especially in the field of defense due to the fact that the confrontation with the United States was carried out on all continents. China, who feared the U.S. gain from its southern borders also provided assistance. Despite the fact that the Soviet Union and China at that time were almost enemies, Ho Chi Minh managed to get help from both of them. Ho Chi Minh developed the strategy of war himself. Soviet specialists have assisted only at the technical and educational levels.
Direct fighting between U.S. forces and the Soviet Union in Vietnam
During the Vietnam War, there were some episodes of a direct confrontation between the U.S. and the USSR, as well as the deaths of civilians from the Soviet Union.
During the first battles in the sky of North Vietnam Soviet military specialists used air defense missiles against U.S. aircraft without a declaration of war.
In 1966, the Pentagon, with the approval of the U.S. President and Congress authorized the commanders of aircraft carrier-strike groups to destroy in peacetime Soviet submarines found within a hundred miles. In 1968, the Soviet nuclear submarine K-10 in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam for 13 hours unnoticed at a depth of 50 meters under the sea level followed the aircraft carrier "Enterprise" and rehearsed conventional attack on it by torpedoes and missiles, running the risk of destruction. "Enterprise" was the largest aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy and a wide range of aircraft carried out the bombing of North Vietnam from it.
On June 2nd, 1967 U.S. planes bombarded in the port of Cam Pha ship "Turkestan" which belonged to Far Eastern Shipping Company. 7 people were injured, two of them died.
As a result of the competent actions of the Soviet merchant marine in Vietnam and employees of the Foreign Ministry Americans was proven guilty in the death of civilians. The U.S. government designated the families of the dead sailors lifelong benefits.
After the war
The biggest damage suffered in this war the civilian population of Vietnam both its southern and northern parts. South Vietnam was flooded with American defoliants (poisonous substance which causes defoliation), in Northern Vietnam as a result of many years of bombing by U.S. warplanes many people were killed and the infrastructure was destroyed.
After the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, many U.S. veterans subsequently suffered mental disorders and various diseases caused by the use of dioxin (poisonous substance) in "agent orange". Tens of thousands have committed suicide. In Vietnam fought representatives of the current American political elite: Senators John Kerry, John McCain, Al Gore.
A lot of films, books and other works of art were created on the basis of the war, most - in America.
Conclusions
The Vietnam War was a tragedy both for the winners and for losers. The war in Vietnam needs be examined in the context of the Cold War, where the United States and the Soviet Union were willing to use any means to demonstrate their strength. The war was regional in nature, but the scale and deploy of resources was significant. Vietnam has become a theater of war, where tested the latest military equipment that could be involved in a global conflict.
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