Facts About the VietnaM War
The Vietnam War happened during the Cold War era, and started on November 1, 1955 and ended on April 30, 1975 when North Vietnam conquered Saigon. . Most of the communist party's fighting was done by North Vietnam, the Viet Cong, Khmer Rouge, and Pathet Lao. The communist party was supported by China, the Soviet Union, North Korea, Cuba, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria. Most of the anti-communist party's fight was done by South Vietnam, the United States, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, the Khmer Republic, and the Kingdom of Laos. The anti-communist party was supported by the Philippines, Taiwan, Canada, West Germany, United Kingdom, Iran and Spain.
American INvolvment in the Vietnam War
American involvement began in the 1950's when military advisers arrived what was then called French Indochina. U.S. involvement escalated with troops numbers tripling in 1961 and again in 1962. U.S. involvement escalated even further after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, in 1964, where a U.S. destroyer fought with North Vietnamese craft.
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Following this the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed which allowed the U.S. President to increase military presence in Vietnam. Regular U.S. combat units began deploying in 1965. Across international borders, areas of Cambodia and Laos were heavily bombed by U.S. forces, as U.S. involvement peaked in 1968. Gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops, called Vietnamization , began with it's aim to end U.S. involvement in the war. This also aimed of transferring the fight to the South Vietnam forces. In 1973 the Paris Peace Accord was signed, and American involvement in the war ended on August 15, 1973. The war ended when North Vietnam took over Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam.
VeHIcles used in the Vietnam War
Vehicles used in the Vietnam War were mostly boats and planes because anybkand vehicles would sink into the rice paddies. There were tanks, but they were seldomly used because they were so heavily that if they didn't go fast enough over a rice paddy it woukd sink. Helicopters were also heavily used to make the war a much more mobile fight. The helicopters used were mostly Bell UH-1 Iroquios "Heuy", Bell AH-1 Cobra, Bell AH-1J SeaCobra, Bell H-13 Sioux, Bell OH-58 Kiowa, Boeing CH-47 Chinook, Boeing VertolCH-46 Sea Knight, Hiller OH-23 Raven "Model UH-12", Hughes OH-6 Cayuse "Loach", Kaman HH-43 Huskie, Kaman SH-2 Seasprite/Super Seasprite, Piasecki/Boeing Vertol H-21 Workhorse/Shawnee, Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave, Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion, Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe/ Erickson S-64 Skycrane, Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw, Sikorsky H-34/CH-34 Choctaw, Sikorsky HH-3E "Jolly Green Gaint". These are the helicopters the Americans used, but they weren't the only ones with helicopters. The Soviet Union had two, the Mil Mi-4 "Hound", and the Mil Mi-8 "Hip". Some of the planes the U.S. used were the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, and there are many more.
OPInion of the Vietnam War
I think that the Vietnam war was one of the worst wars in history because almost three million soldiers and civilians died by the end of it. Also when American veterans arrived hime they were insulted and called names like "Child killers" and other ones like that. I also think that it wasn't entirely necessary for America to be in the war for twelve plus years even if they were trying to stop the spread of communism, and they spent billions of dollars supporting South Vietnam and also fighting with them at the same time. I can' believe that South Vietnam couldn't stop the North Vietnam and the Viet Cong from taking over when they had almost triple the amount of troops then them. Also South Vietnam had the training that America had given them, but apparently that didn't work either.