Learn History - Vietnam War Revision

“Guerrillas must move through the peasants like fish through sea”, i.e. the peasants will support them as much as they can, shelter, food, weapons, storage, intelligence, recruits.

In VC held areas they distributed the land to the peasants, which went down extremely well. By 1973, the VC held about half of South Vietnam.

Their weapons were cheap and reliable - the AK47 Kalashnikov assault rifle out-performed the American M16, and the portable rocket launcher took out many US vehicles and aircraft.

AK-47 Kalashnikov Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG)

They recycled dud bombs dropped by the Americans or old weapons left by the French.

Recycling bombs to use against the USA

Deadly booby-traps could inflict huge damage on young American conscripts!

Toe Popper Booby Trap Punji stake pit

The US countered with ‘Search and Destroy’ tactics. In areas where the VC were thought to be operating troops went in, checked for weapons and if found, rounded up the villagers and burned the villages down. This often alienated the peasants from the US/Arvin cause.

Interrogation of a suspected Communist

As one marine said of a search and destroy mission – “If they weren’t VC before we got there, they sure as hell were by the time we left”. The VC often helped the villager’s re-build their homes and bury their dead.

The Vietnamese built large tunnel complexes such as the ones at Cu Chi near Saigon. This protected them from the bombing raids by the Americans and gave them cover for attacking the invaders.