Vietnam War Turning Points

1.

Why was the Tet Offensive a turning

point? Explain your answer.

The Tet Offensive was the turning point of the Vietnam War because it basically made the US lose all of it's support of the war back home. The Tet Offensive cost many lives, and the increasing death toll made the American people doubtful of the war. After the Tet Offensive, although it was considered a failure for the Viet Cong, the American people turned ultimately against the war, and the US couldn't fight much more with the complete lack of support from the people.

2.

Are Sources 51 and 52 making the

same point about the My Lai Massacre?

Sources 51 and 52 both stated that their purpose was not to kill innocent people, and neither of them had counted on doing so, but Lieutenant Calley in source 52 argues that he the US had to do so to fight communism. Ronald Ridenhour in source 51 does not try to back the massacre or give any argument in its favor. He was totally against it, and it was considered a Nazi thing to do. Calley didn't approve of the Mai Lai massacre, but he saw it a necessary part of fighting the Viet Cong.

3. Why do you think it took 12 months for

anyone to do anything about the

massacre?

I think it took 12 months for anyone to do anything about the massacre because the US military played it like a success. They pretended that there were Viet Cong killed in the massacre, and that it was a successful search-and-destroy mission. Nobody did anything about the massacre because no one knew it was a massacre, they thought it was a mission that went well and eliminated some of the enemy. It wasn't revealed that just about all of the people murdered were innocent civilians.

4. Why was the massacre so shocking to

the American public?

The massacre was so shocking to the American public because it was a completely un-American thing to do in war. As source 51 said, it was a "Nazi" thing to do, and the US had tried so hard to fight the Nazis because of the evil things they did. Yet they massacred innocent people, which was something along the lines of Hitler and the Nazis.

The U.S. struggles against the Communist in Vietnam

Thinking it through
1. Now think about the overall picture - how the strengths and weaknesses work together.

a) Were the armies finely balanced or was the balance strongly weighted to one side or the other?

The balance was hugely weighted to the Viet Cong. The only advantages the US had was larger numbers and superior technology, but that wasn't enough to defeat the Viet Cong. Viet Cong had strong, dedicated soldiers that wouldn't rest until they won. They also applied the devastating tactic of guerrilla warfare, which crushed US morale and effectively wore them out. Also, Viet Cong's lack of advanced technology increased their mobility, so they could move faster than the US troops could. On top of that, they knew the territory, and the majority of the Vietnamese population was against the US because of their corrupt leader of South Vietnam, Diem. The Viet Cong had more support, and was supplied by China and the USSR. Although they were outnumbered, the Viet Cong had a large advantage over the US.

b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?

The most important quality was the tactics. The Viet Cong used highly effective guerrilla tactics, that increased the other advantages. It made their one disadvantage negligible, and their other advantages somewhat less necessary, but at the same time it intensified those advantages. The guerrilla tactics lowered US morale, increased Viet Cong morale, wore out the US, and it was made easy by their mobility and knowledge of the territory. It was easily their largest advantage.

Explaining your conclusions
The failure of the U.S. army to beat the Communist in Vietnam was the result of its own weaknesses and Viet Cong strengths.

2. Now write up your answer. Use this structure:
a. The U.S. weaknesses were:

Unknown territory

Lack of local support

Lowered morale by opposing guerrilla tactics

Inferior and less motivated soldiers

Low popularity of the war back at the US, and low popularity of the US even in the country they were fighting for

b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were:

Extremely effective tactics

Very strong, motivated and committed soldiers

Chinese and Soviet support

Good mobility and knowledge of the land

Support of locals

c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example:

The bombing raids damaged some key points, and slowed down the Viet Cong

In La Dreng Valley, the US fought the Viet Cong in open warfare, which was a good victory for the US

d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were:

The raids and attempts to take out the hidden Viet Cong guerrilla fighters just killed countless innocent civilians and destroyed cities and forests. It was a highly unethical tactic and made the US look terrible

e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as:

Guerrilla tactics left the US constantly afraid of ambush, and they had no way of knowing who was part of Viet Cong

f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example:

The Tet Offensive was a total disaster. It did not achieve any of its goals, but it did raise controversy in the US.

The US's bombing raids took a toll on the Vietnamese, and their chemical weapons were just as disastrous. They eventually got North Vietnam to the negotiation table.

g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be their unpopularity because:

The US was hated by North Vietnam, and a lot of South Vietnam. It motivated the Viet Cong to fight hard and gave them a relentless commitment to winning. The Viet Cong eventually followed through and defeated the US with all of it's support, effective tactics, and determination.

h. The key Viet Cong strength was its effective tactics because:

Their guerrilla tactics were very effective in subduing the US. They couldn't be beaten because they'd take the US by surprise, then flee before they could be countered. They blended in with civilians, and the US never knew when they'd be ambushed, and they were constantly afraid of being attacked. It lowered their morale and gave them no chance at victory.