Battlefield Vietnam: Ep 6 "The Tet Offensive" (2/6)

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975. The war was fought between the communist North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other member nations of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).

The Vietcong, the lightly armed South Vietnamese communist insurgency, largely fought a guerrilla war against anti-communist forces in the region. The North Vietnamese Army engaged in a more conventional war, at times committing large-sized units into battle. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search-and-destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery and air strikes.

The United States entered the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part of a wider strategy called containment. Military advisors arrived beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s and combat units were deployed beginning in 1965. Involvement peaked in 1968 at the time of the Tet Offensive. Under a policy called Vietnamization, U.S. forces withdrew as South Vietnamese troops were trained and armed. Despite a peace treaty signed by all parties in January 1973, fighting continued. In response to the anti-war movement, the U.S. Congress passed the Case-Church Amendment in June 1973 prohibiting further U.S. military intervention. In April 1975, North Vietnam captured Saigon. North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year.
Battlefield Vietnam explores some of the most important battles fought during the Vietnam War. There are detailed battlefield descriptions and graphics, accompanied by actual combat footage. The narrator speaks throughout the series, without interviews of actual battle veterans. Detailed analysis of the battle including leaders, commanders, soldiers and weapons is presented. Events preceding the featured battle are included, as well as some aftermath details.

Category:

Education

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[chippewaman1975]

TheNemeziss200, thanks for posting Battlefield Vietnam. The series was an excellent non-partisan, non-political look at the Vietnam War and focused on the actual battlefield tactics.

[ZappBrannigan00]

gave away sv? wow! do u know, that the us supported the communistic resistance in v during ww2? then, only because of their rivalry with sowiet union - which was declared as a fight of ideologies but de facto was just about power, influence etc. - they spitted vietnam apart, as it was obvious that free elections would result in a clear victory of the communist party! so many people died in this war, cause the us just couldn't let the people of a sovereign nation decide about their own future...

[soviet507]

I'm sorry but America was never going to win in Vietnam. because if you don't have the people on your side it doesn't matter how many major victories you win you will just won't win specially if it is in a hostile country. just like the American revolutionary war George Washington did not win many battles in the war but he just didn't give up and the British saw that and they realize that they were not going to win and they gave up JUST LIKE THE AMERICANS

[EngrJrmt]

nva are all stupid they caught us unguard but still they didnt won hahahaha serves them right! stupid general japs!

[EngrJrmt]

yeah we could have won the war even if the russian and chinese intervene! no major battle taht nva won

[Lipton16]

Thanks for posting!

[warriorvagabond]

@louth00 I think you are very correct in that statement but something that really would have helped would have been moving troops into Laos and Cambodia to combat the enemy more affectively. In my opinion LBJ was the worst president ever.

[GodlessMartyr666]

@Troublesome2008 the rice paddies in dien bien phu were the goal, or moreover, ensuring communist hands didn't secure said rice paddies. An endless supply of rice is the last thing the govt wanted for the reds. It was speculated in the oval office that all of east asia would fall to communism should this go untendered.

[Troublesome2008]

@Hperman09

That's typical. Blame the French and the Hippies. The truth is that Ho-Chi Minh also asked the USA for help, and when the USA refused, he turned to the Soviets. The USA boycotted the elections because the Communists would win. When The USA moved into Vietnam, France was moving out. The only reason The USA moved in was the fear of the domino-effect. So it was all about selfish reasons, not to "help" the people of Vietnam. And it takes more to win a war than a high bodycount.

[Hperman09]

@ZappBrannigan00 No it was France fault for trying to recolonizing Vietnam and they asked the US for help. France said if US does not support them, they won't have a seat in NATO. Thanks before you post.