Vietnam Conflict 1945 – 1975 French and American Intervention

Vietnam Conflict

1945 – 1975

French and American Intervention

French In Indo China

Prior to WW II French Colony Laos Vietnam and Cambodia

US and Vietminh fight together against Japan

Vietminh lead by HO CHI Minh

US Declaration of INDPENDENCE

French Go to WAR

US Supported a free independent Vietnam and HoCHI Minh

France did north want to give up its colonies

Declared war on Vietnam in November of 1946

Guerilla warfare against the French

1950 France asked for US Help

US Helped do to Cold War – Containment

By 1954 US sent 2.6 billion in military aid

US Support For France

French Defeat in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu

Surrounded and out gunned at the bottom of a valley

French troops mostly of the French Foreign Legion

56 day siege

Peace is made in 1954 divided Vietnam at the 17th II

Promise of free elections by 1956

US did not support peace plan or elections

Believed communist victory- if free election was allowed

Dien Bien Phu 1953-54

US involvement

Domino theory US supported NGO

DINH DIEM Catholic in a Buddhist

land – Anti communist 1957 refused to allow

elections to take place

US

1954-1961 US sends another billion dollars to Vietnam- to support Diem

1957 Civil War begins do to canceled elections

Creation of the NFL or Viet Cong

Green Berets

U.S Special Forces Speak multiple

languages and do multiple jobs.

342 were sent to NAM in 1954 to train the South Vietnamese

Advisory Groups

1957 The first Combat Berets were sent to Vietnam

Sept. 21 1961 5th Special Forces group is sent to Vietnam controlled all Special Forces Groups in Vietnam

Green Berets

The Mission – develop paramilitary forces among the minority groups – Montagnards in the Central highlands

Fighting an unconventional war

Evasion – escape –subversion

Going to the Villages and providing security

A- Teams 12 Berets Moving mass amounts

of people to relocation camps – in Highlands

Green Berets

The Montagnards – Indians

200,000 in South Vietnam

Hate the Vietnamese's People Live in the Mountains

Over 100 tribes in South East Asia

Typical Beret Camp

Entrance to Tu Doc camp

A Team Base In I Corps

The Battle Fields

14 DAYS IN OCTOBER 1962

By 1950 US BUSINESSS OWNED 90% OF THE CUBAN ECONOMY

1958 CASTRO OVERTHREW THE US SUPPORTED GOVT.

CASTRO WANTED US OUT

SOVIET SUPPORT LA BRIGADA

TRAINED BY CIA APRIL 17 1961 BAY

OF PIGS 1,500 COMMANDOS - FAILED

CUBA CRISIS

KHRUSHCHEV SENT NUKES TO CUBA

OCT 14 U2 FOUND THEM

OCT 22 BLOCKADE OCT 26 BRINK OF

WAR OCT 28 REMOVAL

MISSLE SITE FROM U-2

KHRUSCHEV FIDEL CASTROKENNEDY

MISSLES IN CUBA

Berets and advisors

By end of 1963 JFK sent 16,000 Green Berets and advisors to Vietnam

Small groups that conducted training – medical care – and guerilla warfare – throughout Vietnam

Civil war to US troops

HUE 1963 Buddhist Monks in protest of Diem – Burn themselves alive in the streets

World turns on Diem Military Coup leaves

Diem Dead – 3 weeks later Kennedy is killed

November 22nd 1963

Dallas Texas Kennedy assassination LBJ Sworn in on return

flight to Washington LBJ will increase

Vietnam Will not seek reelection

Route

Book Depository

After the first shot After the second shot

LBJ Sworn in on Air Force One

Gulf of Tonkin resolution

LBJ President1964 Needed a reason to

commit more troops NV attacked a US

Destroyer that was patrolling while SV were infiltrating

Congress gave LBJ a green light for troops

1965 Operation Rolling Thunder

US Base attacked by VC in SV –

LBJ orders the bombing of NV and Laos and Cambodia along the HO Chi MNIH Trail

Troops sent

Two months after Rolling Thunder Marines were sent to Da Nang

End of 65 180,000 troops

End of 66 360,000 troops

End of 67 500,000 troops

CONTAINMENT

VIETNAM CONTINUED

THE TET OFFENSIVE 1968 NIXON ELECTION 1968 PARIS PEACE TALKS 1970 TAKING TO WAR TO OTHER

COUNTRIES 1972 Christmas Bombing 1973 March US Pull out

TET OFFENSIVE

1967 STALEMATE GENERAL GIAP NVA DECIDES TO

ATTACK OVER THE LUNAR HOLIDAY TET IS A HOLIDAY OF PRAYER AND

ANCESTOR WORSHIP

TET

JANUARY 30 1968 APPROX. 100,000 COMMUNIST SOLDIERS –VC-NVA ATTACKED 100 CITIES AND U.S BASES IN SOUTH VIETNAM.

KHE SANH – CAM RANH BAY-DA NANG – HUE AND THE U.S EMBASSY IN SAIGON.

ALL AREAS ATTACKED WERE RECAPTURED .

THE PEOPLE DID NOT RISE UP.

TET

WAS A MILITARY FAILURE FOR THE VC AND NVA

33,000 VC KILLED ENDED THERE STRENGTH

TURNING POINT AMERICAN PUBLIC

OPINION TURNS

GEN. GIAP

KHE SANH STREET IN SAIGON

HUE CITYRACE TRACK IN SAIGON - BATTLE

1968 ELECTION AND PARIS WALLACE –NIXON-

HUMPHREYS NIXON VICTORY

PROMISE PEACE BEGAN TRAINING SV

TO TAKE U.S. PLACES ON THE BATTLEFIELD

MARCH 1969

NIXON DOCTRINE TROOP WITHDRAWL

NOV 1969 60,000 68 PARIS PEACE

TALKS FAIL SECRESCT WAR TO

BRING NV TO TABLES

NIXON - PEACE

BOMBING THE NORTH TO PEACE FAILED

CAMBODIA AND LAOS

1972 PEACE PLAN THIEU STAYS IN

POWER- VC GET A SAY IN PEACE

NV TROOPS REMAIN IN THE SOUTH

US LEAVES – POW’S ARE RETURNED

THIEU REFUSED TO SIGN

PEACE WITH HONOR

CHRISTMAS BOMBING 72 – 73

JANUERY 73 PEACE AGREEMENT SIGNED

MARCH 73 US TROOPS LEAVE

PEACE ENDS 75 SIAGON FALLS

Last day in Saigon Last day Saigon

U.S. Embassy U.S. Embassy

Evacuation of Saigon

Helicopter returning- Saigon

U.S Aircraft Carriers were used to evacuate as many as possible from Saigon as it fell in 1975

USS. MIDWAY

Fall of U.S. Embassy and Saigon

NVA troops in Saigon 1975