The common name "Vietnam War" or "Vietnam War" is the Second Indochina War, in which the main belligerents were the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the United States.
For reference: The First Indochina War was France’s war to preserve its colonies in Indochina in 1946-1954.

The Vietnam War began around 1961 and ended on April 30, 1975. In Vietnam itself, this war is called the Liberation War, and sometimes the American War. The Vietnam War is often seen as the peak of the Cold War between the Soviet bloc and China, on the one hand, and the United States and some of its allies, on the other. In America, the Vietnam War is considered the darkest spot in its history. In the history of Vietnam, this war is perhaps the most heroic and tragic page.
The Vietnam War was both a civil war between various political forces in Vietnam and an armed struggle against American occupation.

Beginning of the Vietnam War

After 1955, France withdraws from Vietnam as a colonial power. Half of the country north of the 17th parallel, or the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, is controlled by the Communist Party of Vietnam, the southern half, or the Republic of Vietnam, is controlled by the United States of America, which rules it through puppet South Vietnamese governments.

In 1956, in accordance with the Geneva Agreements on Vietnam, a referendum on the reunification of the country was to be held in the country, which subsequently provided for presidential elections throughout Vietnam. However, South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem refused to hold a referendum in the South. Then Ho Chi Minh creates the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (NSLF) in the South, which begins a guerrilla war with the goal of overthrowing Ngo Dinh Diem and holding general elections. The Americans called the NLF, as well as the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Viet Cong. The word "Vietcong" has Chinese roots (viet cong chan) and is translated as "Vietnamese communist". The United States provides assistance to South Vietnam and is increasingly drawn into the war. In the early 60s, they introduced their contingents into South Vietnam, increasing their numbers every year.

On August 2, 1964, a new stage of the Vietnam War began. On this day, the US Navy destroyer USS Maddox approached the coast of North Vietnam and was allegedly attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. It is still unclear whether there was an attack or not. The Americans provided no evidence of damage to the aircraft carrier from attacks by Vietnamese boats.
In response, US President L. Johnson ordered the American air force to strike North Vietnamese naval installations. Then other objects of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam were also bombed. Thus the war spread to North Vietnam. From this period, the USSR became involved in the war in the form of providing military-technical assistance to the DRV.

The US allies in the Vietnam War were the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN, that is, Army of the Republic of VietNam), contingents of Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. Some South Korean units (for example, the Blue Dragon brigade) turned out to be the most cruel towards the local population in the second half of the 60s.

On the other hand, only the North Vietnamese army of the VNA (Vietnamese People's Army) and the NLF fought. On the territory of North Vietnam there were military specialists from Ho Chi Minh's allies - the USSR and China, who did not directly participate in the battles, with the exception of the defense of DRV facilities from US military air raids at the initial stage of the war.

Chronicle

Local hostilities between the NLF and the US Army occurred every day. Major military operations, in which a large number of personnel, weapons and military equipment were involved, were as follows.

In October 1965, the US Army launched a major offensive in South Vietnam against the NLF units. 200 thousand American soldiers, 500 thousand soldiers of the South Vietnamese army, 28 thousand soldiers of the US allies were involved. Supported by 2,300 aircraft and helicopters, 1,400 tanks and 1,200 guns, the offensive developed from the coast to the border with Laos and Cambodia and from Saigon to the Cambodian border. The Americans failed to defeat the main forces of the NLF and retain the territories captured during the offensive.
The next major offensive began in the spring of 1966. 250 thousand American soldiers already took part in it. This offensive also did not bring significant results.
The autumn offensive of 1966 was even larger and was carried out north of Saigon. 410 thousand American, 500 thousand South Vietnamese and 54 thousand allied soldiers took part in it. They were supported by 430 aircraft and helicopters, 2,300 large-caliber guns and 3,300 tanks and armored personnel carriers. On the other side, there were 160 thousand fighters of the National Front of South Ossetia and 90 thousand soldiers of the VNA. No more than 70 thousand American soldiers and officers participated directly in the battles, since the rest served in logistics units. The American army and its allies pushed part of the NLF forces to the border with Cambodia, but most of the Viet Cong managed to avoid defeat.
Similar offensives in 1967 did not lead to decisive results.
1968 was a turning point in the Vietnam War. At the beginning of 1968, the NLF carried out a short-term Tet operation, capturing a number of important objects. Fighting even took place near the US Embassy in Saigon. During this operation, the NLF forces suffered heavy losses and, from 1969 to the end of 1971, switched to limited guerrilla warfare tactics. In April 1968, due to significant losses of American aviation over North Vietnam, US President L. Johnson ordered a cessation of bombing, except for a 200-mile zone in the south of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. President R. Nixon set a course for the “Vietnamization” of the war, that is, the gradual withdrawal of American units and a sharp increase in the combat capability of the South Vietnamese army.
On March 30, 1972, the VNA, with the support of the National Liberation Front, launched a large-scale offensive, occupying the capital of Quang Tri province, bordering North Vietnam. In response, the United States resumed massive bombing of North Vietnamese territory. In September 1972, South Vietnamese troops managed to recapture Quang Tri. The bombing of North Vietnam ceased at the end of October, but resumed in December and continued for twelve days almost until the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973.

Ending

On January 27, 1973, the Paris Agreements on a ceasefire in Vietnam were signed. In March 1973, the United States finally withdrew its troops from South Vietnam, with the exception of 20 thousand military advisers. America continued to provide enormous military, economic and political assistance to the South Vietnamese government.

Vietnamese and Russian Vietnam War veterans

In April 1975, as a result of the lightning-fast Operation Ho Chi Minh, North Vietnamese troops under the command of the legendary General Vo Nguyen Zap defeated the demoralized South Vietnamese army left without allies and captured all of South Vietnam.

In general, the world community's assessment of the actions of the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) and the US Army in South Vietnam was sharply negative (the ARVN was superior to the Americans in cruelty). Massive anti-war demonstrations were held in Western countries, including the United States. The American media in the 70s were no longer on the side of their government and often showed the senselessness of the war. Because of this, many conscripts sought to avoid service and deployment to Vietnam.

Public protests to a certain extent influenced the position of President Nixon, who decided to withdraw troops from Vietnam, but the main factor was the military-political futility of further continuing the war. Nixon and Secretary of State Kissinger came to the conclusion that it was impossible to win the Vietnam War, but at the same time they “turned the dial” on the Democratic Congress, which formally decided to withdraw troops.

Vietnam War figures

Total US combat losses - 47,378 people, non-combat - 10,799. Wounded - 153,303, missing - 2,300.
About 5 thousand US Air Force aircraft were shot down.

Losses of the army of the puppet Republic of Vietnam (US ally) - 254 thousand people.
Combat losses of the Vietnamese People's Army and partisans of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam - more than 1 million 100 thousand people.
Vietnamese civilian casualties - more than 3 million people.
14 million tons of explosives were detonated, which is several times more than during World War II in all theaters of combat.
US financial costs - 350 billion dollars (in current equivalent - more than 1 trillion dollars).
Military-economic assistance to the DRV from China ranged from $14 billion to $21 billion, from the USSR - from $8 billion to $15 billion. There was also assistance from Eastern European countries, which at that time were part of the Soviet bloc.

Political and economic reasons

On the US side, the main stakeholder in the war was US arms manufacturing corporations. Despite the fact that the Vietnam War is considered a local conflict, a lot of ammunition was used in it, for example, 14 million tons of explosives were detonated, which is several times more than during the Second World War in all theaters of combat. During the Vietnam War, the profits of US military corporations amounted to many billions of dollars. It may seem paradoxical, but US military corporations, in general, were not interested in a quick victory for the American army in Vietnam.
Indirect confirmation of the negative role of large US corporations in all politics are statements in 2007. one of the Republican presidential candidates, Ron Paul, who stated the following: “We are moving towards a softer fascism, not a Hitler type - expressed in the loss of civil liberties, when corporations run everything and ... the government lies in the same bed with big business.” .
Ordinary Americans initially believed in the justice of America's participation in the war, considering it a fight for democracy. As a result, several million Vietnamese and 57 thousand Americans died, and millions of hectares of land were scorched by American napalm.
The political necessity of US participation in the Vietnam War was explained by the American administration to the public of its country by the fact that a “falling domino effect” would supposedly occur and after Ho Chi Minh’s conquest of South Vietnam, all the countries of Southeast Asia would come under communist control one after another. Most likely, the United States was planning a “reverse domino.” Thus, they built a nuclear reactor in Dalat for the Ngo Dinh Diem regime to carry out research work, built capital military airfields, and introduced their people into various political movements in countries neighboring Vietnam.
The USSR provided assistance to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam with weapons, fuel, and military advisers, especially in the field of air defense due to the fact that the confrontation with America was carried out completely, on all continents. China also provided assistance to the DRV, fearing the strengthening of the United States at its southern borders. Despite the fact that the USSR and China were almost enemies at that time, Ho Chi Minh managed to receive help from both of them, showing his political skill. Ho Chi Minh and his entourage independently developed a strategy for waging war. Soviet specialists provided assistance only at the technical and educational levels.
There was no clear front in the Vietnam War: the South Vietnamese and the United States did not dare to attack North Vietnam, since this would cause the dispatch of Chinese military contingents to Vietnam, and the USSR would take other military measures against the United States. The DRV front was not needed, because the NLF, controlled by the North, actually surrounded the cities of South Vietnam and at one favorable moment could take possession of them. Despite the partisan nature of the war, all types of weapons were used in it, except nuclear ones. The fighting took place on land, in the air and at sea. Military reconnaissance of both sides worked intensively, sabotage attacks were carried out, and troops landed. The ships of the US 7th Fleet controlled the entire coast of Vietnam and mined the fairways. A clear front also existed, but not for long - in 1975, when the DRV army launched an offensive in the South.

Direct combat between the US and USSR militaries in Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, there were isolated episodes of direct conflict between the USA and the USSR, as well as the death of civilians from the USSR. Here are some of them, published in the Russian media at different times, based on interviews with direct participants in the hostilities.

The first battles in the skies of North Vietnam using surface-to-air missiles against US aircraft that bombed without declaring war were carried out by Soviet military specialists.

In 1966, the Pentagon, with the approval of the US President and Congress, authorized the commanders of carrier strike groups (AUG) to destroy Soviet submarines detected within a radius of one hundred miles in peacetime. In 1968, the Soviet nuclear submarine K-10 in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam for 13 hours, unnoticed at a depth of 50 meters, followed under the bottom of the aircraft carrier Enterprise and practiced simulated attacks on it with torpedoes and cruise missiles, at risk of destruction. Enterprise was the largest aircraft carrier in the US Navy and carried the most aircraft to bomb North Vietnam. Correspondent N. Cherkashin wrote in detail about this episode of the war in April 2007.

During the war, radio intelligence ships of the USSR Pacific Fleet actively operated in the South China Sea. There were two incidents with them. In 1969, in the area south of Saigon, the Hydrophone ship was fired upon by South Vietnamese (US ally) patrol boats. A fire broke out and some of the equipment failed.
In another episode, the Peleng ship was attacked by American bombers. Bombs were dropped along the bow and stern of the ship. There were no casualties or destruction.

On June 2, 1967, American planes fired at the motor ship "Turkestan" of the Far Eastern Shipping Company in the port of Kamfa, which was transporting various cargoes to North Vietnam. 7 people were injured, two of them died.
As a result of the competent actions of Soviet representatives of the merchant fleet in Vietnam and employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Americans were proven to be guilty of the deaths of civilians. The US government has provided the families of the dead sailors with lifelong benefits.
There were cases of damage to other merchant ships.

Consequences

The greatest losses in this war were suffered by the civilian population of Vietnam, both its southern and northern parts. South Vietnam was flooded with American defoliants; in northern Vietnam, as a result of many years of bombing by American aircraft, many residents were killed and infrastructure was destroyed.

After the US withdrawal from Vietnam, many American veterans subsequently suffered from mental disorders and various types of illnesses caused by the use of dioxin contained in Agent Orange. The American media wrote about the increased suicide rate among Vietnam War veterans compared to the US average. But official data on this matter have not been published.
Representatives of the American political elite fought in Vietnam: former Secretary of State John Kerry, many senators at different times, including John McCain, presidential candidate Al Gore. At the same time, shortly after returning from Vietnam to the United States, Kerry participated in the anti-war movement.
One of the former presidents, George W. Bush, avoided Vietnam because he served in the National Guard at the time. His campaign opponents portrayed it as a way of shirking his duty. However, this biographical fact rather indirectly served him well. Some American political scientists have concluded that any participant in the Vietnam War, regardless of his qualities, has no chance of becoming president - the negative image of this war has become so entrenched in the voter.

Since the end of the war, quite a lot of films, books and other works of art have been created based on it, most of them in America.

This topic is quite broad and philosophical. Many works have been written and many opinions expressed on this matter. It will take a lot of time to retell and list the essence of each of them, therefore this article objectively describes the reasons for the war in Vietnam briefly.

Now no one doubts that America started this war. Its imperialist ambitions with the desire to subjugate the whole world became the cause of tragedies and outbreaks of wars in many countries, not only in Vietnam. But it was in the latter that a total of 14 million tons of explosives were detonated, which is more than in two world wars combined!

Today we can safely say that there were two main reasons for the war in Vietnam, launched by the United States:

1. preventing the spread of the “communist plague” across the geographical map (under the guise of North Vietnam, which was supported by the USSR);
2. the desire to enrich large American corporations, the elite of “black” businesses specializing in the sale of weapons.

To ordinary mortal Americans, the reason for the war between the United States and Vietnam was presented in a very adjusted form: according to the official version, it was the need to establish world democracy.

In fact, everything was much more prosaic: politicians wanted to subjugate communist Vietnam and thereby show the unviability of communist states, and the business elite wanted to increase their already considerable fortunes several times.

It's no secret that in the United States these economic and political elites interact closely, with the former having a greater influence on the latter. By uniting, they only won, and the outbreak of the war in Vietnam did not take long to arrive.

The United States represented a puppet government in South Vietnam led by Ngo Dinh Diem, through which they tried to dictate their terms. But this didn’t work out for a long time either. Large-scale open war began in 1964. North Vietnam fought as best it could, and in the territory controlled by the Americans there were partisan detachments that caused a lot of trouble for the Yankees. But despite all the efforts of the Vietnamese, the war did not end as quickly as they wanted - only in 1975. And yet... This war was marked by the victory of Vietnam, which dealt an irreparable blow to the authority of the United States in the world.

But Vietnam suffered no less from it... The figures on actual destruction, losses, and murders were simply stunning. But having gone through all the trials, Vietnam managed to defend its right to self-determination, to independently resolve internal issues, to choose its own government system, and, ultimately, to sovereignty.

What did America get in the end? Tens of thousands killed, hundreds wounded, a shame for the whole world, but all this did not concern those who sat “at the top.” “There” everything was justified, since war is always a way to make money, and someone took advantage of it very well.

Ordinary American soldiers were simply hostages of the situation - cut off thousands of kilometers from home, tired and demoralized - they had only one dream: to return home as soon as possible.

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What is the cause of the US war in Vietnam, results and consequences

The topic of the Vietnam War cannot be covered in one article. Therefore, a number of articles will be written about this period in. This material will examine the background of the conflict, the causes of the Vietnam War and its results. The US War in Vietnam was the Second Indochina War. The First Indochina War was a liberation war for Vietnam and was fought against France. It ran from 1946 to 1954. By the way, the United States also took part in that war, which is remembered much less often. In the United States, the Vietnam War is treated as a “dark spot” in its history, but for the Vietnamese it became a tragic and heroic stage on the path to their sovereignty. For Vietnam, this war was both a struggle against external occupation and civil confrontation between various political forces.

Vietnam was colonized by France in the second half of 19th. A few decades later, Vietnamese national consciousness led to the creation of the Independence League in 1941. The organization was called Viet Minh and united under its wing all those who were dissatisfied with the rule of the French in Vietnam.

The Viet Minh organization was created in China and its main figures were of communist views. They were led by Ho Chi Minh. During World War II, Ho Chi Minh collaborated with the Americans in the fight against Japan. When Japan surrendered, Ho Chi Minh's supporters took control of northern Vietnam with its capital Hanoi. They proclaimed the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

France sent an expeditionary force into the country in December 1946. Thus began the First Indochina War. But the French were unable to cope with the partisans and, starting in 1950, the United States began to help them. The main reason for their involvement in this war was the strategic importance of Vietnam. This was the region that covered the Philippines and Japan from the southwest. And since the French had by that time become allies of the United States, they decided that it was better for them to control the territory of Vietnam.

Gradually, by 1954, the United States was already bearing almost all the costs of this war. Soon the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu and the United States, along with its allies, were on the verge of defeat. Richard Nixon, then vice president of the United States, even spoke out in favor of nuclear bombing. But this was avoided and in July 1954 an agreement was concluded in Geneva on the temporary division of the territory of Vietnam along the 17th parallel. A demilitarized zone ran through it. This is how Northern and appeared on the map. The North controlled the Viet Minh, and the South was granted independence by the French.

Thus ended the First Indochina War, but it was only a prelude to even greater carnage. After communist power was established in China, the US leadership decided to completely replace the French presence with its own. To do this, they placed their puppet Ngo Dinh Diem in the southern part. With the support of the United States, he proclaimed himself President of the Republic of Vietnam.

Ngo Dinh Diem turned out to be one of the worst rulers in the history of Vietnam. He appointed relatives to leadership positions in the country. Corruption and tyranny reigned in South Vietnam.

By 1960, all guerrillas and underground organizations in the southern part of the country organized the National Liberation Front. In Western countries it was dubbed the Viet Cong. In 1961, the first regular US Army units arrived in Vietnam. These were helicopter companies. The reason for this was the complete incapacity of the leadership of South Vietnam in the fight against partisans. In addition, the reason for these actions was also cited as a response to North Vietnamese assistance to the guerrillas. Meanwhile, the North Vietnamese authorities gradually began to lay out the so-called supply route for the partisans in South Vietnam. Despite significantly worse equipment than US soldiers, the partisans successfully used various weapons and carried out sabotage activities.

Another reason was that the US leadership by sending troops demonstrated its determination to the Soviet Union to destroy communism in Indochina. The American authorities could not lose South Vietnam, since this would lead to the loss of Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. And this put Australia at risk. In November 1963, the security services organized a coup, as a result of which Diem and his brother (the head of the secret police) were killed. The reason here is clear - they have completely discredited themselves in the fight against the underground.

Subsequently, a series of coups followed, during which the partisans managed to further expand the territory under their control. American President Lyndon Johnson, who came to power after Kennedy's assassination, continued to send troops to Vietnam. By 1964, their number there was increased to 23 thousand.

In early August 1964, as a result of provocative actions by the destroyers Turner Joy and Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin, they were fired upon by the North Vietnamese military. A few days later, there was a report that the Maddox had been fired upon again, which was later denied by the ship's crew. But intelligence reported the interception of a message where the Vietnamese allegedly admitted that they had attacked the ship.

The secrets of the Vietnam War were hidden by the American leadership for a long time. As it turned out today, NSA officers made a mistake when decrypting the message. But the NSA leadership, knowing about the mistake, presented the data in a light favorable to themselves. And this became the cause of the war.

As a result, the military invasion was approved by the US Congress. They adopted the Tonkin Resolution and began with the US or Second Indochina.

Causes of the Vietnam War

It can be said unequivocally that the war was started by American politicians. At one time, the inhabitants of the USSR cited the imperialist habits of the United States and the desire to subjugate the planet as the cause of the war. In general, given the worldview of the Anglo-Saxon elite of this country, this version is not far from the truth. But there were also more prosaic reasons.

The United States was very afraid of the spread of the communist threat and the complete loss of Vietnam. American strategists wanted to completely surround the communist bloc of countries with a ring of their allies. Such actions have been taken in Western Europe, Pakistan, Japan, South Korea and several other countries. Nothing worked with Vietnam and this became the reason for a military solution to the problem.

The second significant reason was the desire to enrich corporations that sell weapons and ammunition. As you know, in the United States the economic and political elites are very connected. And the corporate lobby has a very strong influence on political decisions.

How did they describe the cause of the war to ordinary Americans? The need to support democracy, of course. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? In fact, to US politicians, communist Vietnam was like a “thorn in one place.” And the owners of military enterprises wanted to increase their fortunes from deaths. The latter, by the way, did not need victory. They needed a massacre that would last as long as possible.

The Vietnam War, which lasted nearly 18 years, was fought primarily between North Vietnamese forces and the South Vietnamese army, supported by American forces. In fact, this confrontation was part of the Cold War between the United States on the one hand and the Soviet Union and China, which supported the communist government of North Vietnam, on the other.

After the surrender of Japan, which occupied Vietnam during World War II, the confrontation practically did not stop. Ho Chi Minh, a prominent figure in the Comintern, led the movement for a unified communist Vietnam in 1941, becoming the leader of the military-political organization Viet Minh, which aimed to fight for the country's independence from foreign domination. He was essentially a dictator until the late 1950s, and remained a figurehead until his death in 1969. Ho Chi Minh became a popular "icon" of the new left around the world, despite the totalitarian dictatorship and the extermination of tens of thousands of people.

Prerequisites

During World War II, the Japanese occupied Vietnam, which was part of a French colony called Indochina. After the defeat of Japan, a certain power vacuum arose, which the communists took advantage of to declare the independence of Vietnam in 1945. Not a single nation recognized the new regime, and France soon sent troops into the country, which caused the outbreak of war.

Beginning in 1952, US President Truman actively promoted the domino theory, which argued that communism was ideologically inevitable towards world domination, so a communist regime would cause a chain reaction in neighboring states, ultimately threatening the United States. The metaphor of falling dominoes linked complex processes in remote regions to US national security. All five American governments that participated in the Vietnam War, despite some nuances, followed the domino theory and a policy of containment.

Truman declared Indochina a key region. If the region falls under communist control, then all of Southeast Asia and the Middle East will follow. This will jeopardize the security of the interests of Western Europe and the United States in the Far East. Therefore, a Viet Minh victory in Indochina must be prevented in any case. The prospects for success and subsequent costs of participating in the US were not in doubt.

The United States supported the French and by 1953, 80% of the material resources used by the pro-French puppet regime to conduct military operations were supplied by the Americans. However, from the beginning of the 50s, the northerners also began to receive help from the PRC.

Despite their technical superiority, the French were defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in the spring of 1954, which marked the final stage of the confrontation. According to rough estimates, about half a million Vietnamese died during this conflict, called the Indochina War of 1946-1954.

The result of peace negotiations in Geneva in the summer of that year was the creation of four independent countries on the territory of the former French colony - Cambodia, Laos, North Vietnam and South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party ruled North Vietnam, while South Vietnam was ruled by a pro-Western government led by Emperor Bao Dai. Neither side recognized the legitimacy of the other - the division was regarded as temporary.

In 1955, Ngo Dinh Diem became the leader of South Vietnam, supported by the Americans. Based on the results of the referendum, it was announced that the inhabitants of the country abandoned the monarchy in favor of a republic. Emperor Bao Dai was deposed and Ngo Dinh Diem became President of the Republic of Vietnam.

Ngo Dinh Diem became the first leader of Vietnam

British diplomacy proposed a North-South plebiscite to determine the future of a united Vietnam. However, South Vietnam opposed such a proposal, arguing that free elections were impossible in the communist North.

There is an opinion that the United States was allegedly ready to accept free elections and a reunified Vietnam, even under communist rule, as long as its foreign policy was hostile to China.

Terror in North and South Vietnam

In 1953, the North Vietnamese communists launched a ruthless land reform, during which landowners, dissidents and French collaborators were massacred. Information about those killed as a result of the repressions varies significantly - from 50 thousand to 100 thousand people, some sources put the figure at 200 thousand, arguing that the real numbers are even higher, since family members of victims of terror died of hunger in the policy of isolation. As a result of the reform, landowners were eliminated as a class, and their lands were distributed among the peasants.

By the end of the 50s, it became clear that peaceful attempts to unite the North and South had reached a dead end. The Northern government supported the uprising that broke out in 1959, organized by South Vietnamese communists. However, some American sources claim that in fact the organizers of the rebellion were deported northerners who entered South Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and not the local population.

By 1960, disparate groups fighting against the regime of Ngo Dinh Diem united into a single organization, which in the West received the name Viet Cong (short for “Vietnamese communist”).

The main direction of the new organization was terror against officials and civilians who expressed open support for the pro-American regime. The South Vietnamese partisans, who received full support from the northern communists, acted more and more confidently and successfully every day. In response to this, in 1961, the United States introduced its first regular military units into South Vietnam. In addition, American military advisers and instructors provided assistance to Zien's army, helping in planning combat operations and training personnel.

Escalation of the conflict

In November 1963, the Kennedy administration decided to overthrow by a coalition of generals the weak South Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem, who was not popular among the people and failed to organize a proper rebuff to the communists. President Nixon later described the decision as a catastrophic betrayal of an ally that contributed to the eventual collapse of South Vietnam.

There was no proper consensus among the group of generals that came to power, which led to a series of coups in the following months. The country was in a fever of political instability, which the Viet Cong immediately took advantage of, gradually expanding their control over new areas of South Vietnam. For several years, Northern Vietnam transferred military units to American-controlled territories, and by the beginning of open confrontation with the United States in 1964, the number of North Vietnamese troops in the South was about 24 thousand people. The number of American soldiers by that time was just over 23 thousand people.

In August 1964, off the coast of North Vietnam, a collision occurred between the American destroyer Maddox and border torpedo boats. A couple of days later there was another clash. The Tonkin incidents (named after the gulf where the conflict took place) became the reason for the United States to launch a military campaign against North Vietnam. The American Congress adopted a resolution authorizing President Johnson, who replaced John F. Kennedy, who was shot several months ago, in this post, to use force.

Bombardment

The National Security Council recommended a three-phase escalating bombing campaign against North Vietnam. The bombings lasted a total of three years and were intended to force the North to stop supporting the Viet Cong, threatening to destroy the country's air defenses and infrastructure, and also provide moral support to South Vietnam.

However, the Americans did not limit themselves to bombing North Vietnam. To destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which passed through the territory of Laos and Cambodia, through which military aid for the Viet Cong was supplied to South Vietnam, bombing of these states was organized.

Despite the fact that during the entire period of air strikes more than 1 million tons of bombs were dropped on the territory of North Vietnam, and more than 2 million tons on Laos, the Americans failed to achieve their goals. On the contrary, such US tactics helped to unite the inhabitants of the North, who, over many years of bombing, had to switch to an almost underground way of life.

Chemical attacks

Since the 1950s, US military laboratories have experimented with herbicides that were developed as chemical weapons during World War II and then used to test their effects on nature for military purposes. Since 1959, these products have been tested in South Vietnam. The tests were successful, and US President Kennedy made the substances a central component of an innovative counterinsurgency strategy in 1961, personally ordering their use in Vietnam. At the same time, the US government took advantage of a flaw in the Geneva Convention of 1925, which prohibited the use of chemicals against people, but not against plants.

In July 1961, the first shipments of chemicals arrived under code names in South Vietnam. In January 1962, Operation Farm Lady began: the US Air Force systematically sprayed herbicides in Vietnam and the border areas of Laos and Cambodia. In this way they cultivated the jungle and destroyed crops in order to deprive the enemy of protection, ambush, food and population support. Under Johnson, the campaign became the largest chemical warfare program in history. Before 1971, the US sprayed about 20 million gallons (80 million liters) of herbicides contaminated with dioxins.

Ground War

Since the bombing did not bring the expected effect, a decision was made to deploy ground combat operations. The US generals chose the tactic of wear and tear - the physical destruction of as many enemy troops as possible with the least possible losses. It was assumed that the Americans should protect their own military bases, control border areas, catching and destroying enemy soldiers.

The goal of the regular American units was not to conquer territory, but to inflict maximum damage on the enemy to prevent possible attacks. In practice, it looked like this: a small airmobile group was sent to the area of ​​operation by helicopter. After detecting the enemy, this kind of “bait” immediately recorded its location and called for air support, which carried out a dense bombardment of the specified area.

These tactics led to numerous deaths of civilians in the cleared areas and a mass exodus of survivors, greatly complicating subsequent “pacification.”

It was not possible to objectively assess the effectiveness of the chosen strategy, since the Vietnamese, whenever possible, took the bodies of their dead, and the Americans were very reluctant to go into the jungle to count the enemy’s corpses. Killing civilians to increase reporting data has become common practice among American soldiers.

The main difference between the Vietnam War can be considered the small number of large-scale battles. Having suffered several major defeats from technically better-equipped opponents, the Viet Cong chose guerrilla warfare tactics, moving at night or during the rainy season, when US aircraft could not inflict serious damage on them. Using the vast network of tunnels as weapons depots and escape routes, engaging only in close combat, the Vietnamese guerrillas forced the Americans to increasingly spread out their forces in an attempt to control the situation. By 1968, the number of American soldiers in Vietnam exceeded 500 thousand people.

US soldiers, unfamiliar with the country's language and culture, could hardly distinguish peasants from partisans. By destroying both for reinsurance, they created a negative image of the aggressor among the civilian population, thereby playing into the hands of the partisans. Although the US Army and South Vietnamese government forces had a 5-fold numerical advantage, their opponents managed to maintain a constant flow of weapons and well-trained fighters who were also much more motivated.

Government forces were rarely able to maintain long-term control over cleared areas, while the Americans were forced to use large numbers of their troops to guard their own military bases and weapons stored there, as they were constantly under attack. In essence, the partisans managed to impose their tactics on the enemy: they were the ones who decided where and when the battle would take place, and how long it would last.

Tet Offensive

The massive Viet Cong offensive on January 30, 1968 came as a surprise to the Americans and government forces. This date coincided with the celebration of the traditional Vietnamese New Year, during which both sides had previously declared an unspoken truce.

The attack was carried out in hundreds of places simultaneously, and more than 80 thousand Viet Cong took part in the operation. Thanks to the effect of surprise, the attackers managed to capture some objects, but the Americans and their allies quickly recovered from the shock and pushed the North Vietnamese troops back.

During this offensive, the Viet Cong suffered huge losses (according to some sources, up to half of their personnel), from which they could not recover for several years. However, from a propaganda and political point of view, success was on the side of the attackers. The widely publicized operation showed that, despite the presence of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers, the strength and morale of the Viet Cong had not diminished at all over the long period of hostilities, contrary to the claims of the US Army leadership. The public response to this operation sharply strengthened the position of anti-war forces in the United States itself.

In April 1968, the North Vietnamese leadership decided to begin negotiations with the United States. However, Ho Chi Minh demanded the continuation of the war until final victory. He died in September 1969, and Vice President Ton Duc Thang became head of state.

"De-Americanization"

The US General Staff wanted to use the defeat of the Viet Cong to expand and consolidate the success. The generals demanded a new call for reservists and intensified bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in order to further weaken the bloodless enemy. At the same time, the staff officers, taught by bitter experience, refused to outline a time frame and give any guarantees of success.

As a result, Congress demanded a re-evaluation of all US military actions in Vietnam. The Tet Offensive destroyed the hope of the citizens of the United States for a speedy end to the war and undermined the authority of President Johnson. Added to this was the enormous burden on the US state budget and economy caused by the war - for the period 1953-1975. $168 billion was spent on the Vietnam campaign.

Due to the combination of all factors, Nixon, who became US President in 1968, was forced to announce a course towards the “de-Americanization” of Vietnam. Since June 1969, a gradual withdrawal of American troops from South Vietnam began - approximately 50 thousand people every six months. By the beginning of 1973, their number was less than 30 thousand people.

The final stage of the war

In March 1972, the Viet Cong attacked South Vietnam from three directions simultaneously and captured five provinces within a few days. For the first time, the offensive was supported by tanks sent as military aid by the Soviet Union. South Vietnamese government forces had to focus on defending major cities, allowing the Viet Cong to capture many military bases in the Mekong Delta.

President Nixon with soldiers

However, for Nixon, military defeat and the loss of South Vietnam were unacceptable. The United States resumed bombing of North Vietnam, which allowed the South Vietnamese to withstand the enemy onslaught. Both sides, exhausted by the continuous confrontation, increasingly began to think about a truce.

Throughout 1972, negotiations continued with varying success. North Vietnam's main goal was to enable the United States to exit the conflict without losing face. At the same time, the South Vietnamese government, on the contrary, tried with all its might to avoid this option, realizing that it was not able to independently resist the Viet Cong.

At the end of January 1973, the Paris Peace Agreement was signed, according to which American troops left the country. Fulfilling the terms of the agreement, by the end of March of the same year, the United States completed the withdrawal of its troops from the territory of South Vietnam.

Americans leave Vietnam

Deprived of American support, the South Vietnamese army was demoralized. More and more of the country's territory de facto fell under the rule of the northerners. Convinced that the United States did not intend to resume its participation in the war, in early March 1975, North Vietnamese troops launched a large-scale offensive. As a result of a two-month campaign, the North occupied most of South Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, the communists raised the banner over the Independence Palace in Saigon - the war ended with the complete victory of North Vietnam.

Participation of other countries

In addition to the Americans, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand provided military assistance to the government forces of South Vietnam. The Philippines, Taiwan, Japan and Belgium did not formally participate in the war, but provided the United States with various assistance to its allies - sending military advisers, delivering various cargo, allowing refueling of military aircraft on their territory, etc.

North Vietnam received significant military and economic support from the USSR, China and the DPRK. Soviet anti-aircraft gunners took direct part in the hostilities, and Chinese technical specialists ensured the construction of military facilities. The DPRK sent a squadron of fighters and air defense units to North Vietnam.

With the end of the Second World War, when it seemed to everyone that the long-awaited and long-lasting peace should now come, another serious force appeared on the political arena - the people's liberation movement. If in Europe the end of hostilities grew into a political confrontation between two systems, then in the rest of the world the end of the world war became a signal for the intensification of the anti-colonial movement. In Asia, the struggle of the colonies for self-determination took on an acute form, giving impetus to a new round of confrontation between the West and the East. A civil war was raging in China, and conflict was flaring up on the Korean Peninsula. Acute military-political confrontation also affected French Indochina, where Vietnam sought to gain independence after the war.

Subsequent events first took the form of a guerrilla struggle between pro-communist forces and French colonial troops. The conflict then escalated into a full-scale war that engulfed all of Indochina, taking the form of direct armed intervention with the participation of the United States. Over time, the Vietnam War became one of the bloodiest and longest military conflicts of the Cold War period, lasting 20 long years. The war engulfed all of Indochina, bringing destruction, death and suffering to its people. The consequences of American participation in the war were fully felt not only by Vietnam, but by the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia. Prolonged military operations and the results of the armed confrontation determined the future fate of the huge and densely populated region. Having first defeated the French and broken the chains of colonial oppression, the Vietnamese had to fight one of the most powerful armies in the world over the next 8 years.

The entire military conflict can be divided into three stages, each of which differs in the scale and intensity of military operations and forms of armed struggle:

• the period of guerrilla warfare in South Vietnam (1957-1965);
• direct intervention of the US Army against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1965-1973);
• Vietnamization of the conflict, withdrawal of American troops from South Vietnam (1973-1975).

It is worth noting that each of the stages, under certain circumstances, could be the last, but external and third-party factors constantly appeared that contributed to the growth of the conflict. Even before the immediate entry of the US Army into hostilities as one of the parties to the conflict, an attempt was made to unravel the military-political knot peacefully. However, the attempts were unsuccessful. This was reflected in the principled positions of the parties to the conflict, who did not want to make any concessions.

The failure of the negotiation process resulted in protracted military aggression by the leading world power against a small country. For eight whole years, the American army tried to destroy the first socialist state in Indochina, throwing armadas of planes and ships against the army of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. This is the first time since World War II that the United States has assembled such a huge military force in one place. The number of American troops in 1968, at the height of the fighting, reached 540 thousand people. Such a huge military contingent was unable not only to inflict a final defeat on the semi-partisan army of the communist government of the North, but was also forced to leave the territory of the long-suffering war. More than 2.5 million American soldiers and officers passed through the crucible of the war in Indochina. Costs of a war waged by the Americans 10 thousand km away. from the territory of the United States itself amounted to a colossal figure - $352 billion.

Having failed to achieve the necessary results, the Americans lost the geopolitical duel with the countries of the socialist camp, which is why the United States does not like to talk about the war in Vietnam, even today, when 42 years have passed since the end of the war.

Background to the Vietnam War

Back in the summer of 1940, when, after the defeat of the French army in Europe, the Japanese hastened to seize French Indochina, the first resistance units began to appear on Vietnamese territory. The leader of the Vietnamese communists, Ho Chi Minh, led the fight against the Japanese invaders, proclaiming a course for the complete liberation of the countries of Indochina from Japanese domination. The American government, despite the difference in ideology, then declared full support for the Viet Minh movement. Communist partisan detachments, which were called nationalists overseas, began to receive military and financial assistance from the States. The main goal of the Americans at that time was to use every opportunity to destabilize the situation in the territories occupied by Japan.

The complete history of the Vietnam War calls this period the moment of formation of the communist regime in Vietnam. Immediately after the end of World War II, the pro-communist Viet Minh movement became the main military-political force in Vietnam, bringing a lot of trouble to its former patrons. First, the French, and later the Americans, former allies, were forced to fight this national liberation movement in the region by all means. The consequences of the struggle radically changed not only the balance of power in Southeast Asia, but also radically affected other participants in the confrontation.

The main events began to develop rapidly after the surrender of Japan. Armed troops of Vietnamese communists captured Hanoi and the northern regions of the country, after which the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed in the liberated territory. The French, who were trying with all their might to keep their former colonies in their imperial orbit, could in no way agree with this development of events. The French introduced an expeditionary force into North Vietnam, again returning the entire territory of the country under their control. From that moment on, all the military-political institutions of the DRV went illegal, and a guerrilla war broke out in the country with the French colonial army. Initially, the partisan units were armed with guns and machine guns, which they received as trophies from the Japanese occupation army. Subsequently, more modern weapons began to enter the country through China.

It is important to note that France, despite its imperial ambitions, could not at that time independently maintain control over its vast overseas possessions. The actions of the occupying forces were of a limited local nature. Without American help, France could no longer keep the huge region in its sphere of influence. For the United States, participation in the military conflict on the side of France meant maintaining this region under the control of Western democracies.

The consequences of the guerrilla war in Vietnam were very important for Americans. If the French colonial army had gained the upper hand, the situation in Southeast Asia would have become controllable for the United States and its allies. Having lost the confrontation with pro-communist forces in Vietnam, the United States could lose its dominant role throughout the Pacific region. In the context of a global confrontation with the USSR and in the face of the growing strength of communist China, the Americans could not allow the emergence of a socialist state in Indochina.

Unwittingly, America, because of its geopolitical ambitions, was drawn into another, the second after the Korean War, major armed conflict. After the defeat of the French troops and unsuccessful peace negotiations in Geneva, the United States assumed the main burden of military operations in this region. Already at that time, the United States paid more than 80% of military expenses from its own treasury. By preventing the unification of the country on the basis of the Geneva agreements, in opposition to the Ho Chi Minh regime in the north, the United States contributed to the proclamation of a puppet regime, the Republic of Vietnam, in the south of the country under its control. From this moment on, further escalation of the conflict in a purely military manner became inevitable. The 17th parallel became the border between the two Vietnamese states. In the North, communists were in power. In the South, in areas controlled by the French administration and the American army, a military dictatorship of a puppet regime was established.

The Vietnam War - The American View of Things

The struggle between North and South for the unification of the country became extremely fierce. This was facilitated by military-technical support from overseas for the South Vietnamese regime. The number of military advisers in the country in 1964 was already more than 23 thousand people. Together with advisers, major types of weapons were constantly supplied to Saigon. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam was technically and politically supported by the Soviet Union and communist China. The civil armed confrontation smoothly flowed into a global confrontation between superpowers supported by their allies. The chronicles of those years are full of headlines about how the Viet Cong guerrillas confronted the heavily armed army of South Vietnam.

Despite the serious military support of the South Vietnamese regime, the Viet Cong guerrilla units and the DRV army managed to achieve significant successes. By 1964, almost 70% of South Vietnam was controlled by communist forces. To avoid the collapse of its ally, the US decided at the highest level to launch a full-scale intervention in the country.

The Americans used a very dubious excuse to launch the operation. For this purpose, an attack by torpedo boats of the DRV Navy on the US Navy destroyer Medox was invented. The collision of ships of the opposing sides, later called the “Tonkin Incident,” occurred on August 2, 1964. After this, the US Air Force launched the first missile and bomb attacks on coastal and civilian targets in North Vietnam. From that moment on, the Vietnam War became a full-fledged international conflict, in which the armed forces of various states participated, and active combat operations were carried out on land, in the air and at sea. In terms of the intensity of the fighting, the size of the territories used and the number of military contingents, this war became the most massive and bloody in modern history.

The Americans decided to use air raids to force the North Vietnamese government to stop supplying weapons and assistance to the rebels in the South. The army, meanwhile, would have to cut off the rebel supply lines in the area of ​​the 17th parallel, block and then destroy the units of the South Vietnamese Liberation Army.

To bomb military targets on the territory of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Americans used mainly tactical and naval aviation based at the airfields of South Vietnam and the aircraft carriers of the 7th Fleet. Later, B-52 strategic bombers were sent to help front-line aviation, which began carpet bombing the territory of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the areas bordering the demarcation line.

In the spring of 1965, the participation of American troops on land began. At first, the Marines tried to take control of the border between the Vietnamese states, then the US Army Marines began to take regular part in identifying and destroying bases and supply lines of partisan forces.

The number of American troops was constantly increasing. Already in the winter of 1968, there was almost half a million American army on the territory of South Vietnam, not counting naval units. Almost 1/3 of the entire American army took part in the hostilities. Almost half of all US Air Force tactical aircraft took part in the raids. Not only the Marine Corps was actively used, but also Army Aviation, which took on the main function of fire support. A third of all attack aircraft carriers of the US Navy took part in organizing and ensuring regular raids on Vietnamese cities and villages.

Since 1966, the Americans have headed towards the globalization of the conflict. From that moment on, support for the US Armed Forces in the fight against the Viet Cong and the DRV army was provided by Australia and South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines, members of the SEATO military-political bloc.

Results of the military conflict

The communists of North Vietnam were supported by the USSR and the People's Republic of China. Thanks to the supply of anti-aircraft missile systems from the Soviet Union, it was possible to significantly limit the freedom of activity of American aviation. Military advisers from the Soviet Union and China actively contributed to raising the military power of the DRV army, which ultimately managed to turn the tide of hostilities in its favor. In total, North Vietnam received gratuitous loans from the USSR in the amount of 340 million rubles during the war years. This not only helped keep the communist regime afloat, but also became the basis for the DRV units and Viet Cong units to go on the offensive.

Seeing the futility of military participation in the conflict, the Americans began to look for ways to break the deadlock. During the negotiations held in Paris, agreements were reached to stop the bombing of the cities of North Vietnam in exchange for the cessation of the actions of the armed forces of the liberation army of South Vietnam.

The coming to power of President Nixon's administration in the United States gave hope for a subsequent peaceful resolution of the conflict. The course was chosen for the subsequent Vietnamization of the conflict. From that moment on, the Vietnam War was to become a civilian armed conflict again. At the same time, the American armed forces continued to provide active support to the army of South Vietnam, and aviation only increased the intensity of bombing the territory of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. At the final stage of the war, the Americans began to use chemical munitions to fight partisans. The consequences of the carpet bombing of the jungle with chemical bombs and napalm are still observed today. The number of American troops was reduced by almost half, and all weapons were transferred to the South Vietnamese armed forces.

Despite this, under pressure from the American public, American participation in the war continued to be curtailed. In 1973, a peace agreement was signed in Paris, ending the direct involvement of the US Army in this conflict. For the Americans, this war became the bloodiest in history. Over the 8 years of participation in hostilities, the US Army lost 58 thousand people. More than 300 thousand wounded soldiers returned to America. The losses of military equipment and military equipment were a colossal figure. The number of aircraft and helicopters shot down by the Air Force and Navy alone amounted to more than 9 thousand aircraft.

After American troops left the battlefield, the North Vietnamese army went on the offensive. In the spring of 1975, units of the DRV defeated the remnants of the South Vietnamese army and entered Saigon. Victory in the war cost the people of Vietnam dearly. Over the entire 20 years of armed confrontation, only 4 million civilians died, not counting the number of fighters of partisan formations and military personnel of the armies of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and South Vietnam.