...Valley The “Battle of Ia Drang Valley” took place 14 November through 18 November 1965. The battle was one of the first major battles of the Vietnam War. The battles location took place in South Vietnam where the Drang River flows into Cambodia. (Historynet) Since the Vietnam War had started, this territory had never been occupied because the enemy, People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN), occupied much of the area. The battle waged on for five days between the United States 1st Cavalry Division and the People’s Army of Vietnam. From a macro level, the United States got involved with the Vietnam War from the fear that communism empires were going to spread throughout South-east Asia. As for the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, American military commanders took the approach that it was solely a search and destroy mission of the enemy. (MilitaryHistory) Each side had slightly different war aims. The United States wanted to fly into a landing zone (LZ) and reconnaissance the area so they could find the People’s Army of Vietnam and destroy enemy elements in South Vietnam. The People’s Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong wanted to hold onto their territory and stave off the American’s advance into their stronghold. (MilitaryHistory) The operational environment for the Battle of Ia Drang Valley had an overlying impact on how the rest of the Vietnam War was going to be fought. The American’s were going to fly into the Ia Drang Valley with the 1st Cavalry Division and drop them off by helicopter...
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...Artillery Lessons Learned in Ia Drang SFC Byron Allred, SFC Tenny Niupulusu, SFC Lloyd Paige, SFC Terrance Retch SLC #13D 001-16 Fort Sill NCO Academy During the Vietnam Conflict, the Viet Cong forces were in nominal control of most of the countryside by 1965 and had established military infrastructure in the Central Highlands, to the Northeast of the Saigon region. The Vietnamese forces have been operating in this area since they fought and defeated the French approximately a decade before the Battle of Ia Drang. The Ia Drang campaign was the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the Highland Front, also known as the B3 Front, which consisted of regulars of the People’s Army of Vietnam of North Vietnam (PANV)...
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...SSG Riemann, SSG Carerras & SGT Horner SFC Hopkins 13T ALC 11 October 2012 Equipments and Tactics from the World Wars and Today The Field Artillery is and always has been the King of Battle. Technology and tactic have been refined over the years based on lessons learned from the past. During the World Wars the implementation of new equipment and tactics helped shape the field artillery of today. However, some of the same equipment and tactics are still being used today. Warfare had changed in the years leading up to the United States involvement in WW1. A lot of the fighting went back into the trenches. This in return promoted the use of small munitions such as motors, for closer combat effectiveness. Initially, horses moved many of the smaller artillery pieces like the 3inch motors. They were able to move quicker and in tighter places than a vehicle. However, the ability to keep the horses combat effective became a challenge do to shipping them from so far away. The change from horses to jeeps became a reality. 105mm and 155mm howitzers conducted specific missions and large trucks or even tractors moved them. In 1944 the development of the rocket battalion which provided thirty-six rockets launchers. A single rocket could take out a larger area on its own. This allowed howitzers to be independent. Prior to the rockets they had to bring multiple howitzers together to take out as much real estate as one rocket. However, howitzers were more accurate. The soldiers became...
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...Thomas Zervas Vietnam Wars 4/29/12 Final Essay Winning The Vietnam War When most people think about winning a war they usually base their opinions on death counts and conquered territories. When looking at the Vietnam War, it is clear to see that the Vietnamese had a larger death count, however this does not mean that the United States was victorious. The United States entered the war to reach an objective, and that objective was to stop communist expansion. The goal was not achieved; therefore, the United States lost the war. True, there were more casualties in the North, but that does not determine whether or not they lost, especially when considering the superior technology and training of United States forces. When looking at the Vietnam proxy war fought between the United States and Soviet Union, the United States was impacted a number of ways, both domestically and internationally. There was a huge lack of public support for the stagnating war effort combined with a lack of support for soldiers that adversely affected the morale of the troops. There were body bag counts on the evening news showing the large numbers of lost soldiers to the population. There were also many protests, which created much tension and heavy scrutiny on the United States government. On a global scale, the United States began to look weaker than the Soviet Union, which created many more issues for the United States. The North Vietnamese won the Vietnam War through a combination of factors...
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...3004 The Battle of Hue City is quite possibly one of the fiercest battles fought in the Vietnam War. In this battle the American and South Vietnamese forces were up against a North Vietnamese force that was close to triple their size. Another item to mention was that the Marine Battalions involved were low on men, and also worn down by previous battles. Moreover the American and South Vietnamese forces were attacking the North Vietnamese in a city that was very well reinforced. This battle is important because it was the first time combat was carried out in an urbanized environment. The strategic value of Hue City is because it was a distribution point for resupply efforts. A railroad and major highway passed through the city, connecting the Marine Corps command at Da Nang to the Demilitarized Zone; the Perfume River was used by US Navy supply boats moving to and from the mouth of the river and the South China Sea. If the city fell to the North Vietnamese, the US effort in Vietnam would suffer a major blow. Additionally, our forces utilized the effects of combined tactical elements such as timing, heavy gunfire support, armor, communications, and geographic obstacles to help overcome the North Vietnamese in this momentous battle. The Battle of Hue City began on the night of January 30, 1968 during the Vietnamese lunar New Year, called Tet, a holiday and celebration in Vietnam. Because of this, many of the South Vietnamese military were on leave, and because a truce usually...
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...demonstrate how America cared much more for their influences and motives than being passive. General Westmoreland’s involvement in Vietnam war and his military strategy is a great example, as well as the Tet Offensive event that partook in the war. Once more going back to the Vietnam War, General Westmoreland partook an important role. He was the permanent commander of MACV and given command of all US forces in Vietnam. General Westmoreland perceived the escalation of the conflict and had “535,000 troops under his control when he departed in 1968” (Hickman 1). He was a terror, and to no surprise portrayed by their own media as a hero. Even named “man of the year” by Times magazine at one point. Military Expert, Kennedy Hickman...
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...and devastating power of American artillery won confidence and admiration from the troops it supported and inspired fear and respect in their enemy” General Dwight D. Eisenhower once spoke. No fewer words could be true. American artillery has been present in every major American war since the late 1770’s branding field artillery as the “King of Battle”. Field artillery is a constant progression of tactical and technical proficiency. The effects of simple mechanics put to effective use have decided many of the battles fought within the infancy of our great nation. From the American Revolution to Operation Enduring Freedom, field artillery has set itself apart from other branches of military service. Field artillery has influenced warfare through the evolution of its pieces and munitions. Simple mechanics created the first field artillery weapons. The catapult was made of wood and rope under tension resembling a crossbow in appearance. The invention of catapults gave armies the ability to attack from a distance. Catapults became the main siege weapon because of the amount of destruction caused. The Ballista was a defensive form of field artillery created. It used a crank to increase the tension needed to fire the weapon. The Trebuchet was the next piece created to employ larger projectiles at fortified positions and soldiers. Catapults, Ballista’s, and Trebuchet’s gave a decisive advantage to commanders on the battlefield. Artillery pieces have changed in there composition...
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...The battle of Hamburger hill was a battle that took place during the Vietnam war; may 10th to the 20th 1969. It was a battle in which the American forces assaulted the Vietnamese (VPA) forces in and around the area of Hill 937. What really make this battle interesting was that on a strategic level the commanders made some pretty poor calls; some so bad that their were riots back in the States because of the out come. In the Thua Thien Province, in the Republic of Vietnam, Hamburger hill or hill 937, was a hill that stood more or less alone. It was surrounded by jungle and was simply a stark and unfriendly, unforgiving hill. It held next to no strategic value in the war effort and is a solid example of what not to do in many scenarios that an infantryman could one day find himself in. The battle involved 1800 soldiers from the United States and approximately 800 soldiers from the VPA. First thing I want to point out id the size difference between the two groups. The US out numbers the VPA certainly; but not by the margin of 3-1. In the Infantry FM- 7-8, it is stated that when engaging the enemy you should outnumber the opposing force by a margin of at least 3-1. That’s the first mistake made by the commander, Melvin Zais. If the number of opposing forces was unknown he should have taken more care when attacking a fortified mounting with numbers possible exceeding his own. This was a battle that was not fought for land or strategic positioning- it was simple. It was to search...
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...Britten July 1, 2015 Essay Assignment #2 The Vietnam War was an unfortunate event compared to other wars in history. Many American soldiers fought for years to break down the communist expansion in the north and the south of Vietnam. American involvement in the Vietnam War brought violence and death to Vietnam which created controversy for the United States’ government and administration. Therefore, the author proposes that the United States should have avoided their participation in the war due to its lack of positive outcome and great disturbance to Vietnam’s society. The United States Senate is used as a source that questioned the bombings in 1966 since it was uncontrolled and killed various innocent Vietnamese citizens. Although it is a primary source, the Senate does have a reason to lie. Government officials obtain knowledge that may be confidential and unavailable to the nation. They may also have to protect certain oaths, personal electoral positions, and their career when delivering news to the public. Therefore, complete honesty is an aspect that is inevitably unobtainable from the government. However, the information they share to the public is empathic and creates controversy amongst the American population towards the violence that “led to the destruction of the Vietnamese society.” In paragraph 16, the New York Times a secondary source shared just how they felt about the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Of course it is a newspaper and the writers...
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...The Vietnam War (Vietnamese: Chiến tranh Việt Nam), also known as the Second Indochina War,[32] and also known in Vietnam as Resistance War Against America (Vietnamese: Kháng chiến chống Mỹ) or simply the American War, was a Cold War-era proxy war[citation needed] that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955[A 1] to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War (1946–54) and was fought between North Vietnam—supported by the Soviet Union, China and other communist allies—and the government of South Vietnam—supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies.[37] The Viet Cong (also known as the National Liberation Front, or NLF), a South Vietnamese communist common front aided by the North, fought a guerrilla war against anti-communist forces in the region. The People's Army of Vietnam (also known as the North Vietnamese Army) engaged in a more conventional war, at times committing large units to battle. As the war wore on, the part of the Viet Cong in the fighting decreased as the role of the NVA grew. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery, and airstrikes. In the course of the war, the U.S. conducted a large-scale strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam, and over time the North Vietnamese airspace became the most heavily defended in the world. The U.S. government viewed American...
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...In 1965, the United States deployed 35,000 Marines to South Vietnam. This action marked the beginning of the American ground war in Vietnam. In 1968, a small village in the Quang Ngai Province, an area which was believed to be a stronghold of the Viet Cong, was massacred by U.S. troops. The My Lai Massacre became known as one of the most horrific incidents of violence committed against civilians during the Vietnam War. The My Lai Massacre was also known as Pinkville. Pinkville was the name given to the area of the Quang Ngai Province by Task Force Baker in February of 1968. On military maps, the providence was a reddish color to note the densely populated area. In America, the My Lai Massacre was often referred to and known as the Pinkville Massacre. Pinkville...
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...Committee: Disarmament Question of: restricting arms trade between member states and terrorist organisations Submitted by: Vietnam Defining terrorism as the unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims Reaffirming the arms trade treaty (ATT) from the UN regulating arms trade from small arms to such things as battle tanks, Reminding nations that weapons have been traded with Hamas who publicly applaud death via terrorism, Alarmed by reports from Amnesty international saying that over 25 countries have traded weapons with ISIS by ‘lax’ control over arms trade, Concerned that components can be acquired from countries to potentially create weapons of mass destruction and heavy artillery Accepting that control of arms trade can be difficult to maintain and that it would take great consideration into member states making reforms on how it can be regulated, Deeply concerned that in January alone an estimated toll of two thousand, four hundred and sixty nine deaths occurred, Noting that from the government website from the UK a total of 225 countries have been noted to have low risk to high risk terrorist threats. Recalling, Acknowledging the United Nations programme of Action which was to limit small arms trade, Also acknowledging the United Nations international tracing instrument to make governments make clear markings on small arms and weaponry, 1. Calls upon all members of the United Nations to come...
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...Lyndon B. Johnson took office during the 1960’s waging war with Vietnam. The people of Vietnam split into two different nations. The southern part of the country had a communist style of government and desired to take over the north. Unfortunately communism was the primary fear of American politicians and most American citizens. Although many Americans sided against going to aid North Vietnam, President Lyndon Johnson felt it was his duty as Commander and Chief of the United States Military to police the world and stop the spread of communism. America entered Vietnam in 1965; one of the first major battles was the Battle of La Drang. The Battle of La Drang took place from November 14-18 1965. The American troops were out numbered 3,000 to 300. The American army was led by Colonel Harold G. Moore. This battle was the first major battle in which constant air support was used. The strategy was helicopters would bring and take men in and out of battle every thirty minutes. This strategy would save over 200 American lives. The first wave of soldiers landed at approximately 10:48 A.M. Within the first thirty minutes of landing US troops had secured the landing zone and a creek bed. While setting up their perimeters along the creek bed the American troops spotted a SVA spy. After securing the creek bed Colonel Moore was informed that one of his platoons had been separated from the battalion. The leader of the cut off platoon Captain Herrick, he had a vital decision whether to attempt...
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...Michał Duch Vietcong - The Guerrilla Fighters The Vietnam War was extremely specific conflict. The Americans possessed enormous army, huge amounts of money to spare and latest technology inventions. Vietcong, on the other hand fought using underground tactics with an underground army without modern equipment and air support. Here comes up following issue, namely, why Americans had so many difficulties with defeating Vietcong? To begin with, Vietcong fought using specific strategy called “guerilla war” (it is a warfare based on military actions where small mobile forces prepare ambushes and fight using unexpected tactics). Vietnamese used different tricks to surprise and eliminate American troops and vehicles. They ambushed US patrols using booby traps and landmines, civilian towns were often full of skillfully planted bombs. Common practice used by Vietcong soldiers was mingling with peasants to confuse Americans. US soldiers had serious difficulties with identifying who was real enemy. Another commonly used Vietcong tactic was called “hanging onto the belts”. The aim of this method was to stay in short distance with Americans. As a result US soldiers could not call an artillery backup because there was a risk of killing ally units. Vietcong troops were significantly supplied by Russia and China. Both countries provided them with weapons and rockets. In order to transport equipment safely Vietnamese used The Ho Chi Minh...
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...After 10 days and 10 bloody assaults, Hill 937 in South Vietnam is finally captured by U.S. and South Vietnamese troops. The Americans who fought there cynically dubbed Hill 937 “Hamburger Hill” because the battle and its high casualty rate reminded them of a meat grinder. Located one mile east of the Laotian border, Hill 937 was ordered taken as part of Operation Apache Snow, a mission intended to limit enemy infiltration from Laos that threatened Hue to the northeast and Danang to the southeast. On May 10, following air and artillery strikes, a U.S.-led infantry force launched its first assault on the North Vietnamese stronghold but suffered a high proportion of casualties and fell back. Ten more infantry assaults came during the next 10 days, but Hill 937’s North Vietnamese defenders did not give up their fortified position until May 20. Almost 100 Americans were killed and more than 400 wounded in taking the hill, amounting to a shocking 70 percent casualty rate. The same day that Hamburger Hill was finally captured, Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts called the operation “senseless and irresponsible” and attacked the military tactics of President Richard Nixon’s administration. His speech before the Senate was seen as part of a growing public outcry over the U.S. military policy in Vietnam. U.S. military command had ordered Hill 937 taken primarily as a diversionary tactic, and on May 28 it was abandoned. This led to further outrage in America over what seemed a senseless...
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