Military Tactics used by the USA and the Vietcong

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Military Tactics used by the USA and the Vietcong

The USA was a richer 1st world country than Vietnam, meaning it was better equipped for a military attacks. It had: more and better weapons; better access to well trained soldiers; a good military understanding; good transportation and was generally better equipped for traditional styles of warfare. Vietnam was a 3rd world country. It had: limited access to weapons; few funds to train soldiers and a poorer military understanding. Because of this the Vietcong chose to fight a guerrilla style war. This was better because it didn’t expose their soldiers to direct enemy fire, saving precious lives. It also meant that they could steal American weapons and lay in expensive booby traps.

The USA had the most control over South Vietnam in and around the cities on the coast. This was because they could land large aircraft on the flat land. There were also ports for importing troops and weaponry. The USA’s tanks were most effective because of the flat inhabited terrain. America set up bases there because of these reasons. The Vietcong however had most control in the jungle in the countryside. This was because they knew their own surroundings well. The Vietcong also blended in with the villagers and farmers and weren’t easy to distinguish. Furthermore America’s tanks struggled and weren't suited to the hills and trees of the jungle. The Vietcong stayed away from the cities except to commit terrorist attacks.

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The methods used by the USA to keep control over the South Vietnamese people were teaching the children and adults to hate the Vietcong. The children were taught this in school. They also promised peace and happiness to the people in an attempt to stop them joining the Vietcong. The Americans gave the inhabitants military training in an attempt to force them into siding with America. They gave the people rewards for capturing Vietcong members. They also introduced a scheme called Pacification which was a scheme to “win the hearts and minds” of the people of South Vietnam. It ...

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