After 1965, US involvement in the war escalated rapidly in response to the growing strength of the Vietcong. By 1967, US troop strength in South Vietnam had risen to 389,000 men, but despite their sophisticated weapons, the Americans could not eradicate the skilful and determined rebellions of the Vietcong.
Another thing that made fighting the war difficult for the Americans was the uniform that the Vietcong wore. Their uniforms consisted of black pyjamas and shirts, with straw hats. This led to a great lack of trust among the Vietnamese and the Americans, as they were unable to distinguish between real Vietnamese civilians and Vietcong soldiers in disguise.
The Vietcong were also able to remain well hidden with their extensive underground tunnel system, which reached 250 kilometres in length. There were underground kitchens, weapon stores, dormitories, hospitals and rest areas. These tunnels made it increasingly difficult for the US forces to find the Vietcong.
By 1966, the Americans began a series of 'Search and Destroy Missions' in order to hunt down the Vietcong. The problem was that, by doing this, they began alienate and loose the trust of, the Vietnamese civilians. As a way of compensating for this, the Americans used the 'Pacification' policy, which was designed to “win the hearts and minds” of the people of South Vietnam. This policy involved the US giving free dishwashers, washing machines, fridges, etc… To the Vietnamese, but these items were completely useless to them, as they had no electricity. The Pacification policy was a complete failure.
The unfamiliar terrain and conditions in Vietnam also made life more difficult for the US forces. The intense heat made it difficult for them to see where they were going, carry weapons and move swiftly. As much of Vietnam was covered in jungle, swamp and paddy fields, it soon becomes clear that the terrain was unsuitable for tanks. This led to an increase in the use of helicopters as troop carriers and heavy goods vehicles for moving guns, vehicles, ammunition, supplies and even boats across jungles and hills. The helicopters played a great part in the Search and Destroy Missions carried out by the US forces. Although this was good, helicopters added to the already tremendous cost of the war. Their control of the air also accounted for little, as it was difficult for them to see through the dense jungle, meaning that they were unable to see exactly whom they were attacking.
A further problem during the war was that the reasons for fighting the war were different on either side. The Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army were fighting for Nationalism (a united Vietnam), whereas the US was fighting against Communism.
As the Vietcong were Communists, the two largest, Communist countries in the world - the USSR and China, consistently supported them. There was a constant flow of weapons, money and other necessary supplies.
The Ho Chi Minh trail further helped the Vietcong. It was an elaborate network of roads and trails used by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army, and was incredibly useful as it brought troops and supplies into South Vietnam from the North. During the war, there were many attempts by the United States Air Force to bomb the trail, in order to stop the supply of men and materials, but they all proved unsuccessful.
Yet another problem faced by the Americans was counting the success or failure of their operations. They tried using a 'body count' - the greater the number of Vietcong killed, the more successful the operation. But, no matter how many Vietcong had been killed; the number of American casualties could not be overlooked.
American losses in the war (in terms of life and money) continued to rise and rise. In November 1967, the Pentagon announced that to total US casualties in Vietnam since the beginning of 1961 had reached 15,058 killed and 109,527 wounded. This, obviously, did not raise the spirits of the soldiers who were at war. The president estimated the cost of the war to be approximately $25 billion per year.
The US soldiers already had low morale because of the vast number of casualties, but adding to this was the fact that they knew that the war and their involvement in it was not supported back in America. A further blow to the already low morale of the US soldiers was that, no matter how many Vietcong they killed, they just kept on coming. This was because male and female Vietnamese were constantly being trained in the North and sent down to the South to fight. The Vietcong also seemed far readier than the Americans to accept losses.
An added problem was that, although the Government of South Vietnam was supposed to be working with the Americans, they did little to help with the war. The Government was corrupt, and so, South Vietnamese boys were never forced to help with the fighting - the Americans were forced to do it all alone.
