The Conditions of the Vietnam War

Advantages of Vietcong

• Lacked high-powered weaponry, so used hit-and-run and ambush tactics

• Used knowledge of terrain to their advantage

• Laced the terrain with various booby traps and land mines

• Use to the sweltering head, jungles, leeches

Vietcong Advantages

• Vietcong moved secretly in and out of general population

• Very hard for US to discern friend from foe

• Vietcong created elaborate tunnels so they could launch surprise attacks and then disappear quickly

US Strategies

• War of Attrition – introduced body count– felt as number of Vietcong deaths rose, enemy

surrender would be inevitable

• Battle for “HEARTS AND MIND”– Win the people of South Vietnam over so the

communist guerilla’s have no place to hide– Not Successful

Napalm Attack

US Strategies

• War of Attrition – introduced body count– felt as number of Vietcong deaths rose, enemy

surrender would be inevitable

• Battle for “HEARTS AND MIND”– Win the people of South Vietnam over so the

communist guerilla’s have no place to hide– Not Successful

• Napalm – gasoline based bomb that set fire to the jungle

Agent Orange

US Strategies

• War of Attrition – introduced body count– felt as number of Vietcong deaths rose, enemy

surrender would be inevitable

• Battle for “HEARTS AND MIND”– Win the people of South Vietnam over so the

communist guerilla’s have no place to hide– Not Successful

• Napalm – gasoline based bomb that set fire to the jungle• Agent Orange – leaf killing toxic chemical that devastated

the landscape• both left villages and surrounding area in ruins

Sinking US Morale

• Frustrated by guerilla warfare

• Brutal jungle conditions

• Failure to make headway against enemy

• Many soldiers turned to alcohol/marijuana/drugs

• Morale worsened as they were fighting while government was negotiating for peace

• POWs experienced years of torture and confinement