The Vietnam War

Question 1

Which two countries had previously invaded Vietnam?

Answer 1

Japan and France

Question 2

How did America support the French?

Answer 2

They gave the French $500 million a year to defeat the Vietminh

Question 3

Why did America support the French?

Answer 3

They were fighting against the Vietminh- who were communist

Question 4

What happened when the French fought the Vietminh?

Answer 4

They were eventually defeated in 1954

Question 5

How was Vietnam divided?

Answer 5

Vietnam was divided into North (communist) and South (Capitalist) in 1954

Question 6

Who was the leader of South Vietnam?

Answer 6

The corrupt leader Diem who was bitterly anti-communist, and also looked down upon Buddhists and peasants

Question 7

Why did the USA support Diem?

Answer 7

He was anti-communist

Question 8

How did the USA support Diem?

Answer 8

They supported his regime with about $1.6 billion in the 1950s

Question 9

Why did support keep rising for the Vietcong rebels?

Answer 9

The Vietnamese people were treated with respect by the Vietcong, and their leader Diem was corrupt and did not help them

Question 10

What happened in 1954?

Answer 10

The Americans prevented free elections from taking place in South Vietnam (despite what they had promised) because they feared the communists would win

Question 11

How long did the Vietnamese war with the French last?

Answer 11

From 1946 to 1954 (8 years)

Question 12

When was Diem overthrown?

Answer 12

1963- Diem was overthrown by his own army leaders- but governments that followed were equally corrupt, but still received US support

Question 13

Who was the leader of the Vietminh and North Vietnam?

Answer 13

Ho Chi Minh

Question 14

Who were the Vietcong?

Answer 14

Communist fighters taking orders from Ho Chi Minh, who wanted to liberate South Vietnam

Question 15

Who was the Vietcong made up of?

Answer 15

North Vietnamese fighters and South Vietnamese opponents of the government

Question 16

How did the Vietcong receive weapons and supplies?

Answer 16

The Ho Chi Minh trail

Question 17

What did the Vietcong start doing?

Answer 17

Attacking S. Vietnamese government forces, officials and buildings, attacking American air force and supply bases

Question 18

Why did the USA not want Vietnam to become communist?

Answer 18

Domino theory- if Vietnam fell to communism, surrounding countries would fall. Eisenhower was convinced that China + USSR were trying to spread communism over Asia

Question 19

What was Kennedy doing by 1962?

Answer 19

Sending in increasing numbers of American ‘advisers’ to fight Vietcong

Question 20

What continued to increase from 1962?

Answer 20

Tension between North and South Vietnam and amount of American involvement

Question 21

How many American troops were in Vietnam by the end of 1962?

Answer 21

11,500

Question 22

How many American troops were in Vietnam by the end of 1964?

Answer 22

23,000

Question 23

When was Kennedy assassinated?

Answer 23

1963

Question 24

Who became president after Kennedy?

Answer 24

Johnson- who was much more ready to commit to full-scale conflict in Vietnam to prevent spread of communism

Question 25

When did full scale conflict begin?

Answer 25

8th March 1965

Question 26

How did full scale conflict begin?

Answer 26

3500 US marines and combat troops came ashore at Da Nang

Question 27

How many soldiers did the Vietcong have at the beginning of the Vietnam war?

Answer 27

170,000 in early 1965

Question 28

What happened at La Dreng Valley?

Answer 28

November 1965- Vietcong lost 2000 and US only lost 300- Ho Chi Minh decided to use Guerrilla tactics

Question 29

Why were Guerrilla tactics so hard to fight?

Answer 29

Attackers blended with the people, disappeared into the jungle,tunnels or villages, soldiers in constant fear of attacks or booby traps

Question 30

Why did the Vietcong get support from the people?

Answer 30

The Vietcong were respectful of villagers and women, helped in the fields and returned what they borrowed

Question 31

What civilians were not respected by the Vietcong?

Answer 31

Employees of the government (teachers, police, tax collectors etc) and those co-operative with their enemies

Question 32

How many civilians did the Vietcong kill?

Answer 32

Between 1966 and 1971 they killed 27,000 civilians

Question 33

Why did the Ho Chi Minh trail stay open despite S. Vietnamese and US bombings?

Answer 33

40,000 Vietnamese constantly worked to keep it open whatever the cost

Question 34

How many Vietcong and North Vietnamese were killed in the war?

Answer 34

Approx. 1 million (much higher than US losses); but the Vietcong always had troops available; the fighters believed in what they were fighting for

Question 35

When did the US bombing raids begin?

Answer 35

7th February 1965, this was known as Operation Rolling Thunder

Question 36

How long did the air offensive continue for?

Answer 36

7 years (1965-1972)

Question 37

How many bombs were dropped on North Vietnam?

Answer 37

More than were dropped on the Japan and Germany in the whole of WW2

Question 38

What was the approximate cost (in air warfare) to kill 1 Vietcong soldier?

Answer 38

Life magazine (a famous US magazine) estimated it to be approx $400,000

Question 39

What was agent orange?

Answer 39

A weedkiller which the US used to destroy the jungle where the Vietcong hid

Question 40

How much agent orange did the US use?

Answer 40

Over the course of the war; 82 million litres

Question 41

What two chemical weapons did the US mainly use?

Answer 41

Napalm and Agent orange

Question 42

What was Napalm?

Answer 42

It was used to destroy the jungle,but also burned through skin to the bone. It killed many civilians and US soldiers too

Question 43

What casualties did the search and destroy missions cause?

Answer 43

For every 1 Vietcong weapon captured there was a body count of 6

Question 44

What were search and destroy missions also known as?

Answer 44

Zippo raids, Zippo- a lighter used to set houses and villages on fire

Question 45

What was the Tet offensive?

Answer 45

A large scale communist attack on over 100 towns and cities in S. Vietnam, attack on US embassy in Saigon

Question 46

Why did the Tet offensive happen?

Answer 46

So that the communists could: seize the initiative, break the stalemate, persuade S. Vietnamese people to join them

Question 47

Did the Tet offensive succeed?

Answer 47

Not really; they embarrassed the US and appeared daring and brave, but 100,000 Vietcong were killed and they took 4 yrs to recover

Question 48

When did the Tet offensive happen?

Answer 48

January 1968

Question 49

When was the turning point of the war?

Answer 49

1968

Question 50

When did the My Lai massacre occur?

Answer 50

16 March 1968

Question 51

What happened at the My Lai massacre?

Answer 51

Between 175 and 500 innocent civilians were massacred by young American soldiers

Question 52

When did footage of the My Lai massacre reach home?

Answer 52

Footage wasn't released until 1969 (the next year) but caused American people to turn against the war

Question 53

Why did the soldiers slaughter people at My Lai?

Answer 53

Lt. Calley ordered his men to kill the villagers saying they were all supporting or part of the Vietcong. They were all innocent.

Question 54

Who was punished for the My Lai massacre?

Answer 54

Only Lt. Calley who was sentenced to life imprisonment but released after only 3 years despite certainty that he had murdered hundreds of innocent people

Question 55

What did people in America do to protest against the war?

Answer 55

Burned draft cards, university protests, Washing demonstration, anti-war songs

Question 56

Why did Nixon get elected?

Answer 56

On the promise that he wold end US involvement in the war

Question 57

What was Vietnamization?

Answer 57

As American troops left, they were replaced with S. Vietnamese soldiers

Question 58

When did US troops start leaving?

Answer 58

7th July 1969

Question 59

When were all US troops out of Vietnam?

Answer 59

By the end of March 1973

Question 60

When was a cease fire held?

Answer 60

From 1973 (January) to 1974

Question 61

When did the South fall to the North?

Answer 61

Saigon, Southern capital fell in April 1975

Question 62

What was the average age of a US soldier in Vietnam?

Answer 62

19