Vietnam war introduction

Answer 1

The Vietnam War or Second Indochina War 1 was a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN, or North Vietnam), allied with the National Liberation Front (NLF, or "Viet Cong") against the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam), and its allies�notably the United States military in support of the South, with American combat troops committed from 1965 to 1973.

After France's attempted recolonization of Indochina was defeated in 1954 by the Viet Minh at the battle of Dien Bien Phu, an agreement to temporarily partition the country in two with a Demilitarized Zone or DMZ was reached at the Geneva Conference. The DMZ was not a natural division of Vietnam and was not intended to create two separate countries. The scheduled elections for the unification of the country were blocked. The Vietnam War began as a civil war�fought to determine the status of Vietnam as either a unified nation or as one partitioned indefinitely into two independent states, each supported by rival Superpowers (as after the Korean War). Fighting began in 1957, and with U.S. and Soviet-Chinese involvement and support, it would steadily escalate and spill over into the neighboring Indochinese countries of Cambodia and Laos.

South Vietnam�and allies such as the U.S.�portrayed the conflict as one based in a principled and strategic opposition to communism, to deter its expansion throughout Southeast Asia and elsewhere. North Vietnam and its Viet Cong allies claimed the war as a struggle to reunite the country and to repel a foreign aggressor�a continuation of the earlier war for independence against the French.

After fifteen years of protracted fighting and massive civilian and military casualties, major, direct U.S. involvement ended with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973. Fighting between Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces against the dominant combined People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong forces would soon bring an end to the RVN and the war. With the Northern victory, the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) with a communist-controlled government based in Hanoi.

Here is more from WikiAnswers contributors:

• The USA was trying to stop the spread of Communism in southeast Asia.

Answer 2

The Vietnam War is very hard to summarize so try these websites:

http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/vietnamwar/summary.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/10927/sumviet.htm

http://www.vietnam-war.info/summary/

Answer 3

The conclusion of the Vietnam war was that neither side won or lost. The American and vietnamese both fought but the rightfull one is the most hurt one. It was a rich man war but a poor man fight.

America withdrew from the war when they signed the Paris Peace Accord. North Vietnam took over South Vietnam and it became communist.

Answer 4

The Vietnam War was a combination of guerrilla war, conventional war, aerial warfare and river boat warfare. There were elements of terrorist attacks in Saigon, such as restaurants (an example is shown in the film "Good Morning Vietnam" starring Robin Williams, a 1986 film), battles for hilltops, jet to jet aerial combat over North Vietnam. There were torpedo boat attacks in the sea off the coast of North Vietnam, and a Mig-17 dropped a bomb on a US warship, heavily damaging the US destroyers stern 5" gun mount. There were tank and armored cavalry attacks sweeping at high speeds (15 to 20 mph is fast when riding in a 13, 17, or 52 ton armored vehicle OFF ROADs) into lands that looked like National Parks and National Forests in the United States. The point being that there were often no roads, bridges, signs, or other indications of civilization. This is a sampling of some of the forms of combat in Vietnam.

Answer 5

1. First war fought by the B52 bomber.

2. First super-sonic jet war fought by the US (to include hi-tech ground defenses).

3. Last US jet aces of the 20th century.

4. First helicopter war.

5. First designed, built, successful, and combat fielded gunship helicopter; AH-1 Cobra.

6. First fixed wing aerial gunships: Puff the Magic Dragoon/Spooky C-47; AC-119; Spectre AC-130.

7. First/last River Monitors since the US Civil War.

8. First/last Riverine Force (Brown Water Navy) since the US Civil War.

9. First US war in which ALL US FIGHTING MEN were armed with FULLY automatic rifles.

10. Last US war fought with steel helmets.

11. First war fought by the US Army with completely mechanized infantry (M113/ACAV).

12. First war fought with an aluminum tank (M551 Sheridan tank).

13. Last US war fought with a military draft (conscription).

14. Last US war fought with draft riots (US Civil War was the first).

15. First war fought with the "daisy cutter" bomb.

16. First US war with ANOTHER NATION in which that other NATION won the war.

17. First US war fought with completely combustible tank ammunition; today's M1 Abram's uses semi-combustible shells.

18. Last US war fought by WWII lleadership (veterans); Generals, Admirals, Colonels, Majors, Captains, and NCOs.

19. Last US war fought with formations of massive bombers, carpet bombing enemy cities to bring them to surrender or peace negotiations (with conventional High Explosive bombs; not SMART WEAPONS).

20. Last US war to have hundreds of POWS kept in captivity for YEARS.

21. Last US war fought by men.

Answer 6

Johnson's bombing campaign (Operation Rolling Thunder), Nixon's bombing campaign's (Linebacker I & II-the Christmas Bombings); invasion of Cambodia in 1970 (accompanied by the Kent State University shootings on May 4, 1970). Invasion of Laos in 1971, the US Army's final offensive of the war (Operation Lam Son 719).

Answer 7

Introduction of Regular US Combat troops was 1965.