The US tried to use their technological superiority and air power to defeat the North Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong.

Targeted Bombing

Operation Rolling Thunder began in 1965 and lasted 3 years. It was a massive bombing campaign of North Vietnam. However targets were limited for fear of provoking China or the USSR to join the war.

Saturation Bombing

The US also tried saturation bombing using B52 bombers. This resulted in huge numbers of deaths - about 500 000 civilans were killed overall in the war.

Search and Destroy

To try to combat guerrilla tactics, the US sent search and destroy patrols into the South Vietnamese countryside with the aim of killing any Viet Cong. Helicopters were used to transport troops easily across difficult terrain. Many people were killed but it was almost impossible to identify who were VC and so many innocent people were killed. The Search and Destroy patrols turned the South Vietnamese people’s hearts and minds against the US.

Tunnel Rats

Small US soldiers were sent into tunnels to hunt out VC. The US also tried flooding tunnels and gassing them, with limited success.

The Body Count

As this was a war with no front line, the US military judged success by the Body Count - how many enemy had been killed. However this was a flawed approach as the VC were prepared to sacrifice many more lives than the US. This approach also led to atrocities such as the massacre at Mai Lai where up to 500 men, women and children were killed.

Chemical Weapons

The US used chemical weapons to try to change the geography of Vietnam and make it much harder for the VC hide. Agent Orange and Agent Blue were defoliants (weed killers) designed to strip the leaves from the jungle. Napalm (a sticky petrol gel) was also used to destroy vegetation but it was especially unpleasant when it hit people. In total, about 12.5% of the vegetation of South Vietnam was destroyed with much of it unsuitable for agriculture for generations. Over 1 million Vietnamese people have suffered illness or birth defects due to Agent Orange.

The use of chemical weapons and atrocities such as My Lai were heavily criticised back in the USA which reduced support for the war at home.

GCSE Conflict in Asia 1950 - 1975 AQA

US Tactics