Vietnam EscALATion And Tet

The correct answer is The Vietnamese New Year. Tet is the most important and widely celebrated holiday in Vietnam, marking the beginning of the lunar calendar year. It is a time for family reunions, paying respects to ancestors, and wishing for good luck and prosperity in the coming year. The celebration typically includes various customs and traditions such as cleaning the house, decorating with flowers, giving and receiving lucky money, and enjoying special foods.

During the Tet Offensive, the Viet Cong carried out a brutal massacre of Vietnamese civilians in Hue. The correct answer is "Between 2000 and 6000" as this range represents the estimated number of civilians who were killed during the offensive.

General Westmoreland replaced General Harkins in 1964 as the head of the MACV.

The Tet Offensive, which took place during the Vietnam War, consisted of three phases. The first phase began on January 30, 1968, with a series of coordinated attacks by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces on various cities and military bases in South Vietnam. The second phase involved the continuation of these attacks throughout February and March, with the goal of capturing key cities and military installations. The third phase, which took place in May and June, saw a decrease in the intensity of the attacks as the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces suffered heavy casualties and were unable to achieve their objectives.

Vietnamisation was a policy introduced by President Richard Nixon in the United States during the Vietnam War. It aimed to shift the responsibility for the fighting to the South Vietnamese forces and gradually withdraw American troops from Vietnam. The Nixon Doctrine refers to this policy and is another name for Vietnamisation.

The Gulf of Tonkin incident involved two attacks on the USS Maddox. The first attack was confirmed to be genuine, but the second attack was alleged and likely did not happen. It was believed to be a result of confusion and inaccurate reporting by radar operators. This incident played a significant role in convincing President Johnson to escalate the American presence in South Vietnam. However, it is important to note that the second attack, which supposedly involved North Vietnamese torpedoes, did result in the loss of the USS Maddox and four patrol boats.

The correct answer is "Entered the US compound but didn't infiltrate the main building." This means that the Viet Cong managed to enter the US compound in Saigon but did not successfully infiltrate the main building. This suggests that while they were able to breach the compound, they were unable to carry out any further attacks or gain control of the main building.

Operation Rolling Thunder functioned from 1964 to 1968. This military campaign was conducted by the United States during the Vietnam War, with the aim of putting pressure on North Vietnam to cease its support for the Viet Cong. It involved sustained aerial bombardment and was one of the longest and most intense air campaigns in history. The operation ultimately failed to achieve its objectives and was halted in 1968.

The given answer of 180,000 is the estimate made by MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) for the total number of communist dead in 1968. This suggests that MACV believed that 180,000 members of the communist forces had been killed during that year.

In this statement, JF Kennedy is expressing his view that Vietnam could be a suitable location for the US to demonstrate its power and credibility during the Cold War. By referring to Vietnam as a "proxy war," Kennedy implies that the conflict in Vietnam is not just a local issue, but rather a battleground for the larger ideological struggle between the superpowers, the US and the USSR. This suggests that Kennedy saw Vietnam as an opportunity to assert US influence and counter Soviet influence in the region.

The correct answer is the Central Office for South Vietnam (COSVN). COSVN was the headquarters of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. It was located in South Vietnam and played a crucial role in coordinating military and political activities of the communist forces.

Westmoreland's "search and destroy" concept meant that the war would be fought at the village level and predominantly be a small unit war. This suggests that the focus of the military strategy was to engage in localized operations, targeting specific villages and utilizing small units rather than large-scale encounters. This approach aimed to disrupt and dismantle the enemy's infrastructure and support base within the villages, ultimately weakening their position and control. By emphasizing small unit operations, the concept aimed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the military campaign.

The correct answer is "Only involved Northern Troops fighting for the communist cause." This means that during the final phase of the Tet offensive in August 1968, only troops from the northern region of Vietnam, who were fighting for the communist cause, were involved. This suggests that the southern troops or forces from the South were not actively participating in this phase of the offensive.

Westmoreland's strategy for winning the war was attrition, which means wearing down the North Vietnamese forces through continuous engagement and causing them significant losses. This strategy aimed to decrease the enemy's morale, resources, and manpower, ultimately forcing them to the negotiation table. By employing this approach, Westmoreland believed that the North would eventually be unable to sustain the war effort, leading to a favorable outcome for the United States.

After the attacks on the US air bases in Vietnam, the US was losing aircraft at a high rate. In response to this, Johnson approved Westmoreland's request for 6000 US Marines to land and guard the base. This decision was made to protect the base and prevent further attacks by the Viet Cong.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, passed in 1964, granted the President the authority to deploy conventional military force in South Vietnam without a formal declaration of war. This resolution was a response to the alleged attacks on US naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin by North Vietnamese forces. It effectively gave the President the power to escalate US involvement in the Vietnam War without seeking approval from Congress. This resolution played a significant role in expanding US military operations in Vietnam and ultimately led to a large-scale American presence in the conflict.

The correct answer is 553,000. This is because the question states that American forces rose from 16,000 in 1964 to a higher number by 1969. Among the given options, 553,000 is the only number that is higher than 16,000 and fits the criteria of the question.

The correct answer is the escalation of the conflict into a superpower confrontation and the possibility of a nuclear exchange. This answer suggests that political considerations limited U.S. military actions in Vietnam due to the fear that the conflict could escalate into a larger confrontation between superpowers, such as the United States and the Soviet Union, potentially leading to a nuclear exchange. This fear of a catastrophic outcome likely influenced the decision to not fully attack the power source of PAVN/NLF in the North and instead focus on limiting the enemy's supply system in Laos and Cambodia.

This answer accurately describes the operation that lasted for 3 years and involved a million sorties being flown and three-quarters of a million tons of bombs being dropped. It provides specific details about the scale and intensity of the operation, indicating the significant military effort undertaken during this time period.

Brigadier Ted Serong believed that the only way to determine if the war was being won was by looking at the amount of territory controlled near the border. This suggests that he believed controlling territory was a crucial factor in achieving victory in the war. It implies that he believed that gaining control over strategic locations and pushing the enemy back towards the border was a significant indicator of progress and success in the conflict.