Starter quiz
- Complete the sentence: Operation ______ II saw the US fly nearly 2000 missions and drop nearly 35 000 tonnes of bombs on North Vietnam over the course of 12 days in December 1972.
- Rolling Thunder
- Linebacker ✓
- Search and Destroy
- Menu
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- When was the Paris Peace Agreement signed?
- 1st January 1973
- 27th January 1973 ✓
- 1st March 1974
- 13th March 1974
-
- Under the terms of the treaty, how would Vietnam be unified?
- through elections overseen by independent people to make sure it was fair ✓
- the government of the North would assume control over all of Vietnam
- the government of the South would assume control over all of Vietnam
- unification was not agreed upon by those involved
-
- What award were the main negotiators of the treaty - Henry Kissinger of the US and Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam - presented with in 1973?
- 'Nobel Peace Prize' ✓
- How long did the ceasefire between North and South Vietnam last until it was broken?
- less than one day ✓
- nearly a week
- roughly a month
- just over a year
-
- Why did the US not keep its promise to re-enter the war if North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam after the peace treaty was signed?
- The US Army was already engaged in a different war.
- There were huge anti-war demonstrations again.
- The new US president was a pacifist who did not believe in fighting.
- The US Congress refused to grant permission to re-enter the war. ✓
-
Exit quiz
- Complete the sentence: the US initially tried to win over the ______ of the South Vietnamese people in order to stop them from joining or helping the Vietcong.
- towns and cities
- men and women
- hearts and minds ✓
- thoughts and prayers
-
- Which are two of the reasons why the Strategic Hamlets Programme failed?
- There was nowhere to build the new hamlets.
- People were forced to move away from the graves of their ancestors. ✓
- The South Vietnamese people did not know how to build the new hamlets.
- South Vietnamese peasants attacked US soldiers who tried to force them to move.
- Lack of resources in the hamlets led to hunger. ✓
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- Match the US strategy to its purpose.
- Strategic Hamlets Programme⇔the relocation of peasants away from Vietcong control ✓
- Operation Rolling Thunder⇔the bombing campaign against North Vietnam ✓
- Operation Ranch Hand⇔the use of chemical weapons to clear jungle terrain and destroy crops ✓
- Search and Destroy⇔the airlifting of US troops into Vietcong hotspots ✓
- How many civilians are estimated to have been killed by US bombs in South Vietnam?
- 500 000
- 1 million
- 1.5 million
- 2 million ✓
-
- What was the average age of a drafted US soldier?
- '19' ✓
- Complete the sentence: towards the end of the war, the US Army saw an alarming increase in ______, which is the deliberate wounding or killing of commanding officers.
- 'fragging' ✓
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- US strategies in Vietnam were ineffective and often contradictory.
- US soldiers did not understand Vietnamese culture, which led to poor decision making.
- Communist propaganda painted the US as invaders.
- Poor tactics meant that Vietnamese civilians frequently became casualties.
- Poor discipline and drug use meant that the effectiveness of the US Army diminished after 1970.
Common misconception
US soldiers are highly trained, highly motivated troops.
Conscription generally offers a larger fighting force at the expense of a decline in quality - not everyone called to serve wants to be there.
Keywords
Strategy - a strategy is a plan for directing overall military operations and movements
Occupier - an occupier is a member of a group that takes possession of a country by force
Tactics - tactics are actions employed by armed forces during contact with the enemy
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