The Vietnam War, a war with no point and one that cost both sides dearly. This war wasn’t your simple war where you would fight for territory, no, it was a war of attrition to see how many of the enemy you could kill before they gave in. The Americans didn’t know what they were going to be up against going into the war, nor did they know how dearly it would cost them. What was even worse was that most of the troops fighting in the Vietnam war had no idea what they were fighting to achieve other than the notion of trying to stop communism from spreading to surrounding countries. The war was mainly fought through a unknown type of warfare dutifully named Guerilla warfare where civilians fought in order to overthrow the Southern Vietnamese Government.
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forces in direct conflict as they were weaker than both armies. The only time they had ever engaged in direct conflict was when victory was absolutely assured for them. One of the biggest battles they fought, and the last major battle, was the Battle of Xuan Loc that took place on April 9th through April 20th in the year 1975 A.D. This battle was an overwhelming success for the Viet Cong as they overtook Xuan Loc killing about 30 percent of the 18th ARVN Division of which were almost all of their riflemen. The reason for capturing Xuan Loc was so that the Viet Cong could have a staging area in which to launch the final invasion of Saigon which was the Southern Vietnamese capital. (Davidson “Vietnam at War”) Another prominent battle for the Viet Cong where they had fought head to head with the U.S. and ARVN was the Battle of Ap Bac, it was meant to boost the morale of the ARVN but turned into the catastrophe that created the credibility gap in the U.S. It was the first major conflict between the ARVN and the Viet Cong, and also a significant victory for the Viet Cong. The ARVN suffered 80 fatalities and over 100 wounded during the battle that was supposed to be a decisive battle against the Viet Cong, while 3 American advisors died and 8 more were wounded. The Viet Cong stood up to everything that was thrown at them from helicopter machine guns to artillery shells raining down on them, they faced the Americans with a calm mind on their own terms and broken contact on their initiative. This battle was a communist victory from its very beginning. (N.A. “The Battle at Ap Bac Changed America’s View of the Vietnam War.”) The Viet Cong won the war by playing it safe and fighting from the shadows, taking out enemy troops via sabotage, booby traps, sneak attack, hit-and-runs and even fighting the enemy in psychological warfare. All of this together was enough for the Viet Cong to win the war and allow for their
forces in direct conflict as they were weaker than both armies. The only time they had ever engaged in direct conflict was when victory was absolutely assured for them. One of the biggest battles they fought, and the last major battle, was the Battle of Xuan Loc that took place on April 9th through April 20th in the year 1975 A.D. This battle was an overwhelming success for the Viet Cong as they overtook Xuan Loc killing about 30 percent of the 18th ARVN Division of which were almost all of their riflemen. The reason for capturing Xuan Loc was so that the Viet Cong could have a staging area in which to launch the final invasion of Saigon which was the Southern Vietnamese capital. (Davidson “Vietnam at War”) Another prominent battle for the Viet Cong where they had fought head to head with the U.S. and ARVN was the Battle of Ap Bac, it was meant to boost the morale of the ARVN but turned into the catastrophe that created the credibility gap in the U.S. It was the first major conflict between the ARVN and the Viet Cong, and also a significant victory for the Viet Cong. The ARVN suffered 80 fatalities and over 100 wounded during the battle that was supposed to be a decisive battle against the Viet Cong, while 3 American advisors died and 8 more were wounded. The Viet Cong stood up to everything that was thrown at them from helicopter machine guns to artillery shells raining down on them, they faced the Americans with a calm mind on their own terms and broken contact on their initiative. This battle was a communist victory from its very beginning. (N.A. “The Battle at Ap Bac Changed America’s View of the Vietnam War.”) The Viet Cong won the war by playing it safe and fighting from the shadows, taking out enemy troops via sabotage, booby traps, sneak attack, hit-and-runs and even fighting the enemy in psychological warfare. All of this together was enough for the Viet Cong to win the war and allow for their