A Battle of Two Supperpowers, or a David and Goliath Struggle

A Heroic Battle of Two Superpowers, or a David and Goliath Struggle? On the 1st November 1965, war was declared on North Vietnam by the United States and its ally Australia, which at the time was the largest and staunch superpower. The U. S.

and its ally stood for capitalism or otherwise known as democracy and vowed an oath of containment against communism: to end its spread throughout the world, specifically in Indo-China. The Vietnam War was the longest, bloodiest war in American and Australia’s history and the most unpopular war of the twentieth century.The U. S.

nd its ally Australia lost the war and its support due to the skill and years of practise in guerrilla warfare from the Vietnamese communist forces whom took advantage of their home land as well as determination to not lose it. The Vietnamese forces used a tactic known as guerrilla warfare throughout the Vietnam War and applied against the United States, as well as an over confidence in the ability of U. S. and Australian troops to prevent a communist takeover in Vietnam. With centuries of fighting against China and other oppressors. As well as years of fighting a modern superpower the French whom they defeated.

The Vietnamese communists also known as Viet Minh who were the North Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong were the Vietnamese communists in the south who fought the U. S. and Australia through guerrilla tactics. This group was formed as since 1862, the French had colonial rule over it. Ho Chi Minh, who had the Viet Minh named after him, was the creator of this party and wished independence from the French. The Viet Minh through years of conflict against the French, then in World War two against the Japanese had devised tactics and plans to suit every situation they were in.

The brilliant tactician Ho Chi Minh perfectly surveyed the political situation during World War Two. Corroborating evidence stated by Historians Dennett and Dixon disclose: ‘Ho Chi Minh, played upon the United States anti-Japanese priorities in order to obtain weapons and supplies that would help the Viet Minh establish a northern power base. ’ (Cited in Dennett Et. Al.

2000, p. 68). Thus, the early successes of the Viet Minh were ironically accomplished via U. S. support.

For the Americans, the Vietnam War from the beginning, was a lost cause.Secondary source by historian Hoepper (2000) says ‘To gain aid from the U. S. both military and economically, a country needs just one qualification: no matter how undemocratic, evil, corrupt or lacking in human rights, a regime needs only the qualification of being anti-communist. ’ This was one of the reasons America lost public support. Many did not want U.

S. and Australian soldiers in Vietnam to fight (Dixen et. al. 2000). This was fatal to the U.

S. and Australian campaign in what was, after all, the world’s great democracy.Outcomes of this were shown through protests by peace enthusiasts, or ‘hippies’, who radicalised American society and demoralised the belief in those who once supported the cause. Although it didn’t help that there was an over confidence in the ability of U. S. and Australian troops to prevent the communist takeover of South Vietnam led a major downfall when the war turned around in the Tet offensive (Mcneil, 2012).

The Tet offensive showed the United States that, although the North Vietnamese army took major casualties, it had a startling amount of supporters to take the place of any who the killed.According to historian Greg Mintz in the beginning, the U. S. and its allies intervened in Vietnam without appreciating the fact that the Vietnamese people had a strong Nationalist spirit, rooted in centuries of resisting colonial powers.

Through this will the North Vietnamese strategy was to drag out the war and make it increasingly costly to the United States, which in theory, would have put them out of the war after a short duration. But the anxiety about withdrawal and loss in Vietnam would resulting in domestic political criticism, which was unthinkable in U. S. democracy.American leaders also grossly underestimated the tenacity of their North Vietnamese and Viet Cong foes. Through startling primary evidence, General William C.

Westmoreland, who led the U. S. war, said: Misunderstanding the commitment of our adversaries, Asians don’t think about death the way we do’ (cited in Wright, 1995) Expounding on the ideal of General Westmoreland that Asians do not think about death the way the Americans and the Australians did, is the way they fought. They fought with the tenacity and ferociousness of a bound people, they used the tactic guerrilla warfare.There is a distinction to be made between strategies and tactics. Strategies refers to the broad, overall plan; the vision for a campaign as a whole.

Tactics are the more specific means and methods which will be used to achieve the broader strategic goals. The tactics used by the North Vietnamese soldiers according to historians Dennett and Dixon, was attrition. They would wage a war by guerrilla warfare, until the United States tired of supporting the South Vietnamese government. The strategy was to make the war so long, bloody and expensive that American public opinion would turn against it.A fact that is acknowledged by Hammond (1990) who states: “Although the Tet offensive was a military defeat for the communists, it had a profound effect on the US government and shocked the US public, which had been led to believe by its political and military leaders that the communists were, due to previous defeats, incapable of launching such a massive effort. ” (Hammond et.

Al. 1990) This effort led the American and Australian public to lose faith and support for the war. This strategy had been applied successfully before, against the French, but the U. S. and Australians were a far more formidable enemy.

Therefore, it required patience, discipline and a deep commitment to the nationalist cause. American troops served in Vietnam for twelve months and they were sent home, but when North Vietnamese forces were sent south to help the Viet Cong they, were told that they would return home only when the war was over. Proving the nationalist cause, is secondary evidence. That according to Ho Chi Minh, their commitment might be for five, ten or, if need be, 20 years. Attrition, therefore, meant continuing to fight and resist until the other side was either defeated or decided to give up (Dennett et.

l. 2000).One by Metallica gives evidence to the reigns of the damage and destruction it caused the soldiers who fought in the war. It shows the one out of the many reasons support was lost for the American and Australians in the war along with how the Americans and Australians lost their first war, even worse, it had been lost to a poor, ill-equipped, third world nation (wright, 1995). One by Metallica reflecting the danger and destruction war causes for its support and it’s this song is about a soldier in a war who gets blown up by a landmine.

He loses his arms, legs and all of his senses. James Hetfield the lead singer vocalises ‘Landmine has taken my sight. ’ ‘Taken my speech. ’ ‘Taken my hearing. ’ ‘Taken my arms.

’ ’Taken my legs. ’ ‘Taken my soul. ’ ‘Left me with life in hell. ’ Discussing the elements of what has happened to the soldier and many others throughout war. Whilst being stuck in his body like a jail cell or as sung through the song ‘this young man will be as unfeeling as unthinking as the dead.

Until the day joins them’. Whilst in the film clip the doctors get worried because he’s having spasms all the time, but he doesn’t seem to be dying.They call in the general and he can’t figure it out either but the soldier with the general recognizes it. “It’s Morse code,” he says. The general asks what he is saying and the soldier looks for a minute and then says, “He is saying K-I-L-L-M-E over and over again”. This representing some of the tactics the communists used against the Americans.

To strike fear into those whom they have injured and then have those men or women to tell those that they see of what the war is doing to them.The sight along with the knowledge of what has happened to the soldiers creates doubt in the mind of those who support the war which has caused men like the young soldier to lose limbs and senses. Leading to the ultimate loss of support and the retreat of the attacking forces, the Americans and the Australians. Allowing historians to understand that the Vietnam War was lost not only to the lack of support for the Australians and the Americans but the tenacity of the Vietnamese communist forces.

Hence the Vietnam War was the longest bloodiest war in American history and the most unpopular war of the twentieth century.It resulted in nearly sixty thousand American deaths and two million Vietnamese deaths. The U. S. and its ally Australia lost the war and its support due to the skill and years of practise in guerrilla warfare from the Vietnamese communist forces whom took advantage of their home land as well as determination to not lose it. Today, many still ask whether the American effort in Vietnam was a sin, a blunder, a necessary war, or a noble cause.

There was no justification for the Vietnam War twenty years ago, and with the benefit of hindsight, there is no justification for it today.