Its a shame, because although there are many excellent books written by american authors about the conflict, they dont give you an idea of how a vietnamese person saw the war. Colonel brown, a tall, lean officer, well schooled in airmobile techniques and with plenty of experience in infantry tactics, began on 10 november to press the search vigorously with squad and platoon saturation patrolling. The 33d north vietnamese army regiment, originally a 2,200man fighting force, had lost 890 killed, 100 missing, and 500 wounded during the plei me debacle. The north vietnamese subsequently built the ho chi minh trails to move men and supplies to south vietnam through laos and cambodia, violating those countries neutrality.
A massive countrywide offensive exploded during the lunar new year. Over the last eighteen months he and his south vietnamese allies had checked the growth of the communist insurgency and were now. Viet cong, the guerrilla force that, with the support of the north vietnamese army, fought against south vietnam late 1950s1975 and the united states early 1960s1973. Viet cong and pavn strategy, organization and structure. In 1988, sheehan published a book about him, a bright shining lie. The easter offensive of 1972 caught not only the south vietnamese military by surprise, but also the military commanders of the united states. The vietnam war ebook written by andrew wiest, chris mcnab. The valley runs north south adjacent to the border with laos and was a key infiltration point for north vietnamese troops coming off the ho chi minh trail. However, both groups ultimately worked under the same command structure. The name is said to have first been used by south vietnamese president ngo dinh diem to belittle the rebels. The enemy rarely accepted battle in unfavorable situations and only accepted decisive contact under exceptional circumstances. Armed forces of the vietnam war while national leaders decided the direction the war would take, the soldiers on the ground enacted their policy. During the vietnam war 19651975 and the cambodianvietnamese war 19771989, the vietnam peoples ground forces relied almost entirely on sovietderived weapons and equipment systems. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war.
The recon teams were to gather military intelligence from enemy soldiers, laotians who had been pressed into service with the north vietnamese army, or through wiretaps. Us air cavalry trooper vs north vietnamese soldier. The key military strategy of the north vietnamese army. Before the sympathizer won the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, many readers didnt know any authors or books written from the vietnamese perspective. The vietnam war lasted from 1 november 1955 to 30 april 1975, officially between north vietnam north vietnam and south vietnam south vietnam. America was more modern in their attacks, using their air force and heavily armed ground. Taking the offensive, october 1966september 1967 in early 1966, the head of the u. Ringler infantry school of advanced military studies united states army command and general staff college fort leavenworth, kansas second term ay 0001 approved for public release distribution is unlimited. The name is said to have first been used by south vietnamese pres.
The significance of the battle of ia drang vietnam war books. The illustrated history of the vietnam war and strategy and tactics. North korean military tactical doctrine, regiment level and higher. Rottman 2009, paperback at the best online prices at ebay.
The north vietnameses plan responded positively to the following criteria. The vietnam war by andrew wiest, chris mcnab books on. This page is over the subject of the vietnam war and its related issues. On the news at the time, they said that this war was a fight for independence. Through several days of fighting they were unable to isolate the city. Feb 10, 2018 the journalistviet cong spy who changed the course of the vietnam war. The north vietnamese army easter offensive of 1972. The fall of dien bien phu in 1954 signaled the end of french rule in indochina, the establishment of the north vietnamese army as a recognized professional fighting. Operational art bends but does not break in response to asymmetry a monograph by major dale s. On the second day of the battle, a battalion from the u. Gordon rottmans north vietnamese army soldier 195875 provides specialty military collections with an indepth focus on the nva, a politicized, professional force with strict organizational concepts. Oscar gilberts marine corps tank battles in vietnam. South vietnamese dead were estimated at more than 400,000, and viet cong and north vietnamese at over 900,000. The thing i liked best about the book is that it gave a real feel for how different service was with the nva compared to the other armies involved in the war, including the viet cong.
The history and the tactics is an excellent book about the conflicts in vietnam from before world war ii to the end of the u. What was it like to fight on the north vietnamese side of. Anderson, the columbia guide to the vietnam war 2002. Kit carson scouts, former viet cong who worked with u. Army infantry, lrrps, and rangers in vietnam, 19651971. The vietnamese communists, or vietcong, were the military branch of the national liberation front nlf, and were commanded by the central office for south vietnam, which was located near the cambodian border. How the north vietnamese remember the vietnam war, 40 years. Nguyen dang phat, the north vietnamese army veteran, told me. Viet cong guerrillas supported by regular units of the north vietnamese army overran towns and cities across the south as the surprised soldiers of the us and the republic of vietnam flailed helplessly. Tunnels were used heavily by the north vietnamese army and viet cong. The military historian max boot takes on the counterinsurgency.
War books is mwis occasional series featuring great books. The evolution of us army tactical doctrine, 19461976 ehistory. Nlf and pavn strategy, organization and structure wikipedia. The defeat of the viet cong and the north vietnamese army, 19611973 by mark. List of equipment of the vietnam peoples ground forces. Army, said to his north vietnamese counterpart on a small team in hanoi negotiating the.
Vo nguyen giap was a general in the vietnam peoples army and a politician. From their training to combat routines, chapters survey uniforms, equipment and strategies alike. Far from being monolithic, the vietnamese and american armed forces were each comprised of men of differing talents and abilities. Viet cong vc, in full viet nam cong san, english vietnamese communists, the guerrilla force that, with the support of the north vietnamese army, fought against south vietnam late 1950s1975 and the united states early 1960s1973.
When people read about those who served as soldierlawyers in. The viet cong and the north vietnamese peoples army of vietnam pavn used wellorganized logistics methods to supply and equip their fighting forces. Opinion the viet cong committed atrocities, too the new. Ground force including strategic rear forces, navy, air force, border defence force, and coast guard. Five days of b52 bombing runs explain the need to estimate casualties on the other side, as well as the. List of books and articles about vietnam war in film. Start reading vietnam infantry tactics elite book 186 on your kindle in under a. The vietnam war was the legacy of frances failure to suppress nationalist forces. It took them many months to travel from the north to the battle field in the south, 34 months if their destination was northern provinces of south. Preparing for underground warfare modern war institute. Guerrilla warfare tactics, in their simplest forms, are used to allow. In the context of the vietnam war 19551975, the army was referred to as the north vietnamese army nva. During the second indochina war, better known as the vietnam war, a distinctive land warfare strategy and organization was used by the main force of the peoples liberation armed forces better known as the viet cong or vc in the west and the nva north vietnamese army peoples army vietnam to defeat their american and south.
The communists primary assets in their long war against the united states were, first, a distinctly vietnamese variant of maos highly flexible protracted war strategy, designed to wear down the american peoples will to fight, even as it permitted the buildup of a powerful conventional army in north vietnam. Sorrow of war offers the north vietnamese perspective by tracing the. For arms, ammunition and special equipment, the vietcong depended on the ho chi minh trail. Army 1st cavalry division reported 1,500 north vietnamese deaths by bodycount, an additional 2,000 by estimate, and 304 deaths among their own troops. In reality, it was an international war between the french at first and then the united states and its allies on the side of south vietnam, and the communist bloc on the side of north vietnam. These events, long before american combat units came to vietnam in 1965, confirm the u. List of books and articles about vietnam war in film online. The conflict in vietnam ended 40 years ago, with chaotic scenes in saigon, now ho chi minh city, as the north vietnamese army closed in on the heart of power, its tanks ploughing through the gates. Kissinger, 1969, 214 when i first read the statement above, actually a bit confusing for personnel and soldiers who does not understand the tactics and strategy of guerrilla and show more content. Map 47 in the north, the viet minh established a communist. Discover librarianselected research resources on vietnam war in film from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. The many falsehoods surrounding the vietnam war continue to frustrate those. Jun 10, 2019 the battle of khe sanh began on january 21, 1968, when forces from the peoples army of north vietnam pavn carried out a massive artillery bombardment on the u. List of books and articles about vietnam war online.
While the north vietnamese army fought in direct combat from the north, the viet cong used guerilla warfare and insurgency tactics to interrupt operations in the south. During the second indochina war, better known as the vietnam war, a distinctive land warfare strategy and organization was used by the national liberation front of south vietnam nlf or better known as the viet cong vc in the west, and the peoples army of vietnam pavn or north vietnamese army nva. Military assistance command, vietnam macv, general william c. Opinion the viet cong committed atrocities, too the. A good primer on the north vietnamese army during the vietnam war. The viet cong were famous for using the guerrilla warfare tactic in vietnam to attack american forces. These formations were wellequipped with modern chinese and soviet weapons and operated under the control of north vietnamese regional headquarters known as front commands. North vietnam, governed by vietnamese communists, and. This logistics organization helped greatly in their war against the american and south vietnamese military during the vietnam war.
Weapons and equipment vietnam war pritzker military. Female communist soldier with assault rifle somewhere on the ho chi minh trail, 1973 north vietnamese army nva pinup girl from the handwritten diary and photo album by north vietnamese war correspondent and photographer le minh truong, documenting his journey along the ho chi minh trail from north vietnam to saigon between 1973 and. Taking the offensive, october 1966september 1967 u. The genius of north vietnams war strategy the daily beast. Photos by north vietnamese photographers show the war like its never been seen. Whatever your interest in australias military, the vietnam war is part of that story. Vo nguyen giap, born 1912, an xa, vietnamdied october 4, 20, hanoi, vietnamese military and political leader whose perfection of guerrilla as well as conventional strategy and tactics led to the viet minh victory over the french and to the end of french colonialism in southeast asia and later to the north vietnamese victory over south vietnam and the united states. The name is said to have first been used by south vietnamese president ngo dinh diem to.
The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign relations. Memories of an officer in vietnam, ballantine books. F in the vietnam war during the vietnam war, the united states took a completely different approach than the national liberation front nlf when it came to tactics. Tactical and materiel innovations army center of military history.
The north vietnamese and some of the viet cong soldiers belonged to conventional main force units. The 33d north vietnamese army regiment, originally a 2,200man fighting force, had lost. The term pavn peoples army of vietnam identifies regular troops of the north vietnamese army nva. How the north vietnamese remember the vietnam war, 40. Nov 18, 2017 the genius of north vietnams war strategy.
With the end of the cold war in 1992 soviet military equipment subsidies ended and vietnam began the use of hard currency and barter to buy weapons and equipment. The evolution of us army tactical doctrine, 19461976. This was highly effective due to their mastery of it. Guerrilla tactics in december 1965, ho chi minh and the north vietnamese leadership ordered a change in a way the war in the south was to be fought. Nva and the viet cong vc was to retain the initiative through of fensive action. It now began reorganizing its meager ranks into a single composite battalion in the valley between the ia drang river and hill 542, the most prominent peak of chu pang in this area. But ive rarely heard vietnamese speak in these terms. I wrote this on a fellow quora comment and friend of sorts at least he and i respect each other lets see the us army kept 1. The journalistviet cong spy who changed the course of the.
This logistics organization helped greatly in their war against the american and south vietnamese military during the vietnam war the viet congs fulltime soldiers were referred to as the main force chu luc. North vietnamese army soldier 195875 5 by gordon l. The pavn is a part of the vietnam peoples armed forces and includes. The editor has excellent photos from the time when the french battled the vietminh to when the u. The viet cong became masters of the guerrilla tactics of north.
He decided to retaliate by launching operation rolling thunder, an air war on north vietnam that would last until 1968. The vietcong and north vietnamese army used essentially infantry tactics, and mobility was the key to all operations, from the small actions of the local forces to the larger actions of the regular forces. Vo nguyen giap is considered one of the greatest military strategists of the 20th century. What tactics did the north vietnamese and viet cong employ. The army university press books are traditional and interactive works relevant to the current interests and concerns of the us army. North vietnamese army soldier by gordon l rottman is part of ospreys warrior series, which seeks to provide insights into the daily lives of historys fighting men and women, detailing their motivation, training, tactics, and experiences. Apr 16, 2015 but ive rarely heard vietnamese speak in these terms. For most americans, there is a lot of mystery that surrounds our old adversaries in the vietnam war.
North vietnamese army soldier 195875 warrior rottman, gordon l. According to vietnamese custom, this person should properly be referred to by the given name giap. The official vietnamese history of the war states that, the liberation army of south vietnam viet cong is a part of the peoples army of vietnam. Viet cong and vietnam peoples army logistics and equipment. Through a collapse of military resistance, the north vietnamese. The viet cong and the peoples army of vietnam pavn or north vietnamese army used wellorganized logistics methods to supply and equip their fighting forces. From the few north vietnamese army nva soldiers that i talked to and the few books that i read. In engagement after engagement the forces of the viet cong and of the north vietnamese army were thrown back. North korean national strategy and military policy foundation. This article is about the weapons used in the vietnam war, which involved the peoples army of vietnam pavn or north vietnamese army nva, national liberation front for south vietnam nlf or viet cong vc, and the armed forces of the army of the republic of vietnam arvn, united states, republic of korea, philippines, thailand, and the. The tet offensive was hanois brilliant stroke of strategy designed to change. Additionally, i have refined this paper as a result of many comments and facts contributed by lieutenant colonel kim, yong bum, north korean tactics instructor, republic of korea army college. The north vietnamese used their forces the way a bullfighter uses its cape to keep us lunging into areas of marginal political importance. During the second indochina war, better known as the vietnam war, a distinctive land warfare strategy and organization was used by the main force of the peoples liberation armed forces better known as the viet cong or vc in the west and the nva north vietnamese armypeoples armyvietnam to defeat their american and south.
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