The Vietnam War , the way it was fought

The guerilla war tactics of the Vietnam War

Unlike conventional wars, the Vietnam War was a turning point in the history of modern conventional warfare. A guerilla war, fought on difficult terrain with no defined front lines, consisting of hit-and-run attacks with guerillas striking at government outposts and retreating into the jungle. The reliance on helicopters afforded mobility in a difficult terrain.

The Vietnam War can be regarded as a people's war, because guerilla fighters were not easily distinguished from noncombatants and most civilians were mobilized into some sort of active participation. The civilian people of Vietnam suffered greatly, in one way or another. The extensive use of napalm by US forces maimed and killed many thousands of civilians, and the use of defoliants destroyed ground cover, devastating the ecology of an essentially agricultural country.

Vietnam War weaponry

Weaponry used in the Vietnam War included supersonic jets: the Russian-built MiG-17 and MiG-21 opposed the US F-105 and F-4. Surface-to-air (SAM) missiles was a new development of the war that the American pilots had to face. The introduction of electronic technology provided them with laser-guided and optically guided bombs, missile-detection and radar- jamming countermeasures, and air-to-air and air-to-ground rockets. Electronics in aviation (Avionics) became a vital development in modern fighter aircraft. Flight ranges were greatly extended with the introduction of aerial refueling of aircrafts. It was in Vietnam that the use of helicopters - initially used for observation, transport and medical evacuation - became a significant combat weapon.

Millions of tons of bombs dropped on Vietnam

The Vietnam War was characterized mainly by widespread and frequently indiscriminate bombing. During the war years from 1964 to early 1973, more than 6.3 million tons of bombs fell on Vietnam, and on neighboring Laos and Cambodia. Just over one-third of this number helped to defeat both the Third Reich and the Japanese Empire during World War II.

Collectables - Good Morning Vietnam(DVD)

"Good Morning Vietnam"

This comedy-drama about an Armed Forces Radio disc jockey (Robin Williams) whose manic, hilarious delivery from a studio in 1965 Saigon gives U.S. troops in the field a morale boost.

Based on the real-life experiences of a deejay in Vietnam.

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Nature of the Vietnam war

The guerilla war tactics of the Vietnam War

Vietnam War weaponry

Millions of tons of bombs dropped on Vietnam