Viet Cong WarFare

By: Amber HerringtonMr. Chiumento

Humanities English II/Period 1June 11, 2012

The Viet Cong Secrets• The North Vietnamese needed a secret and

efficient way to transport their goods (qtd. In Rickman, Barney J., III).

-This was the Ho Chi Minh Trail that stretched across the eastern Laos and Cambodia into Southern Vietnam. It was a series of paths in the jungle (qtd. In Rickman, Barney J., III).

Surprise Attacks from the Viet Cong

• Viet Cong Surprised attacked the ARVN/U.S. army whenever possible (qtd. in Tet Offensive).

-For Example:The Tet Offensive had more casualties for them; however, they put a hug shock in their enemy’s eyes. Almost were successful (qtd. In Tet Offensive).

Viet Cong's platoons

• The experienced soldiers that fought for the Viet Cong full time and uniformed preformed more large scale offensives (qtd. In Guerilla Tactics).

• The less experienced, less organized groups did lesser offensives; however, the two would unite if the mission was critical (qtd. In Guerilla Tactics).

-If the enemy became to great, everyone would fall back (qtd. In Guerilla Tactics).

Guerrilla Attacks

• The Viet Cong had sneaky guerrilla attacks. They would try to make their attacks silently (Walter, Cronkite).

• They murdered the guards first and worked their way through the U.S. embassy during the Tet offensive (Walter, Cronkite).

Viet Cong Weapon

• The Viet Con had “an m16” (Walter, Cronkite).– The m16 was used by a Viet Cong raiding a house

at the U.S. embassy.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

• These series of paths transported the needed “arms, ammunition, and special equipment”(qtd. In Guerilla Tactics).

Viet Cong Weapons

• The Viet Cong “were armed with Chinese versions of the Russian AK-47 submachine gun” (qtd. In Guerilla Tactics).

Being Hidden From The Enemy

• “Hiding the base areas had always been a high priority for the Viet Cong” (qtd. In Guerilla Tactics). -- -The Americans had spotter planes that could easily find and destroy the Viet Cong’s bases.

• The Viet Cong hid the bases “in swamp remote swamps or forests” (qtd. in Guerilla Tactics).

Thesis Statement

• The Guerrilla Warfare that the Viet Cong used against the U.S. & ARVN troop was very successful in their fight to turn all of Vietnam communists.– They did eventually tire U.S. troops and over

power the ARVN and turn all of Vietnam communist.

Viet Cong vs. U.S.

• Viet Cong eventually wore out America’[s resources.– Nixon made the policy of Vietnamization because

of this.

Viet Cong’s tunnels

• The tunnels hid the Viet Cong and help their ambush tactics.– They had home field advantage which made the

ambush and surprise attacks easier.

Viet Cong’s determination

• The Viet Cong’s tactics were very brutal and costs them many lives.– Their soldiers moral was higher than the American

and ARVN troops because they were fighting for their freedom from foreign rule.

Viet Cong Weapons

• The Viet Cong usually had home made weapons and traps (punji sticks).– If the trap didn’t kill them, the feces or other

poisons covered on the trap would infect and kill the victim.

The Viet Cong’s Success

• The Viet Cong had success in destroying U.S. army’s resources.– Rocket propelled grenades and recoilless rifles

could destroy armored vehicle or bunkers.

The Viet Cong’s Success

• The Viet Cong always snuck into U.S. Army bases.

-by the tunnels they made for themselves or small entrances they made into U.S. army bases.

The Hidden Viet Cong

• Viet Cong camouflaged themselves well with the South Vietnamese– The U.S./ARVN troops wouldn’t know the

difference between the Viet Cong or the North Vietnamese victims of this wars.

Works Cited• "Guerilla Tactics: An Overview." Battlefield:Vietnam. PBS.org, n.d.

Web. 5 Jun 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/guerrilla/index.html>.

• Rickman, Barney J., III. "Vietnam War: Shifting Alliances: Need To Know." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 6 June 2012.

• "Tet Offensive." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 1 June 2012

• Walter, Cronkite, perf. Tet Offensive part 1. CBS Evening News, 1968. Film. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3mfXnFtwQc.