Table of Contents
What was the main reason the American commander in Vietnam General William Westmoreland wanted the first battalions of marines sent to Vietnam?
Commanding General William C. Westmoreland worried that without combat troops to provide security, American air bases in South Vietnam would remain highly vulnerable to enemy attacks. Consequently, he asked for two battalions of marines to help defend the key air base at Da Nang.
How did the Vietnam War come to an end and what were the results?
The conflict was intensified by the ongoing Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975, and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year.
What helped end the Vietnam War?
Having rebuilt their forces and upgraded their logistics system, North Vietnamese forces triggered a major offensive in the Central Highlands in March 1975. On April 30, 1975, NVA tanks rolled through the gate of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, effectively ending the war.
Why did the US enter the Vietnam War?
China had become communist in 1949 and communists were in control of North Vietnam. The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government.
How did the Vietnam War begin?
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, also known as the U.S.S. Maddox incident, marked the formal entry of the United States into the Vietnam War. “In the summer of 1964 the Johnson administration was laying secret plans for an expansion of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam.
When did Vietnam War start and end for the US?
Congress considers the Vietnam Era to be “The period beginning on Feb. 28, 1961 and ending on May 7, 1975 … in the case of a veteran who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period,” and “beginning on Aug. 5, 1964 and ending on May 7, 1975 … in all other cases.”
What caused the Vietnam War to start?
In general, historians have identified several different causes of the Vietnam War, including: the spread of communism during the Cold War, American containment, and European imperialism in Vietnam.
Is General Westmoreland still alive?
Deceased (1914–2005)
William Westmoreland/Living or Deceased
What happened in 1964 during the Vietnam War?
President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as President, following the assassination of President Kennedy. U.S. policy vis-a-vis Vietnam would change dramatically under Johnson’s Administration. On August 2, 1964, North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the USS Maddox, a Navy destroyer, off the coast of North Vietnam.
How did Diem face opposition in South Vietnam?
Ngo Dinh Diem, the newly installed premier of South Vietnam, thus faced opposition not only from the communist regime in the North but also from the Viet Minh’s stay-behind political agents, armed religious sects in the South, and even subversive elements in his own army.
Who controlled the north and south of Vietnam during the Vietnam War?
The North was under the full control of the Worker’s Party, or Vietnamese Communist Party, led by Ho Chi Minh; its capital was Hanoi. In the South the French transferred most of their authority to the State of Vietnam, which had its capital at Saigon and was nominally under the authority of the former Vietnamese emperor, Bao Dai.
What happened to the French in Vietnam after the war?
French rule ended, Vietnam divided. The French Indochina War broke out in 1946 and went on for eight years, with France’s war effort largely funded and supplied by the United States. Finally, with their shattering defeat by the Viet Minh at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in May 1954, the French came to the end of their rule in Indochina.