Operation Rolling Thunder and Tet Offesnive (20 сент 1965 г. – 1 ноя 1968 г.)

Описание:

“My solution to the problem would be to tell them frankly that they’ve got to draw in their horns and stop their aggression or we’re going to bomb them back into the Stone Ages.”
General Curtis E. LeMay; 1965.

Tet is the most important holiday for the Vietnamese people; it celebrates the lunar new year. In the past, there was an unspoken truce between North and South Vietnam on this holiday. In 1968, however, General Nguyen Giap chose the date Tet fell on to launch several surprise attacks on South Vietnam hoping chaos would ensue. He also hoped to scare America away from attempting to protect the South. Giap and his armies attacked US troops at Khe Sanh, located in South Vietnam very close to the DMZ. The US would eventually respond with more troops and Operation Rolling Thunder, a large bombardment on Northern Vietnam that allowed us to gain much more territory.

American Escalation and Failure:
Although North Vietnam had many casualties, they were able to be somewhat successful in their attacks. It forced America to send more troops overseas, which many critics of the war saw as an act of desperation. It also led to America beginning to discuss ways to end the war and leave on their own terms.