Anyone care to explain the Vietnam War?

[jsmoke]

IMO it was more about the US vs Russia and China, they were supporting the North Vietnamese.

It was a religious war, communism being a religion, the leader of South Vietnam, Diem, was Roman Catholic with very strong views he also hated Buddhist's of which many south Vietnamese were. JFK was a Roman Catholic hence favouritism toward Diem.

 

[vanpeebles]

Les Hiddins is a national treasure, I used to watch his show when I was a kid!

That's how I started watching him too, proper legend. I even have a pair of RM Williams I have all his DVD's and some of the books. Annoyingly, he has been to Durham a few times, and I knew nothing about it.

 

[Sankari]

It was a religious war, communism being a religion

I hope nobody paid for your education, because they really got ripped off.

 

[jsmoke]

I hope nobody paid for your education, because they really got ripped off.

I was just waiting for you to say that, I said the next time I check that thread Evangelion will have posted exactly what you have.

People are religious worshipping creations, they are born to worship and communism is a religion that people worship as a God.

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

So you're saying that *checks notes* communism is a religion and that the Vietnam war was *checks notes again* a religious war?

Welp.

 

[vanpeebles]

So you're saying that *checks notes* communism is a religion and that the Vietnam war was *checks notes again* a religious war?

Welp.

Are those proper notes or rude scribbles?

 

[Roar87]

The war was an ideological one pitting South Vietnam back by America against North Vietnam backed by China and Russia, Communism vs Capitalism. While it wasn't strictly a religious war, it was a war over ideas.

 

[PlacidCasual]

Explain the difference between a political ideology and a religion again. They are both constructs of belief, you can't measure an imperial ounce of democracy and bottle it. You can't photograph it.

Anyway one could argue that despite losing the war America achieved it's strategic aims, the domino effect never came about and within 15 years Communism was dead.

 

[alchal]

I'm sure I read somewhere that if the b-52 raids in particular had continued, operation linebacker2 ? That they would have forced the north into talks more favourable.

 

[Eddie]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident

 

[rubberduck]

I'm not 100% convinced the Vietnam war really happened, certainly not in anything approaching the way it was reported. A phony war and fake news to control a population. For proof look where we are today.

 

[Orionaut]

I'
im sure I read somewhere that if the b-52 raids in particular had continued, operation linebacker2 ? That they would have forced the north into talks more favourable.

It is one of the ironies of history that the US withdrew just as they were actually winning. :/

But yes, they would have needed to pour in considerable additional resources to achieve a solid victory and the US public simply didn't have the stomach for it any more.

 

[Brizzles]

The viet cong were a formidable foe,the yanks lost because they were cack

In a nutshell.

Yanks thought sheer might and numbers would beat a peasant army.

 

[jsmoke]

Anyone remember this song from back in the day?

 

[Mason-]

Vietnam: "How about a little communism?"

USA: "No."

 

[Edrof]

One thing about JFK, that rather defines my opinion of him, is that he refused to stop the War when it was suggested to him because he felt he'd win more votes if it was ongoing. What a lovely man.

An interesting footnote at the tail end of WW2 the Japanese forces in Vietnam surrendered to the British and were re-armed as part of a joint British/Japanese force that was very successful in action in combating the early rise of Viet Minh due to both British and Japanese parties having a high level of jungle warfare experience - something the later US forces broadly lacked.

And they refused British advice on the matter. Not that we are much better, on the whole.

 

[wazza300]

In a nutshell.

Yanks thought sheer might and numbers would beat a peasant army.

You have to admit the viet cong were cunning,they dropped everything on them,including poison to clear the vegetation so that they could see the enemy,but they used to dig huge tunnel networks and hide (agent orange I think it was)

Its similar to north/south korea are today exept no war

 

[Sankari]

Anyone remember this song from back in the day?

No, but I remember this one

It's an Australian cult classic.

 

[Eddie]

I knew an Aussie who was over there. He once told me that all the soldiers brought loads of souvenirs back - guns, swords, grenades etc, he said everyone had mountains of stuff. When the boat arrived at Sydney Harbour there was an announcement that anyone caught with said souvenirs would be in trouble, so the soldiers all had to dump their souvenirs over the side before the boat docked.

Some of the stories he used to tell me were quite horrific, stories involving children particularly stuck in my mind.

When he came back he just went on the road, and I think was a high-up member or possibly even a founder of the Australian Hell’s Angels, iirc.

So I guess he was at that Battle of Long Tan, which has been made into a film now - watched it the other night actually, not brilliant but interesting enough.

ETA: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441881/

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Thank you.... Never even knew Australia was involved..

Watch “The Odd Angry Shot” and read up on the battle of Long Tan.