The war in Vietnam presented a completely new location of battle. The United States had never before fought a major war in a tropical landscape like the one seen in Vietnam. Only select special forces had experience in fighting in such a place from conflicts in Central America and earlier involvement in Vietnam. To the vast majority, however, Vietnam proved a stark contrast to the European open fields of World War II or the terrain of Korea. This environmental factor would greatly affect the tactics employed during the war.
A New Strategy
- Vietcong and North Vietnamese army had a clear home field advantage in jungle warfare over the unaccustomed and unexperienced American forces.
- knowledge of the geography allowed for highly effective and efficient hit-and-run tactics
- success of these tactics depended upon secrecy and forces of small concentration
- US tactic: advanced weaponry and large numbers
- hit-and-run tactics were matched by search-and-destroy, and scout parties were in constant surveillance for enemy movement
- Vietnam was no space for such fighting
- Helicopters became increasingly important as their quick readiness and smaller size proved necessary
- used for rescuing the wounded in the battlefield and engaging the enemy aerially
- planes was mostly reserved for the huge aerial bombings of napalm and Agent Orange over towns or villages
Ho Chi Minh Trail
- Vietcong and North Vietnamese were able to successfully establish an underground system that helped in storage, transportation, and communication across the entire nation.
- The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a complex network of trails, that included underground passages, which proved vital to the Vietcong cause
- A constant movement of troops and materiel made the locating of these a difficult task
- Even when discovered, the presence of booby traps wounded or killed the "Tunnel
Rats"looking for ammunitions or supplies