The deep-seated reason for this long and endless war lies in the confrontation between the two superpowers. The Vietnam War, like the Korean War, originated from the division of the country: Vietnam was divided into South Vietnam and North Vietnam. This decision was made at the Geneva Conference on July 2 1954 after the French colonial rule over Indian zhina ended.
The Geneva Conference decided to divide zhina into two parts: Laos and Cambodia are independent, and Viet Nam is divided into two parts along the line of north latitude 17. The north is a producer country led by Ho Chi Minh, and most of its members are Vietnamese trade union personnel. The Viet Nam Independence Union has been trying to drive France out of Southeast Asia. In the south, citizens of the country led by King Paul also fought against French colonial rule, but these citizens, like the king, did not accept the ideology of * * *. 1949, 1 In July, with the support of France, Baoda established the Kingdom of Vietnam, with Saigon as its capital. 1957, US President Truman recognized the kingdom and prepared to send troops and military advisers to Saigon. Historically, this is the first time that the United States has been involved in the future tragedy of Vietnam.
According to the Geneva Treaty, free elections will be held within two years, and the government with the majority of votes will lead the country to achieve national reunification. This plan, or this dream, has never come true.
Before General Wu Yuanjia finally attacked the fortifications of Dien Bien Phu in France, US Secretary of State john foster dulles proposed to Eisenhower that the United States should intervene instead of France, but it met with firm opposition. But in any case, the United States decided to help newly independent South Vietnam according to the Geneva Treaty.
First of all, Washington wants Baoda to appoint the prime minister of his choice, or at least arrange what Washington thinks is "their people." In the late 1930s, Wu Tingyan, who was exiled to the United States, became prime minister. But his paternalistic pursuit of power is exactly what America wants. Wu Tingyan's arrival coincided with Bauda's final departure (withdrawal from the political arena). About 225 US military officers and 60 soldiers arrived in Saigon in the summer of 1964 to train local troops as instructors. According to the Geneva Convention, neither South Vietnam nor North Vietnam should build their own fortifications, let alone form a military alliance with the outside world.
In short, the typical cold war mechanism has begun to take shape. Southeast asia treaty organization, the Southeast Asia North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was established by the United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Vietnam. This action was protested by China and the Soviet Union. The referendum plan to reunify two Vietnam failed to come true: both governments opposed it. Wu Tingyan put forward a good reason: North Vietnam has no political freedom, so people should vote according to their own wishes. Ho Chi Minh believes that only when Saigon leaves ASEAN will he believe that people have the right to vote freely.
The last Frenchman left Saigon on April 28th. 1956. The Americanization of South Vietnam began some time ago. The dollar replaced the franc, and English gradually became the second language of this country. Wu Tingyan was not opposed by Americans. In addition to serving as prime minister, he is also seeking to replace Bauda (who resigned and returned to the Blue Coast) as head of state and commander-in-chief of the army. Wu Tingyan is a real dictator, surrounded by people like his sister-in-law, which embarrassed the Americans who once supported him. His sister-in-law is a very beautiful but cruel woman, a thorough Catholic, a deadly enemy of capitalism, and has no acceptance of Buddhism. From the beginning, Wu Tingyan made life difficult for the enemies of the government.
At the beginning of 1959, village leaders began to disappear at the rate of one person a day. Their mutilated bodies were found underground, on river banks and in caves, with a label around their necks that read "enemies of the people". At the end of 1959, the frequency of "political crimes" reached 10 every day, and by the end of 1969, it had risen to an average of 25 per day.
The government's repression is equally cruel. As long as there is any suspicion, the special police team will investigate, and the arrested Vietnamese members will face the fate of mutual destruction with their family and friends. 1960 to 196 1,18,000 yue * * was executed,14,000 was arrested and tried, and was usually sentenced to death. These figures alone can explain the cruelty of American participation in this civil war. First Truman, then Eisenhower, then Kennedy. 196 1 1 In February, 2008, Kennedy officially announced his support for South Vietnam to continue to fight against Vietnamese guerrillas and strive for independence. The situation has been tense. A year ago, the North Vietnamese government publicly declared that it would "liberate South Vietnam from the yoke of American imperialism". In fact, the North Vietnamese government has declared a state of war. Kennedy quickly put his words into action: he was the first American president to provide weapons and send military advisers, and also sent armed forces to support South Vietnam. 196 1 12 At the end of the year, the first batch of 400 soldiers arrived in Saigon. In a year or so, this number has increased to 1 12000.
With the help and support of North Vietnam, Vietnam gradually changed its mode of struggle and turned to open guerrilla tactics. The United States has no choice but to provide similar assistance to South Korea. 1963, the number of American "military advisers" increased to 15000 (including 27 generals); They also brought planes and helicopters. The first batch of American wounded were injured in the Vietnam War: 1962 3 1, 1963 77. But this is really just the beginning. The death toll will continue to increase in the next few years: 1964 146, 1965 1365, 1966 4896. The losses in South Vietnam are even more serious: during the seven years from 1960 to 1966, * * 50,000 South Vietnamese soldiers, policemen and officials died, and157,000 Vietnamese guerrillas died.
This brutal war has two most obvious consequences: the people of Wu Tingyan are increasingly afraid of becoming the enemy of the Vietnam War, the government is becoming more and more cruel, and the government refuses to accept the reform suggestions put forward by American consultants. Economically, these suggestions may improve the situation of workers; Religion and politics will make it easier for Buddhists. Yan Ting has her own ideas. He believes that some Buddhists with different political views have secret ties with Yue * *, so Buddhists are forbidden to display the national flag when celebrating the birthday of Buddha (Sakyamuni in 2587). This caused a strong protest March by Buddhists, and the police opened fire on the crowd. 1in June, 963, the first batch of Buddhist monks set themselves on fire by pouring gasoline on the streets of Saigon. The extreme behavior of monks continued until the end of 10, and their painful scenes were broadcast on TV all over the world, which had a bad influence on the South Vietnamese government.
The situation became so bad that the CIA approved the plan to get rid of Wu Tingyan in Saigon. 1 963165438+1October1,a group of south Vietnamese generals decided to take action: Wu Tingyan and his brother were assassinated and replaced by a military group. The first thing the organization did was to change the situation of Buddhists. Three weeks later, 1654381October 22nd, President Kennedy was murdered in Dallas for reasons not directly related to the Vietnam War. Vice President lyndon johnson succeeded the President and continued the Vietnam War.
* * * The movement is wider and more powerful. Guerrillas set traps along roads and paths to lure police and South Vietnamese troops into the trap. They also dug a 3-mile-long tunnel through which they could appear behind the enemy. The South Vietnamese army was in an extremely difficult situation, and President Johnson decided to expand the participation of the US military. Open war is imminent.
From 65438 to 0964, the number of US military units increased to 240,000, and it continues to increase every year. By 1967, the total number of armed forces and maritime forces reached 450,000. In addition, B-25 bombers flew from Guam military base in the Pacific Ocean to North Vietnam for bombing, and more than 50,000 sailors arrived in South Vietnam on warships of the Seventh Fleet.
The open war began at 1964. On August 2, the Seventh Fleet launched a fierce battle with the North Vietnamese army at sea. North Vietnamese troops attacked two American destroyers and sank one, killing 65,438+0,500 sailors. The American government and its military commanders immediately announced that they would retaliate against the cruel attack of the North Vietnamese army. However, The New York Times later refuted this statement (according to the Pentagon report), revealing that the incident was premeditated in advance, and the United States sought to justify the large-scale bombing of North Vietnamese cities by its air power. At this point, war is inevitable and nothing can stop it.
1at the end of 964, although the military government in Saigon had assembled 200,000 people, the Vietnamese army still controlled two-thirds of the territory of South Vietnam. Vietnam accused the United States of using incendiary gasoline bombs in air strikes. Pope Paul VI has repeatedly called for peace. In America, families with boys will experience anxiety and fear when they reach the age of military service. As in other parts of the world, anti-war sentiment in the United States is growing. Some famous intellectuals in western countries, led by Botran Russell, a British historical philosopher, set up a judicial committee (which later became Russell's judicial committee) and proposed to try the "crimes" committed by the United States in Vietnam. 1967, Guevara, another world-famous legend who opposed the "American" war, put forward such a slogan "Create two, three, and a thousand Vietnam" and organized demonstrations, shouting the slogan "Stop bombing" and opposing the war.
However, with or without incendiary bombs, air strikes have no practical effect, and American planes continue to be shot down by Soviet-made missiles. By the spring of 1967, after 26 months of ineffective confrontation with North Vietnam, 500 planes in the United States were destroyed. The war is still escalating. 1965, the number of troops participating in the war has reached an astonishing number: 600,000 South Vietnamese,165,000 Americans, 200,000 South Koreans supporting the United States, 230,000 Viet Cong guerrillas, 20,000 North Vietnamese regular troops, and a few soldiers from southeast asia treaty organization member countries, such as Australia and New Zealand.
1965, the positional warfare in which American infantry divisions participated was launched for the first time. At the same time, the world's fastest bombing fighter continued to bomb North Vietnam, but it did not produce much strategic effect. Although the bombing target is not aimed at densely populated areas, such as cities, it still cannot prevent the United States from being hated by students all over the world, especially in Europe.
Countries that supported the Soviet Union helped North Vietnam and sent aid directly to Vietnamese guerrillas on the battlefield. Soviet support trucks, MIG -2 1 aircraft, Sam missiles, helicopters? China supports weapons, including anti-personnel mines and mortars; Czechoslovakia and Poland supported artillery and ships; East Germany supports cars, motorcycles and bicycles; Romania provided medical assistance. Faced with this endless war and the increasing death toll, the American public is divided into two factions: the "eagle" faction and the "pigeon" faction. The former is small in number and the latter is large in number.
The United States faces $30 billion in war funds every year, and Wall Street is worried that it will repeat the economic recession history of 1929. Some strategists in Washington thought that the friction between the Soviet Union and China at that time might be bad for Hanoi. Unexpectedly, however, China and the Soviet Union competed to support the military aid Vietnam needed to see who could provide more weapons aid to Ho Chi Minh.
Every military government in Saigon is incompetent. 1On July 9th, 965, Nguyen Cao Ky, a 35-year-old Air Force general, dressed in a flight suit, presided over a government meeting, at which he trumpeted his anti-* * feelings. But in the front line of the fight against * * * *, the real achilles heel is the hesitant attitude of General William Westmoreland, the commander-in-chief of the United States. Westmoreland was a battle-hardened general who landed in Sicily during World War II and the Korean War. At present, it has been transferred from West Point Military Academy to the front line of South Vietnam. Generally speaking, he is a theorist. He distributed 654.38 billion anti-* * leaflets in the position of the Viet Cong, but did not strike them violently and cruelly, resulting in about 2,000 Viet Cong * * elements "deserting" and "fleeing" to South Vietnamese troops. They didn't come to cooperate with South Vietnam, but to act as spies and sabotage their actions.
14 Vietnam War, 1968 was the cruelest year. The emotion generated by the bloody war in this distant Southeast Asian country led to the worldwide revolutionary movement. Later, this era was called "1960s". 1968, the image of the United States suffered the heaviest blow, beginning with the Spring Festival attack. 654381October 30th, the Vietnamese army and the North Vietnamese troops launched a large-scale attack. About 50,000 Vietnamese soldiers and Vietnamese regular army attacked 140 strategic locations at the same time, including the headquarters of South Vietnamese troops in Saigon. 0 Division 165438+8, 30 cities and 20 air bases. There is no doubt that this is the biggest attack in the whole Vietnam War. Part of Saigon fell into Yue * * *, and Yue * * even established an interim revolutionary government there. A Vietnamese commando team tried to break into the American embassy, but it was repelled and suffered heavy losses. This operation is very cruel. Westmorland issued a general mobilization to all military forces, demanding immediate recovery from the losses suffered in the previous period of relaxation. After fierce fighting, they recaptured Saigon and other towns, and at least 30 thousand Vietnamese soldiers were killed. The Spring Festival attack is a full-scale attack. Although this action has important symbolic significance, it is not a military victory. The US military has almost recovered all the positions it once lost, including Hue, the ancient city of this country. But in any case, this action is a turning point in the whole war, which proves to the public in the United States and the world that it is impossible for the United States to win. The fighting has been fierce for three months. The United States launched a counterattack in the Mekong Delta, marking the beginning of the "rice field war". At the same time, Vietnam * * * continues to put pressure on the US military base in Xishan. Later, the most serious incident in which the United States was involved in the Vietnam War occurred: the American-Lai Massacre. 1968 March 16 at 7: 30 am, ranking first in the United States.
1 1 Charlie company entered the village of Meilai. Charlie Company is led by 24-year-old Captain William Cali. Cali's immediate superior Ernest Medina ordered Cali to "destroy all enemies". But the enemy is not in the village of Mele. In fact, there are not many adult men in the village, only women, the elderly and children. However, the order of "complete elimination" was carried out to the letter. Cali first shot at a local hut in horror and ordered his men to follow his example. By 1 1, 347 people were killed. The news about the massacre was not reported to the public for several months, but Ronald Ridenour, a soldier who finished his service, learned the news from his comrades. He took immediate action and wrote a letter to members of Congress, which reached the hands of journalist Seymour Hirsch. He investigated the matter and later won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigation and reporting. 1June, 969, Captain Cali was sent back to the United States and accused of being a war criminal. On June 29th, Cali was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a trial that shocked the whole country. During the trial, another journalist, John Sack, stood by the defendant and wrote a book called Captain Cali. In the book, the lieutenant thinks that he has done nothing but carry out the orders given by Captain Medina. But these orders are only aimed at Vietnamese players and should be destroyed without any prisoners-not at women and children. President Nixon reduced his life imprisonment to 20 years. Instead of serving his sentence, Cali was released at the end of 1974 and became an insurance broker. Captain Medina and American division commander Senal Koster submitted their resignations. This incident caused serious differences not only among the American public, but also among the soldiers in the army. In order to further understand this difference, it is necessary to know about the three soldiers who tried to stop the massacre. David Egan, a professor at Clemson University (South Carolina), discovered these three soldiers in 1988 while studying the American Holocaust. They are Hugh Thompson, Lawrence Colborn and Glenn Andreota. They fly a helicopter, and Thompson is the leader (24 years old, like Captain Cali). Thompson's task is to observe the village of Mele from the air. In the morning, they clearly saw a police officer shoot a young girl to the ground. Later, the police shot her in the neck and killed her. Thompson decided to land, and they immediately found that many bodies of women, old people and children were thrown into the ditch. They also saw a group of soldiers walking towards a hut, where an old woman and a child with a newborn baby stood in horror. The pilot opened fire to protect civilians. They rescued more than a dozen villagers. Glen Andreota rescued a two-year-old child clinging to his mother's body. Three weeks later, Andreota died in a plane crash. Thompson and Colborn submitted their reports to their superiors and were rewarded for their actions: Thompson won the cross and Colborn won the bronze medal.
Although the massacre in the United States was not committed by special forces, to tell the story of the Vietnam War-even a short story-we can't help but mention the mysterious "green beret". This elite army has been affirmed by the far right (not only in the United States), but also hated by the beat generation and liberal leaders all over the world because of its extreme nationalist tendency and brutality. The "Green Beret" consists of some volunteers who are particularly good at anti-guerrilla warfare and jungle warfare. They are under the command of Vietnam Military Cooperation Command and Research and Observation Group, usually called Special Operations Group, which was established in 1964. At first, the task of the special operations team was to provide training and strategic advice to South Vietnam. Later, the "green beret" gradually began to take secret military action. They carried out a spy mission to find out the hiding place of guerrillas in Vietnam. Their actions, also known as black operations, include illegal murder, sabotage, psychological warfare and providing negative news. They have helicopters and ships for them to enter enemy territory and return to their bases. The task force consists of 2,000 Americans and 8,000 Vietnamese, all of whom were selected in strict accordance with the criteria. The headquarters is near Saigon. They accept special tasks from the forward observation bases such as Bangmeishu, Songkun and Da Nang. 1967 1 1 month later, the "green berets" are mainly concentrated in three locations: Da Nang is the northern combat base, Song Kun is the central and old Cambodian combat base, and Bangmeishu is the southern combat base. Their standard action team (special reconnaissance team) is composed of three American special forces soldiers and nine South Vietnamese locals, and it is especially good at fighting Vietnamese in jungle areas and North Vietnamese who have crossed the north latitude 17 degrees. After paying a heavy price, Yue * * realized that these "green berets" were hidden in the forest and suddenly appeared in front of them with strong firepower, strong body and courage, making them born to die.
After the Spring Festival attack of 1968 and the counterattack of the United States, the regular army of North Vietnam will bear the main pressure of the war. However, the political and military prestige of the United States has also been seriously damaged. * * * And Republican Richard Nixon became the next president after the election. Although he is the right wing, he also advocates 1969+0 Paris peace talks.
The United States basically admits that it is impossible to win the Vietnam War. With the military defeat suffered by the United States in Southeast Asia, the Nixon administration had to face up to the growing domestic dissatisfaction. Some passionate protesters, such as the world-famous heavyweight champion cassius Clay, refused to do military service. The reports on the war on TV emphasized its negative effects more. Vietnam has become a symbol of the poor's resistance to imperialism. Protests on university campuses are also common. At Ohio University, the National Guard illegally used force in the battle and killed four students. The riot quickly spread to universities in Europe, and the word "1960s" (since 1968, student protests spread from Paris to major cities in Germany and Italy) became synonymous with protests. The protest was held in the name of "the great Vietnamese people" and received organizational leadership and economic assistance from the KGB, the national security organization of the Soviet Union. From 1970, the war spread to Cambodia and Laos. The Cambodian coup overthrew Prince Sihanouk, and General Lang Nuo seized power in the capital Phnom Penh. In Laos, the government continues to resist guerrillas. 1at the end of 970, according to the plan drafted by Henry Kissinger, adviser to President Nixon, the United States began to gradually reduce its troops in South Vietnam. South Vietnam will fight independently because the United States will limit its support in weapons, ammunition and medicine.
American troops began to gradually withdraw from the United States. By the end of 1972, there were only 43,000 American troops left in South Vietnam? They also
Just leaving there. 1973 65438+1On October 27th, the United States and North Vietnam signed a peace agreement in Paris. The war cost the United States 57,000 people. Bodies piled up in South Vietnam. In Laos, Batliao seized power after occupying Vientiane, the capital. In Cambodia, Khmer Rouge leader pol pot overthrew the government of Lang Nuo. South Vietnam ruled by Ruan Wenshao resisted until1April 30, 975. On this day, the Vietnamese People's Army entered Saigon. When the last American fled the American embassy by helicopter, the whole world was shocked. This war, which began 20 years ago, aimed to prevent zhina from becoming a producer of * * *, and finally ended with the withdrawal of the United States. This is painful for the west. For Vietnamese, the war eventually led to more than 2 million deaths, 3 million injuries and 6.5438+0.2 million displacements. On the American side, 57,685 people were killed and153,000 people were injured. At the dawn of the third millennium, Vietnam was at peace. Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, commemorates the industrialist and politician who died in 1969. The new generation rebuilt the city with love and good wishes.
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