Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 31, 2010 23:22:57 GMT -4
Forty-two years ago today in Vietnam the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese regulars launched a massive surprise attack on U.S. and Saigon government bases throughout South Vietnam. This would prove to be the Turning Point of the War.
Elite Viet Cong sappers blasted their way even into the new fortress-like U.S. Embassy in Saigon causing all manner of mayhem.
The old Imperial capital of Hue was taken by two NVA divisions, and it took a month of vicious urban street fighting by U.S. Marines, and the Army, to get them out.
Attacks continued all over South Vietnam and in Saigon itself.
The Communist plan was to win the war and collapse the Saigon government which they saw as "puppets" of the U.S. They came very close to succeeding. But they did fail, militarily, with heavy loses.
The problem for the U.S. was that the attacks destroyed the credibility of President Johnson, the military commander, General Westmoreland, and all their assistants. They had presented a rosy picture of a war approaching a successful winding down. Truth is, they lied regularly about casualties and enemy troop strength.
Once a leader, political or military, loses credibility he is finished. And they were. Once they are caught lying about important stuff there is no going back for them.
It was the Turning Point of the War.
Read about it online, Wiki or otherwise.
Elite Viet Cong sappers blasted their way even into the new fortress-like U.S. Embassy in Saigon causing all manner of mayhem.
The old Imperial capital of Hue was taken by two NVA divisions, and it took a month of vicious urban street fighting by U.S. Marines, and the Army, to get them out.
Attacks continued all over South Vietnam and in Saigon itself.
The Communist plan was to win the war and collapse the Saigon government which they saw as "puppets" of the U.S. They came very close to succeeding. But they did fail, militarily, with heavy loses.
The problem for the U.S. was that the attacks destroyed the credibility of President Johnson, the military commander, General Westmoreland, and all their assistants. They had presented a rosy picture of a war approaching a successful winding down. Truth is, they lied regularly about casualties and enemy troop strength.
Once a leader, political or military, loses credibility he is finished. And they were. Once they are caught lying about important stuff there is no going back for them.
It was the Turning Point of the War.
Read about it online, Wiki or otherwise.
