Vietnam screw-up

[driftder]

Unfortunately, the vietnam war was as much political as it was military - it's hard to understand one side without looking at the other. I've just done some research on the history of that war; the politics get really curly. Aside from the US vs USSR backdrop, there was a USSR vs PRC conflict being proxied...

Here's a nonpolitical question; the NVA and VC made extensive use of tunnels for basing/transport etc. Were the significance of these tunnel systems underestimated by the US or was the technology required to detect and destroy these systems simply not available at that time?

those tunnels were definitely seriously underestimated. If you read up on Cu Chi, the tunnel matrix was setup as one of the underground fortresses from which they conduct the war. If the US had then conducted the war with the aim of the total unconditional defeat of the NVA then, no holds barred, it would be a different history written. Then again at that time, the technology was not there to destroy/dismantle the underground tunnel fortresses then. Note that I deliberately use fortress as compared to tunnel because tunnels are associated with mere transport. Those tunnel systems were more like underground concealed interconnected bunkers, from which they sally forth to conduct raids, recover their dead and wounded and stockpile their munitions.

If the US had realised how vital those underground bases were to the NVA, they would have designed weapons, tactics to wipe them out. As it is, mere teams of tunnel rats were an insignificant contribution.

Fast forward and compared then with now - the tunnels of Tora Bora for eg. have the US learn their lessons well? go ask the US troops who are there and are using thermobaric bunker busters. The resolve and morale is definitely higher then Vietnam.

 

[Ender89]

My first post was to show that the commanders were constricted for no good reason other than the president knowing what is going to get hit. Being contricted with the Alpha list gave the commanders little time to plan and much time for the VMA and VC to move their defences around so we couldn't effectively destroy key targets and AAM positions.

 

[Brit]

My first post was to show that the commanders were constricted for no good reason other than the president knowing what is going to get hit. Being contricted with the Alpha list gave the commanders little time to plan and much time for the VMA and VC to move their defences around so we couldn't effectively destroy key targets and AAM positions.

What other people are saying is that the targets were restricted in order to prevent an esculation into WW3. frustratng for military planners, probably a good thing as far as humanity is concerned.

 

[Ender89]

I see what your saying. In that case why did we even go to war against the N. Vietmanese if our commanders couldn't use the miliitary power that they had to win the war, besides the fact they were becoming a communistic country?

 

[KGB]

The answer to that would be political.

The tunnel complexes are fascinating; a couple of my friends went to vietnam and the tunnels are part of the featured attractions; they're still there after decades, some of them big enough to drive trucks through. The guides claimed that some of the complexes were never found out.

 

[Ender89]

OK

other than that what could we have done to prevent our planes fom droppin' like flies in Rolling Thunder