In the second half of the 19th century, Vietnam became a French colony. The growth of national consciousness after the First World War led to the creation in 1941 in China of the League for the Independence of Vietnam or Viet Minh - a military-political organization that united all opponents of French power

The main positions were occupied by supporters of communist views under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. During the Second World War, he actively cooperated with the United States, which helped the Viet Minh with weapons and ammunition to fight the Japanese. After the surrender of Japan, Ho Chi Minh captured Hanoi and other major cities of the country, proclaiming the formation of an independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam. However, France did not agree with this and transferred an expeditionary force to Indochina, starting a colonial war in December 1946. The French army could not cope with the partisans alone, and since 1950 the United States came to their aid. The main reason for their intervention was the strategic importance of the region, guarding the Japanese islands and the Philippines from the southwest. The Americans considered that it would be easier to control these territories if they were under the rule of the French allies.

The war went on for the next four years and by 1954, after the defeat of the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the situation became almost hopeless. The United States by this time already paid more than 80% of the costs of this war. Vice President Richard Nixon recommended tactical nuclear bombing. But in July 1954, the Geneva Agreement was concluded, according to which the territory of Vietnam was temporarily divided along the 17th parallel (where there was a demilitarized zone) into North Vietnam (under the control of the Viet Minh) and South Vietnam (under the rule of the French, who almost immediately granted her independence ).

In 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon fought for the White House in the United States. At that time, the fight against communism was considered good form, and therefore the winner was the applicant whose program to combat the "red threat" was more decisive. After the adoption of communism in China, the US government viewed any developments in Vietnam as part of communist expansion. This could not be allowed, and therefore, after the Geneva Accords, the United States decided to completely replace France in Vietnam. With American support, South Vietnamese Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem proclaimed himself the first President of the Republic of Vietnam. His rule was tyranny in one of its worst forms. Only relatives were appointed to government positions, whom the people hated even more than the president himself. Those who opposed the regime were locked up in prisons, and freedom of speech was forbidden. It was hardly to the liking of America, but you can’t turn a blind eye to anything, for the sake of the only ally in Vietnam.

The appearance on the territory of South Vietnam of underground resistance groups, not even supported from the North, was only a matter of time. However, the United States saw only the intrigues of the Communists in everything. Further tightening of measures only led to the fact that in December 1960, all South Vietnamese underground groups united in the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, called the Viet Cong in the West. Now North Vietnam began to support the partisans. In response, the US stepped up its military aid to Diem. In December 1961, the first regular units of the US Armed Forces arrived in the country - two helicopter companies, designed to increase the mobility of government troops. American advisers trained South Vietnamese soldiers and planned combat operations. The John F. Kennedy administration wanted to demonstrate to Khrushchev its determination to destroy the "communist contagion" and its readiness to defend its allies. The conflict grew and soon became one of the most "hot" hotbeds of the Cold War between the two powers. For the US, the loss of South Vietnam meant the loss of Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, which posed a threat to Australia. When it became clear that Diem was not capable of effectively fighting the partisans, the American intelligence services, through the hands of South Vietnamese generals, organized a coup. On November 2, 1963, Ngo Dinh Diem was killed along with his brother. Over the next two years, as a result of the struggle for power, another coup took place every few months, which allowed the partisans to expand the captured territories. At the same time, US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and many fans of the "conspiracy theory" see this as his desire to end the Vietnam War peacefully, which someone really did not like. This version is plausible, in light of the fact that the first document that Lyndon Johnson signed as new president was to send additional troops to Vietnam. Although on the eve of the presidential elections, he was nominated as a "candidate for the world", which influenced his landslide victory. The number of American soldiers in South Vietnam rose from 760 in 1959 to 23,300 in 1964.

On August 2, 1964, in the Gulf of Tonkin, two American destroyers, Maddox and Turner Joy, were attacked by North Vietnamese forces. A couple of days later, in the midst of confusion in the command of the Yankees, the destroyer Maddox announced a second shelling. And although the ship's crew soon denied the information, intelligence announced the interception of messages in which the North Vietnamese confessed to the attack. The US Congress, with 466 votes in favor and no votes against, passed the Tonkin Resolution, giving the President the right to respond to this attack by any means. This started the war. Lyndon Johnson ordered airstrikes against North Vietnamese naval installations (Operation Pierce Arrow). Surprisingly, the decision to invade Vietnam was made only by the civilian leadership: Congress, President, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. The Pentagon reacted without enthusiasm to the decision to "settle the conflict" in Southeast Asia.

More recently, the United States released a statement by independent researcher Matthew Aid, who specializes in the history of the National Security Agency (US special service of electronic intelligence and counterintelligence), that key intelligence about the incident in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964, which served as a reason for the US invasion of Vietnam, was falsified. The basis was a 2001 report by NSA staff historian Robert Heynock, declassified under the Freedom of Information Act (passed by Congress in 1966). The report shows that the NSA officers made an unintentional error in translating the information received as a result of radio interception. Senior officers, who almost immediately revealed the mistake, decided to hide it by correcting all the necessary documents so that they indicated the reality of the attack on the Americans. High-ranking officials repeatedly referred to these false data in their speeches.

And this is not the latest falsification of intelligence by the leadership of the NSA. The war in Iraq was based on unconfirmed information on the "uranium dossier". However, many historians believe that even if there had been no incident in the Gulf of Tonkin, the United States would still have found a reason to start military operations. Lyndon Johnson believed that America must defend its honor, impose a new round of the arms race on our country, unite the nation, distract its citizens from internal problems.

When a new presidential election was held in the United States in 1969, Richard Nixon declared that the foreign policy of the United States would change dramatically. The US will no longer pretend to be the overseer and try to solve problems in all corners of the planet. He revealed a secret plan to end the battles in Vietnam. This was well received by the war-weary American public, and Nixon won the election. However, in reality, the secret plan consisted in the massive use of aviation and navy. In 1970 alone, American bombers dropped more bombs on Vietnam than in the past five years combined.

And here we should mention another party interested in the war - the US corporations that manufacture weapons and ammunition. More than 14 million tons of explosives were detonated in the Vietnam War, which is several times more than during the Second World War in all theaters of operations. Bombs, including high-tonnage bombs and now banned fragment bombs, leveled entire villages to the ground, and the fire of napalm and phosphorus burned hectares of forest. Dioxin, which is the most toxic substance ever created by man, was sprayed over the territory of Vietnam in an amount of more than 400 kilograms. Chemists believe that 80 grams added to New York's water supply is enough to turn it into a dead city. This weapon has continued to kill for forty years, affecting the current generation of Vietnamese. The profits of US military corporations amounted to many billions of dollars. And they were not at all interested in a quick victory for the American army. After all, it is not by chance that the most developed state in the world, using the latest technologies, large masses of soldiers, winning all their battles, still could not win the war.

In 1967, the International War Crimes Tribunal held two hearings on the conduct of the Vietnam War. It follows from their verdict that the United States bears full responsibility for the use of force and for the crime against peace in violation of the established provisions of international law.

Statistics:
58,148 Americans were killed and 303,704 wounded out of 2.59 million who served in Vietnam.
The average age of those killed is 22.8 years.
50,274 were drafted, the average age of the recruit was 22.37 years.
The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War 2 saw about 40 days of combat in 4 years. The average infantryman in Vietnam has seen about 240 days of combat in a year thanks to the mobility of helicopters.
The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand remained free from communism.
During the course of the war, the US national debt increased by $146 billion (1967-1973). Given inflation, in 1992 that would have been $500 billion.
6,598 served in the officer ranks, the average age is 28.43 years.
91 percent of veterans are proud to have served in Vietnam.
74 percent said they would serve again even if they knew how it would end.
1,276 served as warrant officers (NCOs), with an average age of 24.73.
11,465 were under the age of 20.
From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front massacred 36,725 South Vietnamese and kidnapped 58,499. The "death squads" were aimed mainly at leaders - school teachers and petty officials.
The number of North Vietnamese killed is between 500,000 and 600,000. Victims: 15 million.
One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was injured. Despite the fact that the percentage of those killed is approximately equal to that of other wars, amputation and deformity wounds were 300 percent higher than in the Second World War. 75,000 Vietnam veterans became disabled.
The Tet offensive in 1968 was a major defeat for the National Liberation Front and the Viet Cong.
2/3 who served in Vietnam were volunteers; 2/3 who served during the Second World War were called up.
8 nurses died, 1 was killed in action.
Vietnam veterans make up 9.7% of Americans of their generation.
The veteran suicide rate is 1.7%, in line with that of the entire generation.
Non-hostile deaths: 10,800
Missing: 2,338
Number of those killed under the age of 21: 61%
3,403,100 (including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the South Asian theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, aircrews based in Thailand, and sailors in waters adjacent to South China).
240 people were awarded the Medal of Honor for the period of the Vietnam War.
POWs: 766 (114 died in captivity).
7,484 American women served in Vietnam. 6,250 were nurses.
9,087,000 served on active duty during the official Vietnamese period (August 5, 1964 – May 7, 1975).
Losses from enemy actions: 47,378
23,214 are paralyzed; 5,283 lost limbs; 1,081 had multiple amputations.
Married killed: 17,539
Highest Vietnam Veteran Political Position: Vice President Al Gore.
The most successful veteran businessman to date is Frederick Smith (Federal Express).
79% of those who served in Vietnam had a high school education or higher when they entered the service.
5 16 year olds killed in Vietnam.
The oldest person killed is 62 years old.
11,465 of those killed were under 20.
50,000 served in Vietnam from 1960 to 1964
Of the 2.6 million, 1-1.6 million were involved in close combat or subjected to regular attacks.
Peak troop strength: 543,482 (April 30, 1969)
Total inductees (1965-1973): 1,728,344
Conscripts accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of those killed in action
National Guard: 6,140 served; 101 died
Last drafted: June 30, 1973
97% of Vietnam veterans were honorably discharged

The war that went on with a short break in Indochina, primarily in Vietnam, in 1946-1975, became not only the longest, but also the most amazing military conflict of the second half of the 20th century. An economically weak, backward semi-colonial country managed to defeat first France, and then an entire coalition led by the most economically developed state in the world - the United States.

War for independence

French colonial rule in Indochina collapsed during World War II when Japan took over the region. After Japan's defeat in the war, France attempted to reclaim its former colony. But it turned out that it is not so simple. The Vietnamese fought for independence against the Japanese and now for the most part did not want to return to submission to the former colonialists.

After the surrender of Japan, the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, was occupied by partisans of the Vietnam Independence League (Viet Minh), created by the communists. On September 2, 1945, the leader of the Viet Minh and the Communist Party, Ho Chi Minh, proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV). In other countries of Indochina - Laos and Cambodia - the movement for independence also intensified.

On September 23, French troops landed in Saigon, in southern Vietnam. By the beginning of 1946, France had sent troops to all major Vietnamese cities. The French government invited the leaders of the national movements to transform the colonial empire into a French Union, where the colonies would enjoy autonomy, but not have sovereignty. Ho Chi Minh did not agree with this plan, and negotiations dragged on.

In November 1946, armed clashes began between the colonialists and the forces of the DRV. Detachments of the Viet Minh were driven out of the cities. But the French could not defeat the Viet Minh. But against 50-60 thousand partisans, they concentrated more than 100 thousand soldiers, not counting the militia of both sides (part of the local population served on the side of the French). The attempts of the French to go deep into the jungle, which occupied 80% of the country's territory, ended in defeat. The Vietnamese knew the area well, they tolerated the humid, stuffy and hot climate of their country better. The French landed troops among the forests, hoping to capture the leaders of the rebels, but to no avail.

In 1949, the colonialists were forced to accept the independence of Vietnam and formally transferred power to a representative of the local dynasty and their Catholic supporters. But this did not help to cope with the communists.

The landing of American soldiers in South Vietnam. June 1965

In 1950, with the support of China, Vietnamese troops under the command of Vo Nguyen Giap launched a counteroffensive. One by one, they smashed the French garrisons, despite the fact that the French were commanded by the illustrious General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny. He had to concentrate his forces around Hanoi and fight off blows from all sides. Now, under the command of Giap, there were more than 100 thousand fighters. Allied with the communists and nationalists of Laos, the Vietnamese communists expanded the theater of operations to Laos. In order to divert the Vietnamese from the onslaught on Hanoi and cut off their ties with Laos, the French created the Dien Bien Phu fortress in the rear, near the border with Laos, which was supposed to tie down the communications of the Viet Minh. But Giap besieged and took Dien Bien Phu.

After the defeat at Dien Bien Phu, the French had no choice but to leave Indochina. In July 1954, the Geneva Accords were concluded, according to which Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia gained independence. In Vietnam, general elections were to be held, but for now it was divided between the DRV and the imperial government along the 17th parallel. The conflict between the communists and their opponents in Vietnam continued.

US intervention

After the liberation of Vietnam from French colonial rule, the country was divided into the north, where the DRV existed, and the south, where the Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed in 1955. The United States began to provide increasing assistance to the south in order to stop the "expansion of the communists." But the countries of Indochina were poor, and it seemed to millions of peasants that the communists were offering a way out of poverty.

The communists of the DRV arranged for the dispatch of weapons and volunteers to the south along the path laid in the jungle through Taos and Cambodia. This road was called the Ho Chi Minh trail. The monarchies of Laos and Cambodia were unable to resist the actions of the communists. The provinces of these countries adjacent to Vietnam, along which the "path" passed, were captured by the allies of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam - the Patriotic Front of Laos, led by Prince Souphanouvong, and the army of the Khmer Rouge (Cambodians) led by Salot Sar (Pol Pot).

In 1959, the communists launched an uprising in southern Vietnam. The peasants of the south, for the most part, supported the partisans or were afraid of them. Formally, the uprising was led by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, but in reality the command in the south was carried out from the DRV. Washington decided that a communist victory in Indochina could lead to the West losing control over Southeast Asia. Under these conditions, American strategists decided on direct military intervention.

As a pretext for a large-scale invasion, the United States used the shelling by the Vietnamese of American ships dangerously approaching the Vietnamese coast in the Gulf of Tonkin. In response, the US Congress passed the Tonkin Resolution in August 1964, allowing President Lyndon Johnson to use any military means in Vietnam. Massive bombardments of the DRV began in 1965, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. So that no one could escape, the Americans poured burning napalm on the Vietnamese land, which burned out all life, since it could not actually be extinguished. Johnson, he said, sought to "bomb Vietnam into the Stone Age." More than half a million American soldiers landed in South Vietnam. Small contingents were sent by Australia, South Korea and other US allies. This war became one of the main armed conflicts of the Cold War - the confrontation between the capitalist West and the state-socialist East.

When planning the defeat of the communists, American strategists counted on helicopters. With their help, the soldiers were supposed to quickly appear in those areas of the jungle where communist activity was noted. But the helicopters were easily shot down from grenade launchers that the Vietnamese communists received from the USSR and China. The Americans and their South Vietnamese allies dealt blow after blow against the guerrillas and yet could not conquer the jungle. Supporters of Ho Chi Minh passed along the trail named after him and could penetrate through Laos and Cambodia to any area of ​​South Vietnam, stretched from north to south. The communists killed not only soldiers, but also thousands of civilians who collaborated with the South Vietnamese regime. Soon the Americans had to switch to the defense of their bases, limiting themselves to combing and bombing the jungle. American aircraft poured chemicals into the jungle, which dried up the vegetation that covered the partisans, sickened and died people and animals. However, this ecological war did not help. In January 1968, Vietnamese communist troops under the command of Giap launched an offensive during the Tet holiday.

The coming of the Tet holiday

The Vietnamese celebrate the New Year in late January - early February (Tet holiday). By this date, the leaders of the Communists timed a general uprising against the United States and its allies.

Americans in North Vietnam. Winter 1965/66

On January 30, 1968, Giap planned to launch a simultaneous attack on dozens of points in South Vietnam - from American bases to large cities. According to Ho Chi Minh, the population should have joined the partisan columns. But by January 30, not all of Giap's forces managed to reach the planned lines of attack, and he postponed the strike for a day.

However, this news did not reach all the columns, so on January 30 the Americans were attacked in several places. The surprise factor was lost, the Americans and the Saigon soldiers prepared for defense. But they did not expect the scale of Giap's offensive. The partisans managed to quietly concentrate in an area of ​​​​more than 50 points, so that the Americans did not know about it. The local population reported nothing to the Saigon authorities. Especially dangerous for the Americans were attacks on Saigon and Hue, which was taken by partisans. Fighting in Saigon continued for more than a month. Already in the first days of the fighting, it became clear that the population was not ready for an uprising. The Vietnamese did not like the American occupation, but most of the inhabitants were not going to shed blood for the communists either. Especially on a holiday, when people intended to relax and have fun. After Giap realized that there would be no uprising, he withdrew most of his columns. Nevertheless, the Tet offensive showed that the Americans and their allies did not control South Vietnam, and the Communists felt at home here. This was a moral turning point in the war.

The United States was convinced that it could not defeat communism through direct military intervention.

After American casualties in Indochina ran into the tens of thousands, the popularity of this war in the United States began to decline rapidly. In America, anti-war sentiments intensified, anti-war rallies were held, often degenerating into massacres between students and the police.

In March 1968, a landmark event took place in the Vietnam War: the company of Lieutenant William Kelly killed almost all the inhabitants of the Vietnamese village of Song My, including women and children. This massacre caused a new explosion of indignation in the United States. More and more Americans believed that their army was no better than the Nazis.

America's Lost World

Due to the sharp deterioration of Soviet-Chinese relations in the late 60s. The DRV began to experience difficulties in supplying from the "socialist camp". US President Richard Nixon ordered the mining of the ports of the DRV, even at the risk that Soviet ships could be blown up by these mines. The conflict in Vietnam would turn into a global one. Then the Vietnamese sailors began to clear the bay of the port of Haiphong, "driving" along it on boats. Mines exploded - if lucky, then behind the boat. But not everyone was lucky. However, the comrades of the dead again and again went to these dangerous "races". As a result, the fairway of the bay was cleared of mines.

In 1970-1971. The Americans repeatedly invaded Laos and Cambodia, destroying bases along the Ho Chi Minh trail. At the same time, a policy of "Vietnamization of the war" was pursued - under the guidance of American instructors, a more combat-ready army of Saigon was created (as the regime of South Vietnam was called after the name of its capital). Saigon soldiers bore the brunt of the war. But this army could only fight with the constant help of the United States.

A military photographer captured the tragedy of American soldiers. During the retreat in the jungle, death awaits on all sides

In 1972, communist troops launched a new offensive against South Vietnam from Laos and Cambodia. In response, the United States undertook a massive bombardment of the DRV and the Ho Chi Minh trail. However, they again did not reach a turning point in their favor. It became clear that the war was at an impasse.

In January 1973, the Paris Agreement was signed between the USA, the DRV and South Vietnam, according to which America and North Vietnam withdrew their troops from South Vietnam. The DRV promised not to send weapons and volunteers to South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Free elections were to be held in these countries. But after the resignation of President Nixon in 1974, the US sharply cut aid to the allied regimes in Indochina. In the spring of 1975, the local communists, who, despite the agreements, continued to receive a lot of help from the USSR, China and the DRV, went on the offensive in Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam. In March, the South Vietnamese army was defeated, and on April 30, 1975, the communists entered Saigon, which was soon renamed Ho Chi Minh City (the leader of the Vietnamese communists died in 1969). In April, the communists won in Cambodia and Laos. In 1976, the united Socialist Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed.

American soldiers in Vietnam left behind many victims

Former US President Nixon said that America won the Vietnam War but "lost the peace." Indeed, the US lost the fight after the Paris Accords. But they didn't win the war either. It was won by the Vietnamese people, who were striving for unification and social justice. The US defeat in Vietnam was America's biggest setback during the Cold War.

AT The war in Vietnam began with the shelling of the USS Maddox. This happened on August 2, 1964.
The destroyer was in the Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnamese territorial waters where no one called the US) and was allegedly attacked by Vietnamese torpedo boats. All torpedoes missed, but one boat was sunk by the Americans. The Maddox fired first, explaining it as a warning fire. The event was called the "Tonkin Incident" and was the reason for the outbreak of the Vietnam War. Further, by order of US President Lyndon Johnson, the US Air Force attacked the naval facilities of North Vietnam. It is clear for whom the war was beneficial, he is a provocateur.

The confrontation between Vietnam and the United States began with the recognition of Vietnam as an independent state in 1954. Vietnam was divided into two parts. The South remained under the control of France (Vietnam had been its colony since the 19th century) and the United States, while the North was dominated by the Communists with the support of China and the USSR. The country was supposed to unite after democratic elections, but the elections did not take place, and a civil war broke out in South Vietnam.

The US feared that communism could spread throughout Asia in a domino fashion.

Representatives of the communist camp waged a guerrilla war on enemy territory, and the so-called Iron Triangle, an area of ​​310 square kilometers northwest of Saigon, became its hotbed. Despite such proximity to the strategic settlement of the South, it was actually controlled by communist partisans, and the underground complex near the village of Kuti, which had been significantly expanded by that time, became their base.

The United States supported the South Vietnamese government, fearing the further expansion of the Communists in Southeast Asia.

The Soviet leadership at the beginning of 1965 decided to provide the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) with large-scale military-technical assistance. According to Alexei Kosygin, chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, aid to Vietnam during the war cost the Soviet Union 1.5 million rubles a day.

To eliminate the partisan zone in January 1966, the United States decided to conduct Operation Crimp, for which 8,000 US and Australian troops were allocated. Once in the jungle of the Iron Triangle, the allies faced an unexpected surprise: in fact, there was no one to fight with. Snipers, stretch marks on the trails, unexpected ambushes, attacks from behind, from territories that, it would seem, had already (just!) been cleared: something incomprehensible was happening around, and the number of victims was growing.

The Vietnamese sat underground and after the attacks again went underground. In the underground cities, the halls were without additional supports and they were designed for the miniature constitution of the Vietnamese. Below is a plan-scheme of a real underground city explored by the Americans.

Much larger Americans could hardly squeeze through the passages, the height of which was usually in the range of 0.8-1.6 meters, and the width was 0.6-1.2 meters. There was no obvious logic in the organization of the tunnels, they were deliberately built as a chaotic labyrinth, equipped with a large number of false dead-end branches that complicated orientation.

Viet Cong guerrillas throughout the war were supplied through the so-called "Ho Chi Minh trail", which ran through neighboring Laos. The Americans and the army of South Vietnam tried several times to cut the "path", but it did not work out.

In addition to fire and traps of "tunnel rats", snakes and scorpions, which the partisans specially set on, could also wait. Such methods led to the fact that among the "tunnel rats" there was a very high mortality rate.

Only half of the personnel returned from the holes. They were even armed with special pistols with silencers, gas masks and other things.

The Iron Triangle, the area where the catacombs were discovered, was eventually simply destroyed by the Americans with B-52 bombing.

The fighting took place not only underground, but also in the air. The first battle between anti-aircraft gunners of the USSR and American aircraft took place on July 24, 1965. The Soviet MiGs, which the Vietnamese flew, have proven themselves well.

During the years of the war, the Americans lost 58,000 people in the jungle killed, 2,300 went missing and over 150,000 were wounded. At the same time, the list of official losses did not include Puerto Ricans who were recruited into the US army in order to obtain United States citizenship. North Vietnamese losses amounted to over a million killed military personnel and over three million civilians.

The Paris ceasefire agreements were signed only in January 1973. It took a few more years to withdraw the troops.

Carpet bombing of cities in North Vietnam, carried out by order of US President Nixon. On December 13, 1972, a North Vietnamese delegation left Paris, where peace talks were being held. In order to force them to return back, it was decided to launch massive bombing attacks on Hanoi and Haiphong.

A South Vietnamese Marine wearing a special bandage among the decomposing corpses of American and Vietnamese soldiers who died during the fighting on a rubber plantation 70 km northeast of Saigon, November 27, 1965.

According to the Soviet side, 34 B-52s were lost during Operation Linebacker II. In addition, 11 aircraft of other types were shot down. North Vietnamese losses were about 1,624 civilians, military casualties are unknown. Aviation losses - 6 MiG 21 aircraft.

"Christmas bombing" is the official title.

During Operation Linebacker II, 100,000 tons were dropped on Vietnam! bombs.

The most famous case of the use of the latter is Operation Popeye, when US transport workers sprayed silver iodite over the strategic territories of Vietnam. From this, the amount of precipitation increased three times, roads were washed away, fields and villages were flooded, communications were destroyed. With the jungle, the US military also acted radically. Bulldozers uprooted trees and topsoil, and herbicides and defoliants (Agent Orange) were sprayed on the rebel stronghold from above. This seriously disrupted the ecosystem, and in the long run led to mass diseases and infant mortality.

The Americans poisoned Vietnam with everything they could. They even used a mixture of defoliants and herbicides. From what freaks are still born there already at the genetic level. This is a crime against humanity.

The USSR sent to Vietnam about 2,000 tanks, 700 light and maneuverable aircraft, 7,000 mortars and guns, more than a hundred helicopters, and much more. Almost the entire air defense system of the country, impeccable and impenetrable for fighters, was built by Soviet specialists at Soviet funds. There were also "exit training". Military schools and academies of the USSR trained Vietnamese military personnel.

Vietnamese women and children hide from artillery fire in an overgrown canal 30 km west of Saigon on January 1, 1966.

On March 16, 1968, American soldiers completely destroyed a Vietnamese village, killing 504 innocent men, women, and children. For this war crime, only one person was convicted, who three days later was "pardoned" by the personal decree of Richard Nixon.

The Vietnam War also became a drug war. Drug addiction in the troops has become another factor that crippled the combat capability of the United States.

On average, an American soldier in Vietnam fought 240 days a year! For comparison, an American soldier during the Second World War in the Pacific fought an average of 40 days in 4 years. Helicopters performed well in this war. Which the Americans lost about 3500 pieces.

From 1957 to 1973, about 37,000 South Vietnamese were shot by Viet Cong guerrillas for collaborating with the Americans, most of whom were petty civil servants.

Civilian casualties are unknown to date - about 5 million are believed to have died, with more in the North than in the South. In addition, the losses of the civilian population of Cambodia and Laos are not taken into account anywhere - apparently, here they also number in the thousands.

The average age of a dead American soldier was 23 years 11 months. 11,465 dead were under the age of 20, and 5 died before reaching the age of 16! The oldest person to die in the war was a 62-year-old American.

The Vietnam War was the longest military confrontation in modern military history. The conflict lasted about 20 years: from November 1, 1955 to the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.

But Vietnam won...

Our crimson flag proudly flies,
And on it - the stars of the victory sign.
Like the surf
Thunderstorm -
The power of friendship is fighting,
To new dawns we go step by step.

This is Lao Dong, our party
Us forward from year to year
Leads!
— Do Ming, "Lao Dong Party Song"

Soviet tanks in Saigon ... this is the end ... The Yankees do not want to remember this war, they no longer openly fight with the radicals and generally revised their methods of fighting the "red plague".

The basis of information and photos (C) is the Internet. Main sources:

After World War II, the USSR participated in many local military conflicts. This participation was unofficial and even secret. The exploits of the Soviet soldiers in these wars will forever remain unknown.

Chinese Civil War 1946-1950

By the end of World War II, two governments had formed in China, and the country's territory was divided into two parts. One of them was controlled by the Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek, the second by the communist government led by Mao Zedong. The US supported the Kuomintang, and the USSR supported the Communist Party of China.
The trigger for the war was released in March 1946, when a group of 310,000 Kuomintang troops, with the direct support of the United States, launched an offensive against the positions of the CCP. They captured almost all of southern Manchuria, pushing the communists across the Sungari River. At the same time, the deterioration of relations with the USSR begins - the Kuomintang, under various pretexts, does not fulfill the conditions of the Soviet-Chinese treaty "on friendship and alliance": the property of the CER is plundered, Soviet media are closed, and anti-Soviet organizations are created.

In 1947, Soviet pilots, tankers, and artillerymen arrived in the United Democratic Army (later the People's Liberation Army of China). A decisive role in the subsequent victory of the CPC was also played by the weapons supplied to the Chinese Communists from the USSR. According to some reports, only in the autumn of 1945, the PLA received from the USSR 327,877 rifles and carbines, 5,207 machine guns, 5,219 artillery pieces, 743 tanks and armored vehicles, 612 aircraft, as well as ships of the Sungarian flotilla.

In addition, Soviet military experts developed a plan for managing strategic defense and counteroffensive. All this contributed to the success of the NAO and the establishment of the communist regime of Mao Zedong. During the war, about a thousand Soviet soldiers died in China.

Korean War (1950-1953).

Information about the participation of the USSR armed forces in the Korean War was classified for a long time. At the beginning of the conflict, the Kremlin did not plan the participation of Soviet military personnel in it, however, the large-scale involvement of the United States in the confrontation between the two Koreas changed the position of the Soviet Union. In addition, the provocations of the Americans also influenced the Kremlin's decision to enter the conflict: for example, on October 8, 1950, two American attack aircraft even bombed the Pacific Fleet Air Force base in the Dry River area.

The military support of the DPRK by the Soviet Union was aimed mainly at repelling US aggression and was carried out through gratuitous deliveries of weapons. Specialists from the USSR prepared command, staff and engineering personnel.

The main military assistance was provided by aviation: Soviet pilots made sorties on MiG-15s repainted in the colors of the Chinese Air Force. At the same time, the pilots were forbidden to operate over the Yellow Sea and pursue enemy aircraft south of the Pyongyang-Wonsan line.

Military advisers from the USSR were present at the headquarters of the front only in civilian clothes, under the guise of correspondents for the newspaper Pravda. This special "camouflage" is mentioned in Stalin's telegram to General Shtykov, an employee of the Far Eastern Department of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

It is still unclear how many Soviet soldiers actually were in Korea. According to official figures, during the conflict, the USSR lost 315 people and 335 MiG-15 fighters. By comparison, the Korean War claimed the lives of 54,246,000 Americans and over 103,000 were wounded.

Vietnam War (1965-1975)

In 1945, the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed, power in the country passed to the communist leader Ho Chi Minh. But the West was in no hurry to give up its former colonial possessions. Soon, French troops landed on the territory of Vietnam in order to restore their influence in the region. In 1954, a document was signed in Geneva, according to which the independence of Laos, Vietnam Cambodia was recognized, and the country was divided into two parts: North Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh, and South Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diem. The latter quickly lost popularity among the people, and a guerrilla war broke out in South Vietnam, especially since the impenetrable jungle provided it with high efficiency.

On March 2, 1965, the US began regular bombing of North Vietnam, accusing the country of expanding the guerrilla movement in the south. The reaction of the USSR was immediate. Since 1965, large-scale deliveries of military equipment, specialists and soldiers to Vietnam began. Everything happened in the strictest secrecy.

According to the recollections of veterans, before the flight, the soldiers were dressed in civilian clothes, their letters home were subjected to such strict censorship that if they fell into the hands of an outsider, the latter could understand only one thing: the authors are resting somewhere in the south and enjoying their serene vacation.

The participation of the USSR in the Vietnam War was so classified that it is still not clear what role the Soviet military personnel played in this conflict. There are numerous legends about Soviet aces pilots fighting "phantoms", whose collective image was embodied in the pilot Li-Si-Tsyn from a famous folk song. However, according to the recollections of participants in the events, our pilots were strictly forbidden to engage in combat with American aircraft. The exact number and names of Soviet soldiers who participated in the conflict are still unknown.

War in Algeria (1954-1964)

The national liberation movement in Algeria, which gained momentum after the Second World War, in 1954 grew into a real war against French colonial rule. The USSR took the side of the rebels in the conflict. Khrushchev noted that the struggle of the Algerians against the French organizers was in the nature of a war of liberation, and therefore, it should be supported by the UN.

However, the Soviet Union provided the Algerians not only with diplomatic support: the Kremlin supplied the Algerian army with weapons and military personnel.

The Soviet military contributed to the organizational strengthening of the Algerian army, participated in the planning of operations against the French troops, as a result of which the latter had to negotiate.

The parties entered into an agreement according to which hostilities ceased, and Algeria was granted independence.

After the signing of the agreement, Soviet sappers carried out the largest demining operation in the country. During the war, French battalions of sappers on the border of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia mined a strip from 3 to 15 km, where there were up to 20 thousand “surprises” per kilometer. Soviet sappers cleared 1350 sq. km of territory, destroying 2 million anti-personnel mines.

The Vietnam War lasted 20 long years. It became the most brutal and bloody military conflict of the Cold War, which involved several countries of the world. During the entire period of armed confrontation, the small country lost almost four million civilians and about one and a half million soldiers on both sides.

Background of the conflict

Speaking briefly about the Vietnam War, this conflict is called the Second Indochina War. At some point, the internal confrontation between the North and the South grew into a confrontation between the Western SEATO bloc, which supported the southerners, and the USSR and the PRC, who were on the side of North Vietnam. The Vietnamese situation also affected neighboring countries - Cambodia and Laos did not escape the civil war.

First, a civil war broke out in southern Vietnam. The prerequisites and causes of the Vietnam War can be called the unwillingness of the country's population to live under the influence of the French. In the second half of the 19th century, Vietnam belonged to the colonial empire of France.

When the First World War ended, the country experienced an increase in the national consciousness of the population, which was manifested in the organization a large number underground circles that fought for the independence of Vietnam. At that time, there were several armed uprisings in the country.

In China, the League for the Independence of Vietnam - Viet Minh - was created, uniting all those who sympathize with the idea of ​​liberation. Further, the Viet Minh was headed by Ho Chi Minh, and the League acquired a clear communist orientation.

Speaking briefly about the causes of the Vietnam War, they were as follows. After the end of World War II in 1954, the entire Vietnamese territory was divided along the length of the 17th parallel. At the same time, North Vietnam was controlled by the Viet Minh, and the South was controlled by the French.

The victory of the Communists in China (PRC) made the US nervous and began its intervention in Vietnam's domestic politics on the side of the French-controlled South. The US government, regarding the PRC as a threat, believed that Red China would soon wish to increase its influence in Vietnam, but the US could not allow this.

It was assumed that in 1956 Vietnam would unite into a single state, but the French South did not want to become under the control of the communist North, which was the main reason for the Vietnam War.

Beginning of the war and early period

So, it was not possible to painlessly unite the country. The Vietnam War was inevitable. The communist North decided to seize the southern part of the country by force.

The beginning of the Vietnam War was a series of terrorist attacks against officials of the South. And 1960 was the year of the creation of the world-famous Viet Cong organization, or the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (NLF), which united all the numerous groups fighting against the South.

In a brief summary of the causes and outcomes of the Vietnam War, some of the most significant events of this brutal confrontation cannot be omitted. In 1961, the American army does not take part in the clashes, but the successful and daring actions of the Viet Cong have strained the United States, which is transferring the first regular army units to South Vietnam. Here they train South Vietnamese soldiers and assist them in planning attacks.

The first serious military clash occurred only in 1963, when the Viet Cong guerrillas in the battle of Apbak smashed the South Vietnamese army to smithereens. After this defeat, a political coup took place, in which the ruler of the South, Diem, was killed.

The Viet Cong strengthened their positions by transferring a significant part of their guerrillas to the southern territories. The number of American soldiers also grew. If in 1959 there were 800 fighters, then in 1964 the Vietnam War continued with the size of the American army in the South, which reached 25,000 soldiers.

United States intervention

The Vietnam War continued. The fierce resistance of the partisans of North Vietnam was helped by the geographical and climatic features of the country. Dense jungles, mountainous terrain, alternating seasons of rainstorms and incredible heat significantly complicated the actions of American soldiers and made it easier for the Viet Cong guerrillas, for whom these natural disasters were familiar.

Vietnam War 1965-1974 was carried out already with the full-scale intervention of the US Army. At the beginning of 1965, in February, American military installations were attacked by the Viet Cong. After this brazen trick, US President Lyndon Johnson announced the readiness of a retaliatory strike, which was carried out during Operation Burning Spear, a brutal carpet bombing of Vietnamese territory by American aircraft.

Later, already in March 1965, the US Army carried out another, the largest bombing operation since the Second World War, called "Thunder Rolls". At this time, the size of the American army grew to 180,000 troops. But this is not the limit. Over the next three years, there were already about 540,000.

But the first battle in which US Army soldiers entered took place in August 1965. Operation Starlight ended with a complete victory for the Americans, who destroyed approximately 600 Viet Cong.

After that, the American army decided to use the "search and destroy" strategy, when the US soldiers considered their main task to be the detection of partisans and their complete destruction.

Frequent forced military clashes with the Viet Cong in the mountainous territories of South Vietnam exhausted American soldiers. In 1967, at the Battle of Dakto, the US Marines and the 173rd Airborne Brigade suffered terrible losses, although they managed to hold back the guerrillas and prevent the capture of the city.

Between 1953 and 1975, the United States spent a fabulous $168 million on the Vietnam War. This led to an impressive federal budget deficit in America.

Tet battle

During the Vietnam War, the replenishment of American troops came entirely from volunteers and a limited draft. President L. Johnson refused to partially mobilize and call up reservists, so by 1967 the human reserves of the American army were exhausted.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam War continued. In mid-1967, the military leadership of North Vietnam began planning a large-scale offensive in the south in order to turn the tide of hostilities. The Viet Cong wanted to create the prerequisites for the Americans to begin to withdraw their troops from Vietnam and overthrow the government of Nguyen Van Thieu.

The United States was aware of these preparations, but the Viet Cong offensive came as a complete surprise to them. The army of northerners and guerrillas went on the offensive on Tet (Vietnamese New Year) day, when it is forbidden to conduct any military operations.

On January 31, 1968, the army of North Vietnam launched massive strikes throughout the South, including major cities. Many attacks were repulsed, but the South lost the city of Hue. Only in March this offensive was stopped.

During the 45 days of the North offensive, the Americans lost 150,000 soldiers, more than 2,000 helicopters and aircraft, more than 5,000 military equipment and about 200 ships.

At the same time, America was waging an air war against the DRV (Democratic Republic of Vietnam). About a thousand aircraft took part in the carpet bombing, which during the period from 1964 to 1973. flew more than 2 million sorties and dropped about 8 million bombs in Vietnam.

But the American army team miscalculated here too. North Vietnam evacuated its population from all major cities, hiding people in the mountains and jungle. The Soviet Union supplied the northerners with supersonic fighters, air defense systems, radio equipment and helped to master all this. Thanks to this, the Vietnamese managed to destroy about 4,000 US aircraft throughout the years of the conflict.

The battle of Hue, when the South Vietnamese army wanted to retake the city, was the bloodiest in the history of this war.

The Tet offensive caused a wave of protests among the US population against the Vietnam War. Then many began to consider it senseless and cruel. No one expected that the Vietnamese communist army would be able to organize an operation of this magnitude.

Withdrawal of US troops

In November 1968, after the newly elected US President R. Nixon took office, who during the election race promised an end to America's war with Vietnam, there was hope that the Americans would still remove their troops from Indochina.

The US war in Vietnam was a disgrace to America's reputation. In 1969, at the Congress of People's Representatives of South Vietnam, the proclamation of a republic (RSV) was announced. The partisans became the People's Armed Forces (NVSO SE). This outcome forced the US government to sit down at the negotiating table and stop the bombing.

America, under the Nixon presidency, gradually reduced its presence in the Vietnam War, and when 1971 began, more than 200,000 troops were withdrawn from South Vietnam. The Saigon army, by contrast, was increased to 1,100,000 soldiers. Almost all more or less heavy weapons of the Americans were left in South Vietnam.

At the beginning of 1973, namely on January 27, the Paris Agreement was concluded to end the war in Vietnam. The United States was obliged to completely remove its military bases from the designated territories, to withdraw both troops and military personnel. In addition, a full exchange of prisoners of war was to take place.

Final stage of the war

For the United States, the result of the Vietnam War after the Paris Agreement was the left to the southerners in the amount of 10,000 advisers and 4 billion US dollars in financial support provided throughout 1974 and 1975.

Between 1973 and 1974 The Popular Liberation Front resumed hostilities with renewed vigor. The southerners, who suffered serious losses in the spring of 1975, could only defend Saigon. It was all over in April 1975 after Operation Ho Chi Minh. Deprived of American support, the army of the South was defeated. In 1976, both parts of Vietnam were merged into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Participation in the conflict between the USSR and China

Military, political and economic assistance from the USSR to North Vietnam played a significant role in the outcome of the war. Through the port of Haiphong, supplies came from the Soviet Union, which transported equipment and ammunition, tanks and heavy weapons to the Viet Cong. Experienced Soviet military specialists who trained the Viet Cong were actively involved as consultants.

China was also interested and helped the northerners by supplying food, weapons, trucks. In addition, Chinese troops numbering up to 50,000 people were sent to North Vietnam to restore roads, both road and rail.

Aftermath of the Vietnam War

The years of bloody war in Vietnam claimed millions of lives, most of which were civilians in North and South Vietnam. The environment has also suffered greatly. The south of the country was heavily flooded with American defoliants, and many trees died as a result. The north, after many years of US bombing, was in ruins, and napalms burned out a significant part of the Vietnamese jungle.

During the war, chemical weapons were used, which could not but affect the ecological situation. After the withdrawal of US troops, American veterans of this terrible war suffered from mental disorders and many different diseases, which were caused by the use of dioxin, which is part of Agent orange. There was a huge number of suicides among American veterans, although official figures on this have never been published.

Speaking about the causes and results of the Vietnam War, one more sad fact should be noted. Many representatives of the American political elite participated in this conflict, but this fact only causes negative emotions among the population of the United States.

Studies conducted at that time by political scientists showed that a participant in the Vietnam conflict had no chance of becoming the President of the United States, since the Vietnam War caused a strong rejection of the average voter of those times.

War crimes

Results of the Vietnam War 1965-1974. disappointing. The brutality of this worldwide carnage is undeniable. Among the war crimes of the Vietnamese conflict are the following:

Among others were the causes of the Vietnam War of 1965-1974. The initiator of the unleashing of the war was the States with their desire to subdue the world. During the conflict in Vietnam, about 14 million tons of various explosives were blown up - more than in the two previous world wars.

The first of the main reasons was to prevent the spread of communist ideology in the world. The second, of course, is money. Several large corporations in the United States made a good fortune on the sale of weapons, but for ordinary citizens, the official reason for engaging America in the war in Indochina was called, which sounded like the need to spread world democracy.

Strategic Acquisitions

The following is a brief summary of the results of the Vietnam War in terms of strategic acquisitions. During the long war, the Americans had to create a powerful structure for the maintenance and repair of military equipment. Repair facilities were located in South Korea, Taiwan, Okinawa and Honshu. The Sagam Tank Repair Plant alone saved the US Treasury about $18 million.

All this could allow the American army to enter into any military conflict in the Asia-Pacific region without worrying about the safety of military equipment, which could be restored and reused in battles in a short time.

Vietnam War with China

Some historians believe that this war was started by the Chinese in order to remove parts of the Vietnamese army from Chinese-controlled Kampuchea, while punishing the Vietnamese for interfering in Chinese policy in Southeast Asia. In addition, China, which was in confrontation with the Union, needed a reason to abandon the 1950 agreement on cooperation with the USSR, signed in 1950. And they succeeded. In April 1979, the contract was terminated.

The war between China and Vietnam began in 1979 and lasted only a month. On March 2, the Soviet leadership announced its readiness to intervene in the conflict on the side of Vietnam, having previously demonstrated military power in exercises near the Chinese border. At this time, the Chinese embassy is expelled from Moscow and sent home by train. During this trip, Chinese diplomats witnessed the transfer of Soviet troops towards the Far East and Mongolia.

The USSR openly supported Vietnam, and China, led by Deng Xiaoping, abruptly curtailed the war, never daring to start a full-scale conflict with Vietnam, behind which stood the Soviet Union.

Speaking briefly about the causes and results of the Vietnam War, one can conclude that no goals can justify the senseless bloodshed of the innocent, especially if the war is conceived for a handful of rich people who want to line their pockets even harder.