People: Vietnam
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Battlefield Vietnam (5): Countdown to Tet
The Tet-offensive (1967), ‘one of the most stunning offenses ever’, was a military defeat for the Vietnamese but would win them the war in the end. This fifth episode of the Battlefield Vietnam series focuses on the strategy and build-up of this clash. This series mainly covers the military aspects of the war, and focuses…
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Battlefield Vietnam (4): Showdown in the Iron Triangle
Vietnamese forces were dug in the Cu Chi Tunnels around Saigon, ambushing American forces when possible. When they attacked a U.S. helicopter carrying troops, the Americans responded with a big counteroffensive and a huge air born operation, leading to one of the largest skirmishes of the war.Sb This series mainly covers the military aspects of…
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Battlefield Vietnam (3): Search and destroy
America’s tactics to wipe out big concentrations of Vietnamese units didn’t work, so they developed the ‘search and destroy’-tactic. Vietnamese forces didn’t engage America directly, fearing the overwhelming firepower and air force. With this new tactic, American forces tried to pin down the guerrilla’s and destroy them with airlifted troops. This episode focuses on a…
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Battlefield Vietnam (2): The undeclared war
America never actually declared war to Vietnam, but somehow got ‘sucked into it’. This documentary explains how the military advisors sent to Vietnam were at a certain point reinforced by attack choppers. In the end, America launched a nearly full scale war with 400.000 soldiers and massive amounts of military hardware, equipment and money poured…
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Battlefield Vietnam (1): Dien Bien Phu
The first part of the Battlefield Vietnam series covers the post-war era of French rule in Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia). After the Japanese defeat in World War II the Vietminh proclaimed the independence of the Vietnam. Chairman of the Communist party Ho Chi Minh gained international support, but the French tried to regain control over…