Why did the US use so much ordnance during the Vietnam War?

What strategies did the United States use in Vietnam?

The USA’s tactics under President Johnson

American tactics in Vietnam can be summed up by the acronym BEAST – Bombing, Escalation, Air and artillery, Search and destroy and Technology.

What prompted the US to use napalm?

Weapons used to achieve attrition strikes generally have huge firepower with the capacity to destroy resistant infrastructure: after WWII and before the Vietnam War if the majority of European states used thermite and explosive bombs to realize attrition strikes, the United States designated napalm, soon after its …

Why did the US military intervene so massively in Vietnam?

The US justified its military intervention in Vietnam by the domino theory, which stated that if one country fell under the influence of Communism, the surrounding countries would inevitably follow. The aim was to prevent Communist domination of South-East Asia.

How much ordinance dropped in Vietnam?

This study employs an unusual United States military district-level dataset on bombs, missiles, rockets and other ordnance dropped in Vietnam. The U.S. bombing of Vietnam was largely concentrated in a subset of regions: roughly 70% of all ordnance was dropped in only 10% of the 584 districts in the sample.

What impact did napalm have on the Vietnam War?

Napalm became a psychological weapon, as the enemy was terrified of the hell on earth caused by its use. Later on in the war, the US bombers began to drop napalm bombs, which proved to be far more destructive than the flamethrowers. A napalm bomb could leave an area of 2,500 square yards engulfed in unquenchable fire.

Does napalm burn underwater?

Versions of Napalm B containing white phosphorus will even burn underwater (if there is trapped oxygen in folds of cloth etc.) so jumping into rivers and lakes won’t help those unfortunate souls attacked with this vile weapon.

Why did the US fail to win the Vietnam War?

The Vietcong guerrillas knew the jungle and made use of elaborate underground bases and tunnels to shelter from US bombs, and often re-used unexploded American bombs against US soldiers. Failure of Search and Destroy (My Lai Massacre): Search and Destroy missions were often based on poor military intelligence.

Could America have won the Vietnam War?

In conclusion, the evidence clearly suggests that the United States could have never have won the Vietnam War.



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