Did any Americans fight for the Viet Cong?

Only a handful American servicemen are believed to have defected to the communists during the Vietnam War. One of the more bizarre cases is that of McKinley Nolan. A Texan with the U.S. Army's 1^st Infantry Division, Nolan reportedly slipped away from his basecamp in Tay Ninh Province on Nov.

Did America fight the Viet Cong?

Vietnam War, (1954–75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States.

Did U.S. citizens support the war in Vietnam?

Despite the growing antiwar movement, a silent majority of Americans still supported the Vietnam effort. Many admitted that involvement was a mistake, but military defeat was unthinkable.

Who supported Viet Cong?

The Viet Cong were supported and trained by the government of communist North Vietnam. Some served as guerrilla fighters and spies in South Vietnam and in neighboring Cambodia, while others fought alongside North Vietnamese troops in the PAVN.

How did the Americans fight the Viet Cong?

American troops were sent on patrols, to be supported by air and artillery if attacked by the Vietcong. This demoralised soldiers, who realised they were being used as bait to draw out the enemy.

NVA Veterans discuss fighting Americans during the Vietnam War

Who were the Viet Cong afraid of?

The destructive effects of American planes dropping napalm bombs—the Vietcong are terrified of them—are very great, and the insurgents have no answer to them.

Why did the US find the Viet Cong so hard to fight?

The Vietcong had an intricate knowledge of the terrain. They won the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese people by living in their villages and helping them with their everyday lives. Their tunnel systems, booby-traps and jungle cover meant they were difficult to defeat and hard to find.

What did the Vietnamese call American soldiers?

grunt Slang term used for an American infantry soldier.

Did China support the Viet Cong?

There's no evidence that the Soviets had advisers in Vietnam or gave the Vietnamese materials. On the contrary, the Chinese starting in 1950 sent political and military advisers, weapons, and supplies to the Vietnamese to help them with their war against the French.

Did the USSR support the Viet Cong?

As the original communist state, the Soviet Union aided North Vietnam, with increasing support in the late 1960s.

Is Vietnam now a US ally?

Vietnam is now considered to be a potential ally of the United States, especially in the geopolitical context of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and in the containment of Chinese expansionism.

Why didn't Americans support the Vietnam War?

Many Americans opposed the war on moral grounds, appalled by the devastation and violence of the war. Others claimed the conflict was a war against Vietnamese independence, or an intervention in a foreign civil war; others opposed it because they felt it lacked clear objectives and appeared to be unwinnable.

Are there any US soldiers in Vietnam?

March 29, 1973 - The last American combat troops are withdrawn from Vietnam.

Were the Viet Cong good fighters?

These qualities make them excellent fighting men… In little more than five years, the Viet Cong armed forces have grown from an essentially guerrilla army to one that includes regiments of uniformed, well-equipped, highly foot-mobile regulars, capable of engaging in conventional operations of limited duration.

Why did American soldiers call Vietnamese Charlie?

Why did American soldiers call Vietnamese Charlie? During the Vietnam War, US troops had to fight the NVA and Viet Cong. Viet Cong was abbreviated to VC, which in phonetic alphabet is Victor Charlie - which then got shortened to just Charlie.

Did any French stay in Vietnam?

Under the agreement France would recognize the Viet Minh government and give Vietnam the status of a free state within the French Union. French troops were to remain in Vietnam, but they would be withdrawn progressively over five years.

Why didn't China intervene in Vietnam?

China militarily supported North Vietnam by fighting South Vietnam and the United States in the Vietnam War. However, with the failure of the North Vietnamese and Chinese negotiations in 1968, the PRC began to withdraw support for the sake of preparing for a clash with the Soviets.

Is Vietnam a Chinese ally?

Cross-border raids and skirmishes ensued, in which China and Vietnam fought a prolonged border war from 1979 to 1990. Both sides have since worked to improve their diplomatic and economic ties, although the two countries remain in dispute over political and territorial issues in the South China Sea (or East Sea).

Did China ever rule Vietnam?

Vietnam's early history is dominated by China, which tended to regard its southern neighbour as a province - albeit a somewhat unruly one. In 111 BC the Han Dynasty formally annexed what was then called Nam Viet - and the country remained part of China for a thousand years.

Did Americans use AK 47 in Vietnam?

AK-47, AKM, and Type 56 – Captured rifles were used by South Vietnamese and U.S. forces.

What was the worst battle of the Vietnam War?

In the 43-day Ia Drang campaign, 545 Americans were killed. Enemy deaths have been estimated at 3,561. It was the greatest loss of American life in the Vietnam War at that point, and a premonition of how determined the enemy was.

Did America invent the Viet Cong?

First de Marrais tells them that it was Americans who created the Viet Minh, a precursor to the Viet Cong, in 1945. That is nonsense. The OSS, later to become the CIA, only backed the Viet Minh in world war two because it was already an established guerrilla group, capable of spying on the Japanese.

Has the US ever lost a war?

The US lost the War of 1812, Powder River Indian War, Red Cloud's War, Formosa Expedition (Paiwan War), Second Samoan War, Russian Civil War, Korean War, Bay of Pigs Invasion, and the Vietnam War.

Did the US save China in ww2?

China had been at war with Japan since 1937 and continued the fight until the Japanese surrender in 1945. The United States advised and supported China's ground war, while basing only a few of its own units in China for operations against Japanese forces in the region and Japan itself.

Why was the Vietcong so effective?

They were extremely successful because they had very good and vital knowledge of the forests and jungles and were able to protect their supplies from damage by using the Ho Chi Minh Trail.