chapter_22_section_2_notes.ppt | |
File Size: | 6088 kb |
File Type: | ppt |
U.S. involvement and escalation of the War
This 6 minute clip covers much of the content from Section 2. It begins by discussing strategy for both sides (U.S. belief that escalation will cause the North to surrender.... the North's belief that they could outlast any escalation from the U.S.). It then discusses the first ground combat between U.S. forces and North Vietnamese Army in the South at the la Drang Valley (which is featured in the movie We Were Soldiers... preview listed below). Next... the video discusses Vietnamese guerilla war strategy vs. U.S. military tactics (search and destroy missions, Agent Orange, and Napalm). It also talks about how U.S. bombing led to more recruits for the Vietcong and supplies gettting into the South through the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
We Were Soldiers Movie Trailer
Above is a preview for the 2002 Movie We Were Soldiers. The 2 hour and 15 minute film focuses on the November, 1965 Battle of la Drang Valley, which is the first major ground battle for US forces in Vietnam. It is a really good film and well worth watching. We may or may not see the entire film at some point during class.
Vietcong Tunnels
Weapons Used in Vietnam
Agent Orange
Herbicides (chemicals that kill plants) were sprayed on the dense Vietnamese jungles and forests to remove leaves from the trees that hid enemy troop movements. Herbicides were also used to destroy food crops in enemy-controlled areas. Planes were modified to carry tanks of herbicides, which they sprayed from wing-mounted booms while the planes flew at low altitudes. The herbicide application program began in 1963, reached a peak in 1968, and was discontinued in December 1970 after it failed to accomplish its purpose. The most controversial of these chemicals is better known as Agent Orange. Many Vietnamese civilians and American war veterans have reported higher than normal incidences of skin rashes, breathing problems, various types of cancer, and birth defects in newborn children as a result of exposure to this chemical.
Napalm... the famous photo.
Napalm is a tactical weapon used to remove vegetative cover and instill fear. It comes from a powder that's mixed with gasoline. Napalm has a gel-like consistency, allowing it to stick to targets. Napalm is often used in combination with gasoline or jet fuel to make a bomb with a thin outer shell that easily explodes and ignites upon impact with a target. Once ignited, napalm can burn at more than 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius). Military experts consider napalm particularly effective against fortified positions, like bunkers, caves and tunnels, as well as vehicles, convoys, small bases and structures. It clings to whatever it touches, creating a large, hotly burning area around the target. This feature also decreases the need for accuracy when dropping napalm bombs.
Napalm is an enormously destructive weapon. It's very sticky and can adhere to the skin even after ignition, causing terrible burns. Because napalm burns so hot, slight contact with the substance can result in second-degree burns, eventually causing scars. The burns caused by incendiary weapons like napalm are tough for doctors to treat
Napalm can cause death by burns or asphyxiation. Napalm bombs generate carbon monoxide while simultaneously removing oxygen from the air. The air in the bombing area can be 20 percent or more carbon monoxide
In some cases, people have been boiled to death in rivers made hot by the heat of napalm bombs.
Video describing Guerrilla Warfare, Napalm, and Agent Orange
This 3 and a half minute clip (put together by an A.P. US History student) summarizes these 3 aspects of the war really well.