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The Battle of Dien Bien Phu

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deadkenny View Drop Down
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  Quote deadkenny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
    Posted: 25-May-2008 at 12:01
Originally posted by Jonathan4290

No one can argue that Giap's strategy in the Tet Offensive all along was to hit US public opinion. However, the offensive lasted quite a few months and about half way through Giap changed his strategy. It wasn't his original intent, but once he began to realize how much of a public relations victory it was becoming, the VC started to attack media targets such as embassies, news stations etc....
[QUOTE]
 
[QUOTE=Jonathan4290]The North believed that Tet was the final offensive that was going to obliterate the South and end the war. I think they were completely surprised by the effect it was having on the PR side; they went as far as to change the target of the whole offensive halfway through to take advantage of this....
 
Can you elaborate on what this 'change in strategy' was?  From what I've read, the attacks on embassies and radio stations, as well as various other government / 'political' targets were objectives right from the start of the offensive.  For example, the US Embassy in Saigon itself was attacked and penetrated by a handful of communists in the early morning of Jan. 31, right at the start of the offensive.  Similarly, Saigon's main radio station was taken in the early morning hours of Jan. 31.  These were not targetted as part of a 'PR campaign' designed to undermine support for the war in the US.  Rather, they were targetted as part of the original strategy, to undermine the credibility of the US / ARVN forces in Vietnam and facilitate the general uprising and overthrow of the southern regime. 
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana
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  Quote Sergeant113 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-May-2008 at 16:54
Johnathan4290, first, i'd like to say that your website is amazing.
I don't know for sure, but as far as i know, Vietnamese communist leaders were abused for the best interest of the party presidents. For examples, Ho Chi Minh after rejecting the Chinese offer of military aids ( same as North Korea), was diminished all political powers, and turned into a puppet, working a symbol of spiritual to increase people's morale. Giap, who supported Ho Chi Minh, was slowly reduced from a commander of the People's Army of VN to a petty official. For Van Tien Dung, the pro-China commander who succeded Giap was eventually removed from office in a political shakeup in 1886 (after many years of his near-dictatorship rule). That's all i can say about VNmese leader's legacy.
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  Quote Sergeant113 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-May-2008 at 16:55
Originally posted by deadkenny

Originally posted by Jonathan4290

No one can argue that Giap's strategy in the Tet Offensive all along was to hit US public opinion. However, the offensive lasted quite a few months and about half way through Giap changed his strategy. It wasn't his original intent, but once he began to realize how much of a public relations victory it was becoming, the VC started to attack media targets such as embassies, news stations etc....
[QUOTE]
 
[QUOTE=Jonathan4290]The North believed that Tet was the final offensive that was going to obliterate the South and end the war. I think they were completely surprised by the effect it was having on the PR side; they went as far as to change the target of the whole offensive halfway through to take advantage of this....
 
Can you elaborate on what this 'change in strategy' was?  From what I've read, the attacks on embassies and radio stations, as well as various other government / 'political' targets were objectives right from the start of the offensive.  For example, the US Embassy in Saigon itself was attacked and penetrated by a handful of communists in the early morning of Jan. 31, right at the start of the offensive.  Similarly, Saigon's main radio station was taken in the early morning hours of Jan. 31.  These were not targetted as part of a 'PR campaign' designed to undermine support for the war in the US.  Rather, they were targetted as part of the original strategy, to undermine the credibility of the US / ARVN forces in Vietnam and facilitate the general uprising and overthrow of the southern regime. 


Nice
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  Quote Jonathan4290 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26-May-2008 at 21:37

Deadkenny: Yes, attacks on a few embassies and radio stations were part of the original plan; they were to be used in summoning an uprising in the South's population which didn't materialize as they'd hoped. The original plan was to win the war outright by doing what you listed. I'm still trying to find the source which described the change in strategy during the offensive so I will have to get back to you on the details.

Sergeant: Thanks for the encouragement Smile I'm hoping to add alot more maps during the summer when I have nothing to do.
Like great battles? How about when they're animated for easy viewing?
Visit my site, The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps at www.theartofbattle.com.
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Efraz View Drop Down
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  Quote Efraz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26-May-2008 at 22:49
I recommend Graham Greene's "Silent American"

Great writer and a legendary novel about the subject.
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  Quote cavalry4ever Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-May-2008 at 02:19
Originally posted by Efraz

I recommend Graham Greene's "Silent American"Great writer and a legendary novel about the subject.

It is a great novel about war but it is not historically accurate. It conveys well insanity and buildup to American intervention.
A very good movie to recommend is "Go tell the Spartans" (1978) with Burt Lancaster. It shows well insanity of early American involvement. Another good book, this one historically accurate is " We were Soldiers Once... and Young". Movie had the same tiltle. This book was written by a one of great leaders of US Army, then Lt. Colonel Hal More from the 1rst Cavalry. He is famous for compensating for stupid decisions at higher level in the la Drang Valley battle.
Vietnam war has interesting meaning for people thinking about history repeating itself ad how US gets involved in the less or more insane wars.

Edited by cavalry4ever - 29-May-2008 at 02:27
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  Quote opuslola Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Dec-2013 at 21:36
My dittos to Cav...4ever!   A very good commentary, although I would also add the move "The Boys from Company C!"

Regards,
Ron
http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
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