Kindle Notes & Highlights
However, instead of paying for labor, the French forced entire villages to work on the railroad line for free.
The Vietminh’s war against French control lasted almost nine years. The French had better weaponry. They also had an air force. The planes provided cover for French soldiers on the ground.
In March of 1954, the Vietminh and the French fought against each other in the last major battle.
The Vietcong had miles of secret tunnels where they could live and hide. Then they’d suddenly appear in front of US troops and attack. The tunnels contained living quarters and kitchens. Some had hospitals, classrooms, and shops for building weapons.
As for warplanes, Boeing’s B-52 Stratofortress could fly as high as fifty thousand feet.
American bomber jets also dropped chemical bombs. Napalm is a fire bomb that is almost impossible to put out. Victims would burn to death almost instantly. Napalm was also used inside flamethrowers to clear enemy tunnels and bunkers as well as forests where the Vietcong hid.
Agent Orange was a chemical that destroyed the canopy of trees in the jungle. The tree canopy provided cover for Vietcong troops. Without it, the enemy was much easier to see. However, Agent Orange also destroyed the farms of people who were not fighting in the war. Their food source was destroyed. In addition, Agent Orange could cause cancer in anyone exposed to it, as well as birth defects in their babies.
The bombings turned many people in the United States against the war.
Did Americans support the country’s growing involvement in the Vietnam War? Many did. They believed in the United States’ efforts to bring democracy to Vietnam. Many others, however, formed their opinion about the war from watching the nightly news.
North Vietnamese troops entered the grounds of the presidential palace and declared the war over.
