That's what I figured, seems like it was a bit less of an active presence than Korea and more of a support presence. Guess that was kinda the tell that they didn't want to do big wars if they could avoid it.
Yeah. I mean they had made essentially the same threat during the Korea conflict, that if the US (technically UN) crossed the the 38th parallel Chinese troops would get involved in. Of course the Americans did, and pushed basically all the way up to the border with China, who kept their word and sent over a million volunteer fighters, eventually pushing the front all the way back to the 38th. That's why America knew to take the threat seriously during Vietnam.
There's a book I want to read about Chinese POWs in the Korean War. Apparently, the US had a program of "reindoctrination" of POWs during that war (which is ironic, because they accused the otherside of doing this to explain the American defectors to the North, this is where the term "brainwashing" comes from). The indoctrination program was successful but also "backfired" when some 14,000 Chinese POWs refused to go back to China, insisting on going to Taiwan instead, which completely derailed peace talks between the two sides. I haven't read the book yet but I hear it's good.
That's what I figured, seems like it was a bit less of an active presence than Korea and more of a support presence. Guess that was kinda the tell that they didn't want to do big wars if they could avoid it.
Yeah. I mean they had made essentially the same threat during the Korea conflict, that if the US (technically UN) crossed the the 38th parallel Chinese troops would get involved in. Of course the Americans did, and pushed basically all the way up to the border with China, who kept their word and sent over a million volunteer fighters, eventually pushing the front all the way back to the 38th. That's why America knew to take the threat seriously during Vietnam.
They sent over a million volunteers including Mao’s own son who laid down his life to protect the revolution
There's a book I want to read about Chinese POWs in the Korean War. Apparently, the US had a program of "reindoctrination" of POWs during that war (which is ironic, because they accused the otherside of doing this to explain the American defectors to the North, this is where the term "brainwashing" comes from). The indoctrination program was successful but also "backfired" when some 14,000 Chinese POWs refused to go back to China, insisting on going to Taiwan instead, which completely derailed peace talks between the two sides. I haven't read the book yet but I hear it's good.