(I know this rant doesn't really apply to anyone here, mostly self-described history nerds on, like, reddit, but still.)

I mean, it's not like the US moved into a Vietnam totally devoid of any, like, veteran troops, military materiel, fortifications, or an effective command structure- all of which NVA and Viet Cong forces would demonstrate in spades during the Second Indochina War- sorry, the Vietnam War.

And that leads to another point- are any of these people who browse and post on are slash historymemes aware of the over seven year long war the French fought and lost, or even the resistance the Viet Minh displayed against the Japanese during World War II? Bet not. Even more, the fact that Vietnam, only three years after reunification, invaded and stomped out the Khmer Rouge, another CIA puppet?

Anyway, back on track- the NVA was, in all the ways that matter, a highly effective and adaptable that beat back both France and the US, no mean feat, so the fact that all their victories are popularly attributed to "muh human wave guerrillas" instead of their successful use of operational and strategic planning, to say nothing of their frankly astoundingly effectiveness of applying logistics ( Ho Chi Minh Trail, anyone? ) just kinda torques me, is all. Frankly, I think Vo Nguyen Giap, at least, should be considered a prime case study of a general who knew the value and power of logistics, and at the very least ought to be acknowledged as one of the great generals of history, certainly greater than the Americans' and French's' leadership.

    • DragonNest_Aidit [they/them,use name]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Bespoke: Giap doing essentially the same thing 14 years later to the Americans at Khe Sanh and still being able to surprise them.

      Americans really do try to claim victory because "We're leaving anyway" :agony-mescaline:

        • MagisterSinister [he/him,comrade/them]
          ·
          4 years ago

          Also "we only had to leave because of hippies." Well, if your war is going so badly that even the American public, probably the most propagandized, most bloodthirsty and most callous population on the entire planet, isn't onboard with it any longer, you fucked up, no way around that.

          • Tankiedesantski [he/him]
            ·
            4 years ago

            I like to counter with "sounds like Americans just don't have the will to win."

            Gets them so, soooooo, mad.

    • anaesidemus [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Holy shit, they were thinking of nuking the Vietnamese with a low-yield nuke to save Khe Sanh. McNamara supposedly stopped it only because the terrain wasn't suitable and/or because he knew a guy serving at the base. :strangelove-wow: