Discover more about the war that devastated Vietnam and divided the United States.
WAR, CHILDREN! IT’S JUST A SHOT AWAY…
History of War Story of the Vietnam War
THE RISE OF VIETNAM
THE MAKING OF A NATION • Resisting foreign invasion and Chinese rule, feuding dynasties and a plot to take the Champa – a rich and sophisticated society developed long before the Europeans had ever even heard of the Viets
BATTLE OF BACH DANG, 938 CE • The decisive victory marking the end of Chinese rule and the dawn of a strong Vietnamese nation
FRENCH RULE • Beginning with Christian missionaries, the French colonisation of Vietnam lasted over six decades, irrevocably altering the fabric of the nation
THE VIETNAMESE RESISTANCE • Translated as ‘Aid the King’, the Can Vuong movement was a desperate grab by the Vietnamese to expel the French
THE BATTLE OF DIEN BIEN PHU • Inside the struggle that ended French colonial rule in Vietnam and paved the way for American involvement in the following decade
DIEN BIEN PHU 1954
OPPOSING FORCES
THE STRUGGLE FOR VIETNAM’S SOUL
NORTH VS SOUTH • Dividing Vietnam into the North and South was meant to avert conflict. Instead it only served to fuel a bitter guerrilla war that would kill thousands
PERSECUTION OF THE BUDDHISTS • President Ngo Dinh Diem’s government persecuted Buddhists during his reign, resulting in mass protests
THE ROAD TO WAR • How the United States became embroiled in a fractured Vietnam
DOMINO THEORY • The misguided political theory that fuelled US involvement in numerous military conflicts
HEAD TO HEAD • Driven by opposing ideologies, the soldiers of both sides proved to be equally committed to the causes they served
IA DRANG • The US First Air Cavalry sought to oust the North Vietnamese from the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. What followed was a bloody battle that pitted elite infantry forces against each other
GENERALS, GUERRILLAS AND THE COMMUNIST BONAPARTE • North Vietnamese forces were commanded by highly skilled generals who were opposed by commanders of varying quality from the United States and South Vietnam
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER • A costly sustained US bombing campaign against North Vietnam yielded mixed results
MAC VS SOG • Embroiled in a secret campaign hidden within the wider Vietnam War, even the name of this special forces unit remained highly classified
TIGER FORCE • This US Army long-range reconnaissance unit was developed to ‘out-guerrilla the guerrillas’ but instead was investigated for war crimes
CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS • MACV-SOG conducted some of the most hair-raising covert missions in the history of special operations
JUNGLE • Outnumbered and outgunned, SOG used special equipment to try to even the odds of survival
ANZACS AT LONG TAN AN INTERVIEW WITH LIEUTENANT COLONEL HARRY SMITH SG, MC (RETD.) • This decorated veteran successfully commanded 108 men against thousands of enemy soldiers during Australia’s most remarkable battle of the Vietnam War
D COMPANY’S SMALL ARSENAL • Harry Smith’s men were well equipped but their weapons paled in comparison to the formidable armoury of their enemies
1ST AUSTRALIAN TASK FORCE • Thousands of troops from Australia and New Zealand served in 1 AFT between 1966–72 and sustained many casualties
Operator’s Handbook UH-1H IROQUOIS ‘HUEY’ • The ‘sound’ of the Vietnam War is not just a symbol of the US’s involvement but also an outstanding aircraft that changed the rules of combat survival for the better
DEADLOCK IN THE DEPTHS OF THE JUNGLE
SIEGE OF KHE SANH • The North Vietnamese besieged an isolated outpost in northwestern South Vietnam held by...
