Flashback: Vietnam War 50 Years Later

50 years ago, on March 2, 1965, the Unites States began bombing North Vietnam. Operation Rolling Thunder was the longest bombing campaign of the US Air Force since World War II.

 

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Up to 2.6 million US soldiers and officers fought in the Vietnam War.

Above: Landing of US military helicopters.

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The war began as a civil war in South Vietnam. Later the North became involved in the war and was supported by China and the USSR. The United States and its allies (the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) supported South Vietnam.

Above: A US soldier in jungles during the Vietnam War.

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Estimates of the number of Vietnamese service members and civilians killed vary from 800,000 to 3.1 million.

Above: Vietnamese refugees.

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The Vietnam War is thought to be the longest war in US history. It ranks fourth in the number of military casualties after the Civil War, World War II and World War I.

Above: US soldiers during the Vietnam War.

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John Lennon’s song "Give Peace a Chance" was a hymn for protesters against the Vietnam War.

Above: John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

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A large number of war crimes took place during the Vietnam War. War crimes were committed by both sides during the conflict and included rape, massacres of civilians, bombings of civilian targets, terrorism, the widespread use of torture and the murder of prisoners of war.

Above: Vietnamese refugees.

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The US spent $352 billion on the Vietnam War.

Above: Canberra cruiser is firing volleys.

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The US government viewed American involvement in the war as a way to prevent a Communist takeover of South Vietnam. This was part of a wider containment strategy, with the aim of stopping the spread of communism.

Above: US troops landing in Vietnam.

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Direct US military involvement ended on August 15, 1973, as a result of the Case–Church Amendment passed by Congress.

Above: A US marine brings an older Vietnamese woman to a helicopter for evacuation.

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During the Vietnam War nearly 60,000 American soldiers were killed and more than 300,000 were wounded. The US lost 9,000 airplanes and helicopters and a great amount of other military vehicles. After the withdrawal of US troops from South Vietnam more than 10,000 American military advisors remained in Saigon under the guise of civilians. In 1974-1975, the US provided the Saigon regime with military aid worth of more than $4 billion.

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The Vietnam War had a colossal impact on society. The hippie movement developed as a youth protest against the war. The turning point was the "March on the Pentagon" in October 1967 when up to 100,000 anti-war protesters gathered in Washington, DC. In August 1968 anti-war protests sparked during a meeting of the Democratic Party in Chicago.

Above: A rally against the Vietnam War in London, June 29, 1966.

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On January 15, 1973, US President Richard Nixon announced the suspension of offensive action against North Vietnam. The Paris Peace Accords on "Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam" were signed on January 27, 1973, officially ended direct US involvement in the Vietnam War. The document presumed the complete withdrawal of US personnel and weapons from South Vietnam, dismantling of US military bases and exchange or prisoners. In April 1975, during a flash operation Ho Chi Minh North Vietnamese troops defeated the South Vietnamese army and took control of South Vietnam.

Above: A group of Vietnamese refugees are crossing the bridge across the Perfume River