KRIEG IN VIETNAM: Unabhängigkeitskampf gegen die französischen Kolonialherren | WELT History DOKU

Vietnam has endured centuries of foreign rule, first by the Chinese and then by the French, who exploited the country with the help of local landowners. This prolonged oppression fueled a strong resistance movement. After World War II, Vietnamese nationalists, led by the Viet Minh, sought self-governance, initiating a 30-year war against foreign domination that would eventually lead to victory against the world's strongest military power and national unity under communist rule.

After France's defeat in 1940, Japan, as a new ally of Hitler, took control of French Indochina, including Vietnam, in 1941. Ho Chi Minh, a communist revolutionary, organized guerrilla warfare against the Japanese occupiers and their French collaborators. Supported by the American military intelligence (OSS), communist guerrillas became allies of the US. However, after Japan's surrender in 1945, the US, fearing global communism, allowed France to reclaim its colony, despite Ho Chi Minh proclaiming Vietnam's independence.

Despite Ho Chi Minh's declaration of independence, France sent troops to Indochina to reclaim its colonies. Led by General Jacques Philippe Leclerc, French forces, primarily the Foreign Legion, aimed to re-establish control. However, the Viet Minh went underground, engaging the French in a brutal jungle war, using guerrilla tactics, booby traps, and ambushes. The French responded with torture and reprisals, but their modern weaponry was ineffective against an invisible enemy deeply embedded within the population.

By 1949, the Indochina War became part of the Cold War, as China's communist victory and the Korean War heightened American fears of a global communist expansion, dubbed the "domino effect." The US began supporting France in Indochina with equipment and weapons, while fighting the Korean War to prevent communist influence from spreading further. The Korean War highlighted the direct confrontation between communist and Western blocs, making Indochina another crucial battleground against communism.

In 1954, the French attempted to force a decisive battle at Dien Bien Phu against Ho Chi Minh's forces. Underestimating their adversary, the French established a stronghold in a valley, while General Giap's Viet Minh meticulously positioned artillery in the surrounding mountains. On March 13, 1954, the Viet Minh launched a devastating attack, leading to a 57-day siege. Despite French reinforcements via parachute, the fortress fell on May 7, 1954, resulting in over 10,000 French prisoners and significant casualties on both sides. This defeat marked the end of French colonial rule in Indochina.

Following the French defeat, the Geneva Accords divided Vietnam into a communist North and a US-backed Republic of Vietnam in the South, with a promise of reunification elections in 1956. However, South Vietnamese Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem, supported by the US, blocked these elections, fearing a communist victory. The US, under President Eisenhower, poured resources into Diem's government, determined to prevent Vietnam from falling to communism, framing it as a fight for freedom and capitalism against a global communist threat.

John F. Kennedy inherited the Vietnam conflict, viewing the North-South divide as a crucial front against communism. He pledged US support to South Vietnam, increasing the number of American military advisors to 25,000. These advisors, including Special Forces and CIA agents, trained South Vietnamese troops and conducted counter-insurgency operations against the Viet Cong. The US also funded ethnic minorities to combat the Viet Cong and disrupt supply lines like the Ho Chi Minh Trail, with covert operations sometimes involving drug smuggling by Air America.

The early 1960s saw intense Cold War tensions, including the Berlin Wall crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, where the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war. Amidst this global backdrop, the conflict in Vietnam intensified. In South Vietnam, Diem's regime became increasingly oppressive, persecuting Buddhist monks and leading to violent protests. Despite US warnings, Diem's brutal crackdowns, epitomized by a monk's self-immolation, made him a liability. In November 1963, Diem was overthrown and assassinated in a military coup, just weeks before President Kennedy's own assassination.

After Kennedy's death, Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency. In August 1964, the USS Maddox destroyer reported an attack in the Gulf of Tonkin, which was later used as a pretext for deeper US military involvement. A second incident, involving the USS Turner Joy, was reported, though later revealed to be false. However, these events provided President Johnson with the justification to escalate the conflict, leading to direct military engagement in Vietnam. The US, confident in its technological and material superiority, anticipated a swift victory, marking the beginning of a prolonged and devastating war.