Strategies+of+Viet+Cong+and+North+Vietnamese

=Strategies of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese=

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The Viet Cong, Charlie, Nogs, whatever you call them, were mainly peasants and farmers who farmed by day and were soldiers by night. To learn more about the North Vietnamese Army fought visit http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-enemy/vietnam.htm

From Wikipedia
http://een.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_war#Vietnam_War Within the [|United States], the [|Vietnam War] is commonly thought of as a guerrilla war. However, this is a simplification of a much more complex situation which followed the pattern outlined by Maoist theory. The [|National Liberation Front] (NLF), drawing its ranks from the North Vietnamese peasantry and working class, used guerrilla tactics in the early phases of the war. However, by 1965 when U.S. involvement escalated, the National Liberation Front was in the process of being supplanted by regular units of the [|North Vietnamese Army]. The [|NVA] regiments organized along traditional military lines, were supplied via the [|Ho Chi Minh trail] rather than living off the land, and had access to weapons such as [|tanks] and [|artillery] which are not normally used by guerrilla forces. Furthermore, parts of North Vietnam were "off-limits" by American bombardment for political reasons, giving the NVA personnel and their materiel a haven that does not usually exist for a guerrilla army. Over time, more of the fighting was conducted by the North Vietnamese Army and the character of the war become increasingly conventional. The final offensive into [|South Vietnam] in 1975 was a mostly conventional military operation in which guerrilla warfare played a minor, supporting role. The [|Cu Chi Tunnels] (//Ð?a d?o C? Chi//) was a major base for guerrilla warfare during the Vietnam War. Located about 60km northwest of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), the Viet Cong used the complex system tunnels to hide and live during the days and come up to fight at nights. The communist victory illustrates the importance of the political element in modern guerrilla warfare. //"The Party commands the gun"// was the Maoist saying and this is reflected in guerrilla struggles that are non-communist as well, from colonial liberation conflicts in Africa, to Palestinian operations against Israel. Mao condemned "guerrillasim" and "banditism", - scattered hit and run attacks for revenge or booty, unfocused on a specific political objective. Throughout the Vietnam War, the communist Party closely supervised all levels of the conflict. The bulk of the VC/NLF were initially southerners, with some distinctive southern issues and sensibilities. Nevertheless, the VC/NLF was associated with the Northern Lao Dong Party which furnished it with supplies, weaponry and trained cadres, including regular NVA/PAVN troops. The Southern Communist party, the Peoples Revolutionary Party (PRP) organized in 1962, to participate in the insurgency, and COVSN, Central Office for Southern Vietnam, which partially controlled military activity.