Page 79 - History of War - Issue 10-14

VIETNAM: THE UNTOLD STORY

THE VIET CONG

THE GUERRILLA FIGHTERS THAT WOULD BRING
DOWN AMERICA

When the Viet Minh were successful in the
Indochinese war, they took control of northern
Vietnam and the country was divided into a GRENADES
communist north and non-communist south. TheCongwerearmedwith
In order to unite the country, some 5,000 to rocket-propelled grenades
10,000 Viet Minh stayed in the south with and mortars designed to
orders to stir up political activity. This group destroy heavily armoured
came together under the name Saigon- vehicles. They assembled
Cholon Peace Committee in 1954 – the fi rst these homemade devices
incarnation of the Viet Cong. from leftover explosives,
The southern prime minister, Diem, drove tincansandwires.
this new organisation out of the centre of his
country and into remote areas – as far at
the world was concerned, the communist
resistance in South Vietnam was all
but vanquished. But North Vietnam
bided its time, and from 1957 to
1958 southern communist fi ghters
launched small-scale raids as well
as targeting and assassinating
South Vietnamese offi cials who
threatened the uprising.
By 1959 a “people’s war” had
been declared on South Vietnam
by the northern communists
and the uprisings that followed
created small areas of Viet-Cong
controlled zones. Finally in 1960
the National Liberation Front ARMEDBYALLIES
of South Vietnam was created, China and Russia supplied the Viet
with the Viet Cong serving as CongwithChineseversionsofthe
the military arm of the force. The movement Russian AK-47 assault rifle. They
became rapidly popular, attracting thousands were also armed with a range of light,
of sympathisers from North Vietnam who medium and even heavy machine
streamed into the south to join the fi ght. guns to take down helicopters.

THEHIDDENENEMY
Oneofthemostpowerful
tacticsoftheVietCongwasto
disguise themselves as ordinary
peasants, so they would wear
civilian clothes and ambush
unsuspecting enemies. However
themainforcewouldlaterwear
black uniform.

“BY 1959APEOPLE’SWARHAD

BEEN DECLARED ON SOUTH VIETNAM
A Viet Cong soldier crouches in
a bunker with an SKS rifl e BY THE NORTHERN COMMUNISTS”

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