REFERENCE: MY STORY (Continued) (Part II)

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The following references are associated with The CURD Plan: » My Story (Continued)

NARRATIVE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War_casualties#Army_of_the_Republic_of_Vietnam

The ARVN suffered 254,256 recorded combat deaths between 1960 and 1974. 1973: 27,901 / 1974: 31,219

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Paracel_Islands

The Battle of the Paracel Islands was a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam in the Paracel Islands on January 19, 1974. The battle was an attempt by the South Vietnamese navy to expel the Chinese navy from the vicinity.

 

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/chinas-naval-operations-in-the-south-china-sea/prime-minister-pham-van-dongs-letter-14-september-1958/82F3BC1B3ACD2E941395158E98F378BC

 

https://paracelspratlyislands.blogspot.com/2008/01/analyzing-diplomatic-note-of-pham-van.html

Prime Minister Pham Van Dong representing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) affirmed this declaration from China regarding Chinese ownership of the archipelagos in the Eastern Sea (South China Sea). The diplomatic note was written on September 14 and was publicized on Nhan Dan newspaper on September 22, 1958.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_republic

Starting in the 20th century after World War II, many countries used the term "democratic republic" in their official names—most of which were Marxist–Leninist, or socialist, one-party states—that did not allow political opposition, free press or other democratic norms and institutions.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Vietnam

The State of Vietnam was a governmental entity in Southeast Asia that existed from 1949 until 1955, first as a member of the French Union and later as a country (from 22 July 1954 to 26 October 1955). The state claimed authority over all of Vietnam during the First Indochina War, although large parts of its territory were controlled by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dien_Bien_Phu

De Castries ordered a counterattack to relieve Gabrielle. However, Colonel Pierre Langlais, in forming the counterattack, chose to rely on the 5th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion, which had jumped in the day before and was exhausted ... Of 10,863 prisoners (including Vietnamese fighting for the French), only 3,290 were repatriated four months later; however, the losses figure may include the 3,013 prisoners of Vietnamese origin whose fate is unknown.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Geneva_Conference#Indochina_2

Dien Bien Phu had represented a colossal defeat for France ... she was far from defeated. She retained a superiority in numbers - some 470,000 troops, roughly half of them Vietnamese, versus 310,000 on the Viet Minh side as well as control of Vietnam's major cities (Hanoi, Saigon, Hue, Tourane (Da Nang)). A fundamental alteration of the balance of forces had thus yet to occur, Giap continued, despite Dien Bien Phu.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_the_Republic_of_Vietnam

ARVN troops pioneered the use of the M113 armored personnel carrier as an infantry fighting vehicle by fighting mounted rather than as a "battle taxi" as originally designed, and the armored cavalry (ACAV) modifications were adopted based on ARVN experience. One notable ARVN unit equipped with M113s, the 3d Armored Cavalry Squadron, used the new tactic so proficiently and with such extraordinary heroism against hostile forces that they earned the United States Presidential Unit Citation.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem

On 1 November 1963, the country's leading generals launched a coup d'état with assistance from the Central Intelligence Agency. Diệm and his brother, Nhu, initially escaped, but were recaptured the following day and assassinated on the orders of Duong Van Minh, who succeeded him as president.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War

US government reports currently cite 1 November 1955 as the commencement date of the "Vietnam Conflict", because this date marked when the US Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in Indochina (deployed to Southeast Asia under President Truman) was reorganized into country-specific units and MAAG Vietnam was established.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_trail

According to the U.S. National Security Agency's official history of the war, the trail system was "one of the great achievements of military engineering of the 20th century". The trail was able to effectively supply troops fighting in the south, an unparalleled military feat, given it was the site of the single most intense air interdiction campaign in history.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%E1%BA%A7n_Ng%E1%BB%8Dc_Ch%C3%A2u

Tran Ngoc Châu (1 January 1924 – 17 June 2020) was a Vietnamese soldier (Lieutenant Colonel), civil administrator (city mayor, province chief), politician (leader of the Lower House of the National Assembly), and later political prisoner, in the Republic of Vietnam until its demise with the Fall of Saigon in 1975.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_B%E1%BA%BFn_Tre

On 7 February Associated Press journalist Peter Arnett flew into Bến Tre to report on the fighting there. In a report he filed he quoted an unnamed US Major as saying "It became necessary to destroy the town to save it."

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/WarCollege/comments/ifdggb/tanks_in_vietnam_a_brief_summary_of_an_often/

When the final offensive came in 1975 the PAVN deployed hundreds of T-54s, Type 59s, PT-76s, and captured M41s against the ARVN's M41s and M48s. Adding to these more modern tanks, Type 58s, Chinese copies of the T-34, were used in campaigns from 1971 onwards. The ARVN, cut off from the American air support and military aid they had grown to rely on after Congress severed funding, found themselves out of supply and were swiftly crushed.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem#Rural_development

Land Reform In South Vietnam, especially in Mekong Delta, landholdings in rural areas were concentrated in small number of rich landlord families. Thus, it was urgent to implement land reform in South Vietnam ... Nevertheless, the lacks of conditions in these areas along with the corruption and mercilessness of local officials failed the program.

 

https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-timeline

The United States backs a South Vietnam military coup against the unpopular Diem, which ends in the brutal killing of Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu. Between 1963 and 1965, 12 different governments take the lead in South Vietnam as military coups replace one government after another.

 

https://www.historynet.com/south-vietnam-corruption/

Leaders in Saigon found it hard to build popular support when the economic and political system appeared to be rigged in favor of a small, well-connected elite. The Viet Cong made corruption a central theme, promising to eliminate all profiteers and dishonest officials once they seized power.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_Nguy%E1%BB%85n_V%C4%83n_Thi%E1%BB%87u

A person who served in the Independence Palace under President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu commented that : "I have always held a fondness for the President Madam. She always kept the simple lifestyle of a kind and tolerant woman of the Mekong Delta. To me, Mrs. Thiệu is more of a mother and a brave wife than a First Lady living in the pinnacle of power and luxury."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Palace

It was constructed according to a design by Ngô Viết Thụ, a Vietnamese architect who won the First Grand Prize of Rome (Grand Prix de Rome) in 1955, the highest recognition of the Beaux-Arts school in Paris.

 

https://usafacts.org/articles/which-countries-receive-the-most-aid-from-the-us/

Between 1946 and 2024, over $1 trillion, or roughly 30% of all US foreign aid, has gone to five countries: Israel ($337.0 billion), Egypt ($198.9 billion), former South Vietnam ($193.8 billion), Afghanistan ($168.5 billion), and South Korea ($127.6 billion), after adjusting for inflation.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%AA_V%C4%83n_H%C6%B0ng

In April 1971 Hung was appointed to take over the battered 5th Division from General Nguyễn Văn Hiếu. Hiếu's forces had been badly handled during the Battle of Snuol, and his troops, according to II Field Force, Vietnam commander Michael S. Davison, were close to mutiny ... Living in a tiny underground bunker for almost three months, Hung commanded soldiers of the 5th Division, the 81st Airborne Ranger Battalion, the 11th Airborne Brigade, the 21st Division and the Provincial Forces of Bình Long Province. His forces repelled countless waves of attack by the PAVN infantry, supported by T-54 tanks. Hung vowed, "If I'm still alive, An Lộc still stands." His strong determination to hold An Lộc at any cost, and the fighting spirit of the ARVN soldiers, kept An Lộc from falling into PAVN hands.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_reform_in_South_Vietnam

The Land to the Tiller project carried out in Vietnam from 1970 to 1973 was based on a proposal by Roy Prosterman, a prominent American "land-rights-activist", who the US government of the time recruited within its efforts against Viet Cong in South Vietnam.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War

The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from 6 to 25 October 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_oil_crisis#Impact_on_South_Vietnam

In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against the countries who had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War ... The oil shock destroyed the economy of South Vietnam.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%932021)

In 2009, Afghanistan was ranked as the world's second most-corrupt country. A lengthy report by SIGAR, and other findings, found that spiraling corruption in Afghanistan during the 2000s was not halted by the United States. During this time, many elite figures in the country had effectively become kleptocrats, while ordinary Afghans were struggling.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_in_Afghanistan

The Center for American Progress has attributed corruption in Afghanistan to decades of conflict that have prevented the formation of effective state institutions and civil society groups, to laws and regulations that are poorly enforced, to anti-corruption agencies that often contradict one another and lack resources, and to the fact that soldiers and police are often illiterate and public employees often underpaid and undertrained. Decades of constant warfare, moreover, allow public officials to fill their private accounts with government funds. Also, tribal and ethnic traditions encourage people to use their positions to benefit relatives. Afghanistan's official institutions are riddled with incompetence, compelling rural folk to "rely on networks of regional and local power-holders to maintain order and provide basic services."

 

https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_8189.htm

In April 2021, NATO Foreign and Defence ministers decided to withdraw all Allied troops from Afghanistan within a few months.

 

https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2009/09/kabuls_neon_wedding_halls.html

Perhaps our colleagues are gasping because these images present an arresting display of neon lights, bright enough to rival Las Vegas. Or maybe this gasping comes with the realization that Afghans party too. Hard ... And all this is happening — in the midst of war.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Kabul_(2021)#Capture_of_Kabul

The events were compared by many commentators and the public to the Fall of Saigon at the end of Vietnam War in April 1975. A month before the Taliban arrived in Kabul, American president Joe Biden had rejected the comparison, stating that "the Taliban is not the North Vietnamese Army... There's going to be no circumstance for you to see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable".

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Kabul_airlift

Date: 13 August 2021 – 30 August 2021 / Outcome: Over 122,000 people have been airlifted abroad[16] and end of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021).

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Frequent_Wind#Casualties

For an operation of the size and complexity of Frequent Wind, casualties were relatively light. Marine corporals Charles McMahon and Darwin Judge, killed at the DAO compound, were the only members of US forces killed in action during the operation and they were the last US ground casualties in Vietnam.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/henry-kissinger-revered-controversial-statesman-020910870.html

In 1975, a day after the fall of Saigon, Kissinger attempted to return his prize, saying the "peace we sought through negotiations has been overturned by force," according to recently released nomination papers reported on by Reuters. The committee declined to take back the prize.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-responds-after-czech-president-s-temporary-russian-occupation-comments/ar-AA1raDEd

In an interview with The New York Times (NYT) published on Sept. 23, Petr Pavel (president of Czechia) said the "temporary" occupation of some Ukrainian territories by Russia is the most likely outcome of Moscow's full-scale invasion. "To talk about a defeat of Ukraine or defeat of Russia, it will simply not happen. So the end will be somewhere in between," he said, adding Kyiv needed to be "realistic."

 

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-black-sea-fleet-losses-ukraine-war-full-list-warships-sunk-damaged-1841828

The Kalibr cruise missile-armed corvette is at least the 17th Russian vessel to be hit by Ukraine since Moscow began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-year-into-war-ukraine-faces-challenges-mobilizing-troops-64dcdc49

When Russia invaded in February last year, thousands of volunteers lined up outside military recruitment centers. With many of them now dead or injured, Ukrainian authorities are scrambling to recruit replacements, often drafting those who have neither the desire nor the training to serve. The result is a growing number of fighting-age men who are attempting to evade service.

 

https://www.wsj.com/world/ukrainians-are-weary-but-determined-to-end-war-on-just-terms-162ebf18

But he said he wasn’t ready to fight himself. He cited the lack of care for veterans, especially those who are injured, as one of the primary deterrents. He said he would continue to help in other ways, such as donating and paying taxes.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ng%C3%B4_Quang_Tr%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Fng

Trưởng was widely regarded as South Vietnam's finest officer, and the US officers that worked with him generally rated him to be superior to most American commanders. He was also renowned for his integrity and his uninvolvement in corruption, favoritism or political cronyism, as well as his empathy and solidarity with his soldiers.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hu%E1%BA%BF

The Battle of Huế (31 January 1968 – 2 March 1968), was a major battle in the Tết Offensive launched by North Vietnam and the Việt Cộng during the Vietnam War. Initially losing control of most of Huế and its surroundings, the combined forces of South Vietnam and the United States gradually recaptured the city after a little over one month of intense fighting.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-ukrainian-counteroffensive-ran-into-trouble-2023-11

Ukraine's counteroffensive has failed to achieve big breakthroughs over six months of hard fighting. Inexperienced troops, new tactics, and heavy Russian defenses undercut Ukraine's effort. However, likely no other military would have fared better in this same situation, one expert said.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/08/07/yesterday-ukraine-invaded-russia-today-the-ukrainians-marched-nearly-10-miles-whatever-kyiv-aims-to-achieve-its-taking-a-huge-risk/

A day later, hundreds of Ukrainian troops from (at least) the 22nd and 88th Mechanized Brigades supported by artillery, drones and air defenses have marched nearly 10 miles into southern Russia, routing local Russian forces and capturing Sudzha along with several other villages. It’s an impressive feat for an army that has been on the defensive for a whole year—and which has struggled to mobilize sufficient manpower to hold off relentless but costly Russian assaults all the front line in eastern Ukraine.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Westmoreland

William Childs Westmoreland (26 March 1914 – 18 July 2005) was a United States Army general, most notably the commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968.

 

https://mwi.westpoint.edu/war-public-opinion-myth-cronkite-moment/

What is often considered one of the most important events of the Vietnam War took place not on the battlefield, but in a New York television studio. Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the date on which television news anchor Walter Cronkite gave a famed commentary on the ongoing war in Vietnam.

 

https://www.history.com/news/lbj-exit-1968-presidential-race

Presidents rarely refused to stand for a full second term. But Johnson’s handling of the war in Vietnam hung albatross-like around his White House. He had repeatedly lied about America’s military progress, and the Tet Offensive in which Viet Cong troops attacked key cities in South Vietnam in January disproved the administration’s confidence that victory was just around the corner.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Linebacker_II

Operation Linebacker II, sometimes referred to as the Christmas bombings, was a strategic bombing campaign conducted by the United States against targets in North Vietnam from December 18 to December 29, 1972, during the Vietnam War. More than 20,000 tons of ordnance was dropped on military and industrial areas in Hanoi and Haiphong and at least 1,624 civilians were killed. The operation was the final major military operation carried out by the U.S. during the conflict, and the largest bombing campaign involving heavy bombers since World War II.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France

German armies outflanked the Maginot Line and pushed deep into France, occupying Paris unopposed on 14 June.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%E1%BA%A7n_Quang_Kh%C3%B4i

In 1974 he commanded the ARVN III Corps Armor Brigade and was considered by his former US advisors to be the best armor officer in the ARVN. "Black April", by George J. Weith, pages 73 Commanded by Brigardier General Tran Quang Khoi, the brigade was a unique outfit in the South Vietnamese Army, more akin to an American calvary unit than pure armor. Khoi, extremely intelligent and decisive, was considered by his former American advisors to be ARVN's best armor officer. He possessed an innate ability to adapt conventional armor tactics to Vietnam's distinctive geography.

 

https://nguyentin.tripod.com/duchuefront-2.htm

The Duc Hue Battlefront began on March 27, 1974 when a NVA battalion-size attacked Duc Hue and ended on May 10 when the counter-attacking ARVN units marched back to their base camp.

 

PICTORIAL