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Domino Theory
The domino theory played a massive role in bolstering the involvement of American Troops in Vietnam. It did this both passively and actively as during the time when the war within Vietnam was escalating, it drew the attention of the presidents because of the fear of communism. -
The Geneva Accords
The Geneva accords was an attempt to fix the outstanding issues with Indochina and the Korean War. This however, was not the case and instead made the situation in Indochina much worse. This is mostly contributed to the addition of the 17th parallel which split Vietnam into the North and the South. This increased fighting in the area and enticed the United States to get more involved. -
The Creation of the VC
The Viet Cong were created as an insurgency of mostly North Vietnamese but was also made up of some south Vietnamese defectors. Their main purpose throughout the Vietnamese war was to overthrow the South Vietnamese government and push Northern influence throughout the entire country. This militia also caught the attention of the United States, because of their revolting and violent nature throughout Vietnam. -
American Advisors Train the South Vietnamese
This is a significant event because it predates the Tonkin incident but also contributes to the increase in US involvement. This is because the training wouldn't of been necessary, without the North Vietnamese getting more and more footing throughout the war. It also meant that the war was going to be more sustained if they were capable of getting training, and of course because of this is drew more American activity within the country. -
Operation Ranch Hand
Operation Ranch Hand is one of the most notorious operations within the Vietnam war. This is mostly because one of the main chemical compounds that was used was named "agent orange", which caused major damage to both the allied troops and the enemy. Its main purpose was to be used as a herbicide to remove the Vietnamese advantage and guerilla tactics. This escalated the war by giving the allied troops more hope and morale to win the war and smaller battles. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Generally considered to be one of the first violent attacks by the Vietnamese against Americans in international waters. Even though there is a shroud of suspicion to what actually happened that day, it led to the more direct involvement of Americans in Vietnam. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin resolution allowed for president Johnson to have full reign over the military and do anything to keep the peace in the pacific. This was essentially congresses way of telling Johnson, "here do whatever you want we'll allow it" which pushed the United States closer to the Vietnam war. This alone is known for one of the biggest causes of US escalation within Vietnam. -
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Operation Flaming Dart
Operation Flaming Dart was similar in nature to Rolling Thunder. The main goal was to destroy military bases and other vital parts of their military. The attack was also notorious for being a failure, only damaging an extremely small amount of North Vietnamese bases. It led to escalation because it yet again used bombings as a form to destroy the North Vietnamese and increase Morale in the South. -
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Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was one of the first attacks against the Vietnamese. It was gradual and sustained for three and a half years, being one of the largest bombing campaigns in American history. It escalated the war within Vietnam because it was one of the initial bombings of Vietnam done by the Americans, which later led to more boots on the ground warfare -
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Battle of Ia Drang
This was one of the first major battles between the American troops and the North VC. It is also widely considered one of the first victories for the Americans. This alone bolstered the war within Vietnam as it gave allied troops more hope for legitimately winning the war, and continuing the battle, pushing them further into Vietnam. -
Operation Crimp
Operation Crimp was a joint operation performed as a joint operation between the Americans and Australians, wherein their main objective was to find and attack Vietcong intelligence. During this they also discovered that the Vietcong were using tunnels that dug deep underground in order to be more efficient with their warfare. This escalated the Vietnam war because it gave more information to the allies that would prove vital to predicting Vietcong tactics. -
Operation Attleboro
Operation Attleboro was part of the numerous search and destroy missions that were carried out through Vietnam. It was widely known as one of the most successful SnD missions of Vietnam, wherein it cleared a major portion of South Vietnam and capturing multiple vital supply dumps.