Vo Nguyen Giap Book Review
Vo Nguyen Giap, Southeast Asia's most successful Communist general, Minister of Defense and Commander in Chief of North Vietnam's army, shares with Premier Khrushchev a conviction that the future holds “just wars of national liberation.” General Giap published People's War People's Army: The Viet Cong Insurrection Manual for Underdeveloped Countries in 1962. The speeches and essays that comprise this key document provide not only the tactical doctrine for effective insurgency operations, but also the political guidelines for enlisting the people in the insurgents’ side (Lomperis, pp.330-332). His book influenced North Vietnamese strategy. Giap mentioned that the basic of the People’s war is a “prolonged war.” In addition, conducting gel lira
warfare is possible to be successful in a prolonged war. North Vietnam conducted the gel lira warfare. For instance, their army did not conduct operation on the flat ground, used the underpass for a supply road, set thousand of traps, slipped into the local residents etc. Furthermore, the North Vietnamese surprising strategy made long tunnels in Vietnam. The headquarter of the North Vietnam Army lessoned and learned from the Battle of Iwo Jima that the banker warfare was effective against the U.S carpet-bombing. These tunnels and conducting the banker warfare had an influence on victory or defeat.
However, the U.S. had already experienced this warfare in the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. They had a lot of lessons. In spite of having knowledge of the banker warfare, they could not utilize them in the Vietnam War. In addition, from 1946 to 1954, France conducted the War against North Vietnam (the Indo-China War). Therefore, France had a lot of knowledge and intelligence of North Vietnam. However, the U.S did not strive to get information of North Vietnam from France at that time. Hence, the North Vietnamese Strategy was absolutely excellent. Nevertheless, “the strategic mistakes of the U.S.” was much more important cause of the Communist victory in Vietnam.
warfare is possible to be successful in a prolonged war. North Vietnam conducted the gel lira warfare. For instance, their army did not conduct operation on the flat ground, used the underpass for a supply road, set thousand of traps, slipped into the local residents etc. Furthermore, the North Vietnamese surprising strategy made long tunnels in Vietnam. The headquarter of the North Vietnam Army lessoned and learned from the Battle of Iwo Jima that the banker warfare was effective against the U.S carpet-bombing. These tunnels and conducting the banker warfare had an influence on victory or defeat.
However, the U.S. had already experienced this warfare in the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. They had a lot of lessons. In spite of having knowledge of the banker warfare, they could not utilize them in the Vietnam War. In addition, from 1946 to 1954, France conducted the War against North Vietnam (the Indo-China War). Therefore, France had a lot of knowledge and intelligence of North Vietnam. However, the U.S did not strive to get information of North Vietnam from France at that time. Hence, the North Vietnamese Strategy was absolutely excellent. Nevertheless, “the strategic mistakes of the U.S.” was much more important cause of the Communist victory in Vietnam.