Thursday, October 8, 2009

General Westmoreland

General William Westmoreland
Gen. Westmoreland was an American General who commanded American Military operation in the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. William Westmoreland, the son of a prosperous textile manufacturer, was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, on 26th March, 1914. Before the Vietnam the Vietnam War The general commanded the 187th airbourne Infantry in the Korean War. Westmoreland adopted a strategy of attrition against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army. He employed an aggressive strategy of search and destroy, he wanted to draw the forces of the Viet Cong into the open where they could be eliminated. He believed that the Viet Cong could be defeated through a large scale of use Artillery, air power and large unit battles. In the late 1976, Viet Cong began striking US bases across the Country. Responding in Force, Westmoreland won a series of fights such as “ The Battle of Dak to.” Victorious, US forces inflicted heavy casualties leading Westmoreland to inform President Lyndon Johnson that the end of the war was in sight

3 comments:

  1. ya this war would have been alot shorter if the Viet Cong were in the open.

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  2. I wonder how the soldiers felt about Westmoreland. His tactics seem like he has seen war and been in war before. I wonder if he felt regret since the Vietnam War is one of the biggest upsets in the United States history. (depending on those who feel it was sort of pointless for th US to be there in the first place.)

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  3. Yeah the Viet Cong knew the terrian well and used it to thier advantage. Many Americans died because of this.

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