Describe why the tactics used by the Vietcong were successful.
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The Vietcong ‘s tactics were successful more for strategic reasons than for actual tactical reasons.
Tactics have to do with the small-scale issues of who wins a particular battle. The Vietcong’s tactics were mainly guerrilla tactics. They would not engage in pitched battles with the Americans but would instead do “hit and run” attacks. This would not typically result in major tactical victories for the Vietcong.
What the tactics did do was to wear down the Americans’ resolve. This is a more strategic issue. Strategy is about the big picture of who is winning a campaign or an entire war. Because the Vietcong engaged in these guerrilla tactics, they denied the US the ability to win a crushing victory. Instead, they forced the US to be patient and to stay in the war for the long haul. By doing this, the Vietcong eventually made the US give up on the war. In this way, the tactics used by the Vietcong were good strategy even if they did not win a great number of tactical victories.
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