1975 Spring Offensive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whhbuojuPOI

>>2757995
USA has a tendency to pick absolutely shitty allies.

Either USA goes all the way or it fails. The middle road just leads to bombing shitholes for decades.

>>2757995
The numbers are misleading. 270,000 was only North Vietnamese initial strength, and the vast majority of South Vietnamese paper strength was actually militias or Regional Forces, who were little more than militias with a fancier name and WW2-era small arms. They were restricted to their regions and played no part in the fighting. Adding on to that was that the vast majority of South Vietnam's materiel was non-functional due to lack of ammo and spare parts (they weren't getting any more from the USA, and 1973, 1973, 1974, and the rest of 1975 saw them expend much of their remainder in heavy fighting).

There was a severe rationing of ARVN resources, such as allotting individual soldiers 85 rifle rounds per month, limiting howitzers to firing four rounds a day, and an economy and government devastated not only by the lack of economic aid, but the economic recession and inflation at the time as well. According to ARVN General Cao Van Vien in April of 1974, the ARVN military even under that absurd rationing of munitions, would run out of fuel by mid-May of 1975 and ammunition by June of the same year.

>>2759319
Part of the loss for South Vietnam was rising petroleum costs after the Yom Kippur war. SV couldn't afford to fuel all of their aircraft and armor. And then leadership could be indecisive so there were morale problems. CIA predicted the outcome though not the exact timeline in a product released in 74 that's now declassified on the FOIA section of their site.

By that time though we were focused so much on domestic politics. Nixon had made Vietnam super unpopular, the Church amendment passed defunding military assistance to SV, and the Democrats swept midterm elections.

>>2759335

Same as other side. Part was also regional force, not NVA. Vietcong 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th divisions. The NVA were also lacking ammo. Their problem was solved because they captured ammo dump of ARVN in Battle of Phuoc Long.

>>2759339

Yes, 1974 oil crisis was one of the problem for ARVN. But have you seen the SAM traveling with tank column in the video. Before NVA only used SAM to defend the air of North Vietnam. In this offensive, they used SAM to defend their tanks.