As we all know, the Vietnam War (Vietnam War to Resist US Aggression and National Salvation) took place during the Cold War from November 1955 to March 1975 after World War II. The Vietnam War was a war between South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other capitalist camp countries, against North Vietnam and the South Vietnamese National Liberation Front, supported by socialist countries such as the Soviet Union.
Of course, the Vietnam War was also the war in which the United States had the largest number of participants and the most significant impact after World War II. In the end, the defeat of the United States and the overthrow of the Republic of Vietnam by the Vietnam People's Army and the South VietnamEse National Liberation Front (FNL) declared the end.
When we look back at this war, we can't help but ask: "In World War II, the United States hit Japan with atomic bombs, but why did it resolutely not use atomic bombs even if it lost in the Vietnam War?" ”
In fact, strictly speaking, the United States still wants to use it, especially for the U.S. military, they all know the power of the atomic bomb, so in the Vietnam War, they must also hope to solve the battle as soon as possible through such a simple and rude way. For example, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. military at the time suggested that the president use atomic bombs against the Soviet Union. It was just that in the end the president did not heed the advice of the US military.
Of course, if the US military really used atomic bombs at that time, then the world pattern would also change dramatically.
But then again, the U.S. military in the Vietnam War can be said to be very difficult to fight, according to statistics, this battle caused the U.S. army to lose 58,202 people, in addition to causing 303616 wounded, 2,500 missing. Of course, the battle also cost the United States a lot of military expenses, and after the battle, some aspects of the United States could no longer compete with the Soviet Union. After all, in this battle, the Soviet Union only lost a few thousand people.
So why didn't the United States choose to drop the atomic bomb? In my opinion, there are four reasons!
The needs of war are different
World War II and the Vietnam War were two wars of different natures, and the war needs of the US military were also different. During World War II, the Allies and axis powers of China, Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union, which were mainly China, Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union, were in a relationship of death-defying, which was a war of justice against injustice. Therefore, it was the common wish of all the Allies to end the war at an early date and reduce the losses of the war, so after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States officially dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
Of course, although there were many controversies about this act, in the eyes of the international community at that time, this was not only correct, but also extremely necessary.
But the Vietnam War was different, the United States only wanted to preserve the South Vietnamese regime, and this goal itself was of low value, so naturally there was no need for the United States to raise the strength of the whole country and risk the world to drop atomic bombs.
Public opinion at home and abroad has intensified
During the Vietnam War, many countries basically had televisions installed, so the Vietnam War became a war of live television. At that time, many war correspondents risked traveling to Vietnam to record and broadcast a large number of pictures of the actual battle of the United States in the Vietnam War. When it spread to the United States, it suddenly caused a sharp increase in anti-war sentiment in the country. In addition, there is also a lot of criticism of the performance of the US military in the Vietnam War.
Therefore, at this time, it is difficult for the United States to give a perfect explanation to the international community, and if the atomic bomb is used at this time, then the status and reputation of the United States in the countries of the world will inevitably be reduced.
The risks taken are high
Why is it that if the United States dropped atomic bombs on the battlefield of Vietnam, it would bear great risks? This is very understandable, we all know that at that time, North Vietnam had the support of the Soviet Union, as well as the support of a certain major country in Southeast Asia, so once the United States used the atomic bomb, it was likely to cause a strong counterattack from the entire Soviet And Eastern Bloc.
Therefore, the United States will not take this risk and easily use the atomic bomb.
There is no specific target
In World War II, the reason why the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was because it was an important area made by Japanese industry, so choosing to drop atomic bombs here could greatly weaken Japan's combat effectiveness. In any case, Japan is also an industrial military power, with high-value targets worth using atomic bombs.
But Vietnam was no better than Japan, the North Vietnamese army was mostly a scattered guerrilla, and there was no city like Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Vietnam at that time, so if the atomic bomb was really dropped, it was not known how many enemies could be killed. What's more, the Vietnamese region is densely covered with jungles, the US military and the Vietnamese army are basically mixed together, and if the US military wants to drop atomic bombs, it is difficult to find the specific location of the main North Vietnamese troops. Maybe he will accidentally injure his own soldiers.
summary
So in summary, we can see that the US military wants to drop atomic bombs in the Vietnam War is basically unrealistic. Because the United States at this time did not have the international environment, domestic environment and battlefield environment for the use of atomic bombs in Vietnam, it did not use atomic bombs in the end. The above four reasons also illustrate the dilemma faced by the United States at that time!
In the absence of "hard weapons" support, the US military left 58,000 bones on the Vietnamese battlefield, and finally had no choice but to withdraw from the Vietnamese battlefield.