In the previous article, the author talked to you about a series of stories about the Vietnamese army, such as the weapons and equipment of the Vietnamese army, the establishment of the Vietnamese army, and so on. Today, we talk about the tactical tactics of the Vietnamese army. It has to be said that the Vietnamese army is known for mountain warfare, jungle warfare and guerrilla warfare. But in 1979, the Vietnamese army's proud tactical tactics and advantages in light weapons were largely unavailable. What's going on? Today, we're going to talk about that.
First, let's talk about Le Sung in Vietnam. After Qin Shi Huang unified the world, Vietnam was part of the Central Plains Dynasty. During the Han and Tang dynasties, Vietnam was successively subordinated to the administration of Jiaozhou and Lingnan Province. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, taking advantage of the chaotic battles in the various feudal towns in the Central Plains, there was no time to look south. Vietnam was freed from the control of the Southern Han Dynasty, and subsequently defeated the Song Dynasty's conquest army. Since the main energy of the Song Dynasty was in the north, it resisted the powerful Liao state. Therefore, there is no energy to go south. It has to be said that in this regard, the Song Dynasty was indeed very general.
In this way, Vietnam became a vassal state of the Central Plains Dynasty. However, Vietnam was very close to the Central Plains Dynasty in every way. For example, Vietnamese costumes, writing, architectural styles, etc., basically copied the Central Plains Dynasty. Vietnam abolished the imperial examination system even later than the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Vietnamese readers were able to skillfully recite a series of cultural classics such as the Zizhi Tongjian, the Analects, and the Table of Teachers. Until now, some vietnamese elderly people can still write beautiful Chinese characters.
After 1840, the Western powers launched a series of wars against the Qing Dynasty, such as the Opium War. The Qing Dynasty was defeated again and again, and its clan system in East Asia completely collapsed. The Western powers began to infect various vassal states of the Qing Dynasty, among which France began to infect Vietnam. In the strategic defense of the Qing Dynasty, Vietnam had a very heavy position and belonged to its own strategic buffer zone in the southwest direction. In order to preserve the buffer zone and thus defend the southwestern provinces, the Qing Dynasty once began to aid the Vietnamese resistance to the French, and won some victories in battles, such as the famous Zhennanguan Victory.
However, due to various reasons, the Qing Dynasty eventually gave in. In 1885, Vietnam became a French colony. France began its own rule, and it lasted for decades. In 1939, after the outbreak of World War II, France was rapidly defeated. After the defeat of France, Japan, Germany's eastern ally, seized the opportunity to occupy Vietnam and other places. Japan has only ruled Vietnam for more than 3 years, but the way Japan rules has made Vietnam unforgettable. In just over three years, Vietnam's total population has decreased by more than 2 million.
Due to the brutality of the Japanese army, which caused dissatisfaction throughout Vietnam, the Vietnamese guerrillas began to grow and develop, which was the predecessor of the Vietnamese army. By 1945, by the time Vietnam surrendered after defeat and surrender, the Vietnamese guerrillas had grown to more than 30,000 men. In 1945, after Japan's defeat and surrender, Vietnam planned to develop independently on its own. France, however, planned to re-establish its rule.
Beginning in 1945, Vietnam began a bitter war against France. Vietnam's topographic structure is very complex, mainly mountains, hills, slopes, jungles, such a topographic structure, very suitable for guerrilla warfare, but not suitable for large troops to fight. After all, France's national strength is limited, and in the mid-1950s, after several fiascoes, France gradually withdrew its troops from Vietnam. Just a few months after the French withdrawal, the United States intervened in Vietnam. At first, it was only to support the South Vietnamese regime, but because the South Vietnamese regime could not be counted on.
Beginning in 1962, the United States sent troops directly, and the scale of the war became larger and larger. Beginning in 1965, the Soviet Union began to aid Vietnam on a large scale, thus depleting the national strength of the United States. With the continuous assistance of the Soviet Union, the United States was mired in the quagmire of war. The Vietnamese army gradually developed the characteristics of being good at mountain warfare, jungle warfare, and guerrilla warfare, and tried to avoid medium-sized or large-scale operations with the U.S. army. Because the Vietnamese army was overwhelmed by the haunting of the U.S. military, many American veterans called it a "talking tree." ”
The main energy of the United States is in Western Europe, and it cannot invest too much in Asia. Thus, in 1973, the United States finally withdrew its troops from Vietnam completely. As a result, only two years later, in 1975, Vietnam completed the reunification of the north and the south. At this time, according to the reason, Vietnam, which has been fighting for 30 years, should enter the route of recuperation and economic development. But at this time, Vietnam wanted to re-establish the Indochina Federation. In December 1978, Vietnam sent more than 200,000 troops, divided into five routes, and occupied its western neighbor.
Vietnam's action triggered a series of chain reactions. In February 1979, a new round of war broke out, and northern Vietnam suffered a "thunder strike." "At that time, Vietnam made a series of reactions. First, some elite troops will be transferred back to The country. Secondly, the various organs and agencies in Hanoi have moved rapidly south. Third, give full play to the characteristics of the troops who are good at guerrilla warfare, jungle warfare, and mountain warfare, and actively prepare for ambushes. At the same time, the military and civilians of the northern provinces were mobilized to form various public security tuns and prepare to "clear the wilderness with a strong wall." ”
I have to say that these tactical tactics of Vietnam have made the French and American troops suffer a lot. Although the results of each battle are not large, after accumulating a lot, the losses are still unbearable. During the war, vietnamese troops captured a large number of American weapons. In the late 1970s, the Soviet Union aided a large number of equipment. For example, some of the advanced equipment equipped by the Soviet army has been transferred to several ace divisions in Vietnam. In terms of light weapons, the Vietnamese army does have a certain advantage.
According to the standard, one infantry battalion in Vietnam, reaching 520 people, has 1 fire support company and 3 infantry companies. It was equipped with 235 various submachine guns, 27 light machine guns, 6 heavy machine guns, 27 40 mm bazookas and 27 grenade launchers. On average, each infantry squad can be equipped with light machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenade launchers. In addition, it will be equipped with six 60 mm mortars and two 82 mm mortars. In terms of close-range firepower projection capability, the Vietnamese army is very strong.
In addition, Vietnamese agents, who basically do not wear military uniforms, often mingle with ordinary people. Either sneak attack or hide in the jungle and shoot black guns. But after March 1979, these so-called advantages of the Vietnamese army were basically unable to be used. Because the goals of the war were different, france and the United States were ready to occupy the land of Vietnam. Therefore, troops must be sent deep into the hinterland of Vietnam, and the Vietnamese army has brought its advantages to the fullest.
Finally, the United States used aircraft to spray leaf litter on a large scale. But the situation in 1979 was different, the other side did not want to occupy Vietnamese land, nor did it go deep into the hinterland of Vietnam, which made the tactical tactics that the Vietnamese army was good at lose its former role. At the same time, the other side stationed a considerable number of elite troops on the front line of the border, making Vietnamese nationwide ready for war. A large number of young and middle-aged people were integrated into the army, maintaining a force size of more than 1 million for a long time, and basically concentrated in the north.
The Vietnamese army is mainly light weapons and specializes in guerrilla warfare, mountain warfare and jungle warfare. In 1979, it was forced to be held in the north and engage in large-scale regular warfare with the other side, which was the weakness of the Vietnamese army. The Vietnamese army lacks combat experience of medium or above size, the number of heavy weapons such as artillery and tanks is not large, and the level of use and operation is very average. In the large-scale artillery battles after 1979, the Vietnamese army was not a rival at all. "Take your own strengths, attack the weaknesses of the other", this is the essence.
It is said that the head of the Vietnamese artillery regiment has only the right to use 3 shells. If it continues to be used, it must be escalated. Due to its long-term war readiness, Vietnam was unable to develop its economy at all and could only rely on Soviet aid. More than 90 percent of Vietnam's oil, steel, and fertilizers, 77 percent of its grain, and 95 percent of its cotton needed Soviet aid. In 1986, the Soviet Union stopped all aid to Vietnam, and Vietnam was suddenly caught in a dilemma (Figures 8 and 9, for china's southern Xinjiang officers and soldiers).
There are many more stories about Vietnam, and in the author's future articles, the author will talk to everyone slowly.