[Pelham]

“Nixon began to withdraw combat troops immediately upon being sworn into office “

Nixon’s ‘Vietnamization’ campaign.

“The biggest attacks occurred in 1972, when all our grounds forces had either left the country or withdrawn to coastal enclaves.”

‘Easter Offensive 1972’- the ARVN and SVN Marines actually acquitted themselves well for once and repulsed the NVA invasion.

“without American forces, the South Vietnamese had insufficient forces to stop a multi-corps armor and infantry invasion... The North Vietnamese won the war with conventional forces fighting conventional tactics in an undeveloped country. “

You know your stuff.

“Certainly, if the Congress had lived up to our promises, the South Vietnamese could have held out longer, but they almost certainly couldn’t have won.”

I agree. If you are going to fight off an aggressive enemy you have to feel like you are a nation. South Vietnam was a splintered society with factions that weren’t much interested in cooperating with each other. Not a recipe for success.

[centurion316]

If you want to read an interesting account of this period, read “The Final Collapse” by General Cao Van Vien. It’s available on line for free.

http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/090/90-26/CMH_Pub_90-26.pdf

[Mr. Jeeves]

If you are going to fight off an aggressive enemy you have to feel like you are a nation. South Vietnam was a splintered society with factions that weren’t much interested in cooperating with each other.

Sounds like some place a little closer to home, today.