Tim Page

telegraph.hill · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 211 Location: Leeds, England

I once read Vietnam war photographer Tim Page's autobiography "Page After Page". It's a really interesting book, well worth reading.

He also worked in Cambodia and the Middle East, and was wounded in action three times.

Dolly · Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 170

Somebody is going to have to enlighten me here.

Who did actually win this war?

And what was it about in the first place?

telegraph.hill · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 211 Location: Leeds, England

Vietnam was under French colonial rule. It was invaded by the Japanese in WWII. Under Japanese occupation there was a communist insurgency, which made it difficult for the French to re-establish themselves after the war. According to the Geneva accords the country was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The North aligned itself with China and the Soviet Union, and the South with the United States.

Some Vietnamese wanted reunification of the country, and, starting in 1965, the US eventually committed about 3 million troops to defeat communist insurgency in the South. It must have been a pretty big insurgency if 3 million troops were required. There were great demonstrations by the American public demanding an end to the war.

Troops were withdrawn in 1973, and Vietnam is now unified into a socialist republic.

Dolly · Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 170

Thanks for that TH.

It went on for a lot longer than I realised.

The only thing I remember, is that when I was at Uni (as a mature student) one of the guys there was saying that the US had problems because they played a strategic plan. The Vietnamese however didn't. Their rules meant there were no rules.

telegraph.hill · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 211 Location: Leeds, England

There's quite a lot on the Vietnam war on Wikipedia.