British Movietone - Vietnam The Two Wars 1946-1975 (1999) Part 2 The American War

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it, and the story of the wars fought in Vietnam from the 1940s to the 1970s is one from which many lessons can be learned. Initially a conflict involving a wounded post-war France attempting to re-take and hold its former colony, the fighting in Vietnam would become less a battle over territory and independence, and more an ideological battleground where the contrasting philosophies of east and west would meet head-on in an explosion of politics, culture and napalm. It was the war without fronts, where U.S. troops faced enemies without uniforms who could seemingly disappear from the battlefield without trace. America's fight involved not only 'search and destroy' strategies and aerial bombardment, but also a battle for the hearts and minds of the local population, not to mention those watching events unfold back home. This eye-opening documentary provides a compact yet thorough overview of the Vietnam War, featuring extensive use of archive footage filmed in the streets, jungles, rivers and airspace over south-east Asia, to ensure the lessons learned at such great cost will never be forgotten.

Part 2 The American War

When the French leave Vietnam in 1960, the Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh immediately begins the struggle to reunite the country. After the defeat of the French and the division of Vietnam into communist North and democratic South, Ho Chi Minh began a campaign to unite the country under his rule. In 1960 he restarted the war. The threat of another country falling to communism proved enough to draw the US into the conflict. The Americans want to protect the world from advancing communism and are convinced that they are doing the right thing. But the strongest army in the world is no match for the guerrilla tactics of the invisible enemy. They ignore UN resolutions and are advancing with the support of Russia and China. Vietnam became a battlefield for the Cold War, a place where communism confronted the free world. The new war will last fifteen years and kill nearly 59,000 Americans.

Full Version Available Upon Request
RELATED DOCUMENTARY