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Question
#21671. Charlie
asks:
Did Britian send any troops into Vietnam to assist the US in fighting against the NVA and Viet Cong?
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monkeycouzin
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Not that I am aware of. The UK Government has always denied that UK Special Forces were involved. Australian and New Zealand troops did take part.
Aug 22 02, 9:19 AM
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Barrow boy
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No, because:
1. There was a left of centre government in power.
2. The country was going through a difficult time economically (in part the result of 1 above), and the UK could not commit to any high costs.
3. In terms of equipment and the logistics of getting equipment in place, the armed forces were lacking any credible ability.
4. Although, having adequately trained armed forces to act in a European theatre, those forces were not widely trained for the Vietnamese terrain.
5. The student population, which indirectly wielded much power was firmly against any involvement, as were the Trade Unions. Civil insurrection on a large scale would probably have resulted had the UK participated in this war.
Aug 22 02, 11:00 AM
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Bryce
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But didn't John Lennon return some award to protest Britian's involvement?
Aug 22 02, 2:02 PM
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Barrow
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To be honest, I don't remember that incident. But many in the UK peace movement (like Lennon) wanted the UK government to denounce the war. This the governemnt never did - they always asserted that the American involvement was justified in principle.
The site below gives a Vietnam timeline. There is a note in 1965 as Australia and New Zealand sent troops. No such British contribution ever at any time except that an operation was dubbed Operation Scotland!
Aug 22 02, 9:24 PM
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ajdale
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Bryce- Lennon returned his MBE in 1969 to protest at British involvement in Biafra and the American action in Veitnam and that Cold Turkey was slipping down the charts....
Aug 22 02, 10:51 PM
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kiwi in oz
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A bit of a picky point but the difference with Australia and NZ is that NZ never had conscription for Vietnam and Australia did. After WW2 and Korea the feeling in NZ was never to order our troops to fight someone elses war.
It was all voluntary. As much as anything can be voluntary in the military.
Aug 22 02, 11:12 PM
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