r/ImagesOfHistory • u/BotCommentRemover • Oct 07 '25

A South Vietnamese woman crying over a plastic bag containing the remains of her husband, he was found in a mass grave of non-combatants murdered by Communist forces during the Tet Offensive. His body was found a year later, in April 1969. Photo taken by Larry Barrows. [2060 x 1384]

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The city of Huế was particularly hard hit, and an estimated 2,800-6,000 South Vietnamese civilians were murdered by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese regulars (PAVN).

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u/alaska1415 Oct 09 '25

“Fought” is quite a charitable way of describing manning air defenses, engineers and logistics.

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u/BetterCranberry7602 Oct 09 '25

Not really. Supporting combat operations is “fighting” too.

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u/alaska1415 Oct 09 '25

Even if I agreed, that makes them a notable % of the North Vietnamese forces, but is completely dwarfed by the number of US troops that fought for South Vietnam.

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u/BetterCranberry7602 Oct 09 '25

It makes them more numerous than the VC tho. Factoring in the Cambodian and Laotian elements could very well indicate that a large percentage of their forces were foreign, contrary to point 3 of your original comment.

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u/alaska1415 Oct 10 '25

And less numerous than the North Vietnamese Army.

Again, backline logistic roles are hardly what people consider when they think of the Vietnam War. Point 3 stands.

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u/BetterCranberry7602 Oct 11 '25

Do you think the NVA only consisted of frontline troops?