Nguyon Chí Thanh

Nguyễn Chí Thanh (* 1914, † 1967; real name: Nguyễn Văn Vịnh ) was an officer in the general rank of the People's Army of Vietnam during the Indochina War and the Vietnam War . During the Vietnam War, he commanded the communist forces in South Vietnam until his death in 1967.

Life

Nguyễn Chí Thanh was born the son of poor farmers in the province of Thừa Thiên . He joined the Indochinese Communist Party in 1937 . During the August Revolution in 1945 he was one of the leading cadres of the party and became a member of the Central Committee. In 1950 he became head of the political department of the armed forces. He made a rapid career in the People's Army during the Indochina War and was promoted to the rank of general in 1951. In the late 1950s, Nguyen Chi Thanh became part of a power bloc around Le Duan .

During the Vietnam War, Nguyễn Chí Thanh served as the commander of the Communist forces operating in South Vietnam . From 1966 he relied on a tactic with large associations to seek close infiltration of the enemy in order to strike at close range in order to achieve the greatest possible losses. He was therefore criticized by Vo Nguyen Giap , who preferred lower-loss guerrilla tactics in this phase of the war.

Nguyễn Chí Thanh died in 1967 of either a heart attack or a US air raid. There is also speculation about political murder. His death set in motion a shift in power within the leadership of the party, which led to a preventive repression by Le Duan against Vo Nguyen Giap's power. Several hundred cadres were arrested or dismissed because Le Duan feared for his influence by losing his allies.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} William J. Duiker, Bruce Lockhart: Historical Dictionary of Vietnam. Lanham, 2006, p. 263
2. ^ KW Taylor: A History of the Vietnamese. Cambridge, 2013. p. 570
3. ^ ^{A b} K. W. Taylor: A History of the Vietnamese. Cambridge, 2013. pp. 602f