16. Fact: North Vietnamese troops were well-trained, professional soldiers
The North Vietnamese army was far from an army of lightly armed peasant freedom fighters. Communist advisors from China and the Soviet Union provided training and armaments, with heavy artillery, tanks, and anti-aircraft batteries supplied to their Southeast Asia ally. Ships of the Soviet Navy detected incoming American air raids and provided early warnings to the North Vietnamese defenses. Czechoslovakia, Cuba, and North Korea likewise provided aid to the North Vietnamese. Communist aid to the North Vietnamese was cited as supportive of the so-called domino theory early in the war, but by 1968 – the year of the Tet Offensive – the domino theory had been largely discounted by military planners and diplomats.
