Tactics in Vietnam were a major factor in the Viet Cong victory over the United States. There were fundamental differences in their fighting methods, which the Vietcong were able to take full advantage of. The Vietcong used guerrilla warfare, which meant they used their knowledge of the area they were fighting in to hinder the United States. The US military was accustomed to conventional warfare, in the form of combat. Guerrilla warfare meant they had to be constantly vigilant and booby traps meant many soldiers died and witnessed horrific deaths. This was naturally unnerving for the soldiers concerned, especially since many soldiers were young and inexperienced. US technology was far superior to that of the Viet Cong and yet was ultimately ineffective. One weapon, which the United States considered important, were bombs. Initially the United States bombed specific targets. When they realized that this was having little effect, they began a carpet bombing, known as "Operation Rolling Thunder". Enormous quantities of explosives were dropped on Vietnam, three times more than those dropped on Germany and Japan combined during World War II. However, the Vietcong countered this with anti-aircraft guns, surface-to-air missiles, aid from Soviet aircraft, and a network of tunnels. The US believed that these were simply for shelter from bombing, in reality they were actually used to ambush the US as well. The bombings had little effect on the Viet Cong ...