1969 in the Vietnam War

1969 in the Vietnam War
← 1968 1970 →
Helicopters of the 170th and the 189th Helicopter Assault Companies await the loading of troops at Polei Kleng, in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam
Location Indochina
Belligerents
Anti-Communist forces:  South Vietnam  United States  South Korea  Australia  Philippines  New Zealand  Thailand Kingdom of Laos Republic of China	Communist forces:  North Vietnam Viet Cong Khmer Rouge Pathet Lao  People's Republic of China  Soviet Union  North Korea
Strength
South Vietnam 897,000 United States: 549,500 South Korea: 48,870 Thailand : 11,570 Australia: 7670 Philippines: 190 New Zealand: 550
Casualties and losses
US: 11,780 killed[1] South Vietnam: 21,833 killed[2]: 275

The inauguration of Richard Nixon in January led to a reevaluation of the U.S. role in the war. U.S. forces peaked at 543,000 in April. U.S. military strategy remained relatively unchanged from the offensive strategy of 1968 until the Battle of Hamburger Hill in May which led to a change a more reactive approach. The U.S. and South Vietnam agreed on a policy of Vietnamization with South Vietnamese forces being expanded and equipped to take over more of the ground combat from the departing Americans which began to withdraw in late June without any reciprocal commitment by the North Vietnamese. The morale of U.S. ground forces began to fray with increasing racial tensions and the first instances of fragging and combat refusal. The antiwar movement in the U.S. continued to grow and public opinion turned increasingly antiwar when the Mỹ Lai massacre was revealed in November.