The attack on Khe Sanh, however, proved to be a diversionary tactic for the larger Tet Offensive. While suffering less significant casualties (around 10,000 dead), ARVN units had only turned back the attacking PAVN forces with massive American air support. "[160] That has led other observers to conclude that the siege served a wider PAVN strategy by diverting 30,000 US troops away from the cities that were the main targets of the Tet Offensive. [119] By 11:00, the battle was over, Company A had lost 24 dead and 27 wounded, while 150 PAVN bodies were found around the position, which was then abandoned. If only it had contaminated the stream, the airlift would not have provided enough water to the Marines. [163] Other theories argued that the forces around Khe Sanh were simply a localized defensive measure in the DMZ area or that they were serving as a reserve in case of an offensive American end run in the mode of the American invasion at Inchon during the Korean War. The Marines, whose aircraft and doctrine were integral to their operations, were under no such centralized control. On Easter Sunday, April 14, the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines (3/26), assaulted Hill 881 North in order to clear the enemy firing positions. [53] Two divisions, the 304th and the 325th, were assigned to the operation: the 325th was given responsibility for the area around the north, while the 304th was given responsibility for the southern sector. The origin of the combat base lay in the construction by US Army Special Forces of an airfield in August 1962 outside the village at an old French fort. Less likely to be mentioned is the final high-casualty engagement between units of the U.S. infantry and the North Vietnamese Army. On 8 February 1971, the leading ARVN units marched along Route 9 into southern Laos while the US ground forces and advisers were prohibited from entering Laos. [64], The main base was then subjected to an intense mortar and rocket barrage. Seven miles west of Khe Sanh on Route 9, and about halfway to the Laotian border, sat the U.S. Army Special Forces camp at Lang Vei. On March 6, two U.S. Air Force C-123 cargo airplanes departed Da Nang Air Base en route to Khe Sanh. The village, 3km south of the base, was defended by 160 local Bru troops, plus 15 American advisers. On 22 March, over 1,000 North Vietnamese rounds fell on the base, and once again, the ammunition dump was detonated. Click to View Online Archive The Battle of Khe Sanh was conducted northwestern Quaag Tri Province, South Vietnam, between January 21 and July 9, 1968 during the Vietnam War. [42], In the wake of the hill fights, a lull in PAVN activity occurred around Khe Sanh. newsletter for the best of the past, delivered every Monday and Thursday. The low figure often cited for US casualties (205 killed in action, 443 wounded, 2 missing) does not take into account U.S. Army or Air Force casualties or those incurred during Operation Pegasus. [33] The PAVN fought for several days, took casualties, and fell back. [25], Marino stated that "by 1966, Westmoreland had begun to consider Khe Sanh as part of a larger strategy." The tower at Khe Sanh instructed the pilot to take evasive action and go around for another approach. The 26th Marine Regiment (26th Marines) is an inactivated infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Khe Sanh is a village located near the Laotian border and just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separated North and South Vietnam. Of the 7877 officer casualties, 7595 or 96.4% were white, 147 or 1.8% were black; 24 or . After a ten-day battle, the attackers were pushed back into Cambodia. As journalist Robert Pisor pointed out in his 1982 book, The End of the Line: The Siege of Khe Sanh, no other battle of the entire war produced a better body count or kill ratio than that claimed by the Americans at Khe Sanh. MN: 05-12-1968: Vietnam: Army: 2: It claimed, however, that only three American advisors were killed during the action. Five Marines were killed on January 19 and 20, while on reconnaissance patrols. [165], Another interpretation was that the North Vietnamese were planning to work both ends against the middle, a strategy that has come to be known as the Option Play. When the weather later cleared in March, the amount was increased to 40 tons per day. . [80] Westmoreland had already ordered the nascent Igloo White operation to assist in the Marine defense. [171] When Hanoi made the decision to move in around the base, Khe Sanh was held by only one or two American battalions. Since the official duration of the battle ends even earlier than the termination of the siege itself, a wider definition of the Khe Sanh battlefield to include Operations Scotland, Pegasus and Scotland II also seems reasonable. Due to severe losses, however, the NVA abandoned its plan for a massive ground attack. During the 1968 Tet Offensive, as many as 30,000 Communist Vietnamese forces surrounded roughly 6,000 U.S. marines defending a combat base on .. Week of February 21 A press release prepared on the following day (but never issued), at the height of Tet, showed that he was not about to be distracted. Army deaths at FOB-3, however, were not included in the official statistics either. The 26th Marines were activated in 1944 and fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II and were activated again on 1 March 1966, and fought in the Battle of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War . It was the only time Americans abandoned a major combat base because of enemy pressure. [97] During a meeting at Da Nang at 07:00 the next morning, Westmoreland and Cushman accepted Lownds' decision. The Laotians were overrun, and many fled to the Special Forces camp at Lang Vei. The Siege of Khe Sanh. By early 1967, the Marine position was reinforced to regimental strength. A decision then had to be made by the American high command to commit more of the limited manpower in I Corps to the defense of Khe Sanh or to abandon the base. The fire of PAVN antiaircraft units took its toll of helicopters that made the attempt. [43] Lieutenant General Robert E. Cushman Jr. relieved Walt as commander of III MAF in June. Due to the nature of these activities, and the threat that they posed to KSCB, Westmoreland ordered Operation Niagara I, an intense intelligence collection effort on PAVN activities in the vicinity of the Khe Sanh Valley. [59], During the rainy night of 2 January 1968, six men dressed in black uniforms were seen outside the defensive wire of the main base by members of a listening post. This range overmatch was used by the PAVN to avoid counter-battery fire. [34] The heaviest action took place near Dak To, in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. [66] Hours after the bombardment ceased, the base was still in danger. Things heated up for the air cavalrymen on 6 April, when the 3rd Brigade encountered a PAVN blocking force and fought a day-long engagement. The heavy reliance on American airpower was an ominous sign for Vietnamization and . Ten more Marines and 89 NVA died during this period. [21], The fighting at Khe Sanh was so volatile that the Joint Chiefs and MACV commanders were uncertain that the base could be held by the Marines. [38], Westmoreland won out, however, and the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment (1/3 Marines) was dispatched to occupy the camp and airstrip on 29 September. The NVA continued shelling the base, and on July 1 launched a company-sized infantry attack against its perimeter. [15], Unknown (1,602 bodies were counted, US official public estimated 10,00015,000 KIA,[19][20] but MACV's secret report estimated 5,550 killed as of 31 March 1968)[1]. Journalist Richard Ehrlich writes that according to the report, "in late January, General Westmoreland had warned that if the situation near the DMZ and at Khe Sanh worsened drastically, nuclear or chemical weapons might have to be used." With a view to gain the eventual approval for an advance through Laos to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail, he determined that "it was absolutely essential to hold the base." Battle of Khe Sanh: American Casualties : Showing All Results. They asked what had changed in six months so that American commanders were willing to abandon Khe Sanh in July. The NVA 304th Divisions history notes that on 9 July 1968, the liberation flag was waving from the flag pole at Ta Con [Khe Sanh] airfield. On July 13, 1968, Ho Chi Minh sent a message to the soldiers of the Route 9Khe Sanh Front affirming our victory at Khe Sanh.. The base was officially closed on July 5. The Marines withdrew all salvageable material and destroyed everything else. [55] They were supported logistically from the nearby Ho Chi Minh Trail. In fact, neither side won a resounding victory. It is difficult to support the claim of an overwhelming American victory at Khe Sanh based solely on the ratios derived from the official casualty count. The Marine garrison was also reinforced, and on November 1, 1967, Operation Scotland began. For most of the battle, low-lying clouds and fog enclosed the area from early morning until around noon, and poor visibility severely hampered aerial resupply. [96], The Marines at Khe Sanh had a plan in place for providing a ground relief force in just such a contingency, but Lownds, fearing a PAVN ambush, refused to implement it. [9], The precise nature of Hanoi's strategic goal at Khe Sanh is regarded as one of the most intriguing unanswered questions of the Vietnam War. Five days later, the final reinforcements arrived in the form of the 37th ARVN Ranger Battalion, which was deployed more for political than tactical reasons. "[106] At the end of January, Tompkins had ordered that no Marine patrols proceed more than 500 meters from the Combat Base. He believed that was proved by the PAVN's actions during Tet. [34] US intelligence estimated between 1,200 and 1,600 PAVN troops were killed, and 362 members of the US 4th Infantry Division, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and ARVN Airborne elements were killed in action, but three of the four battalions of the 4th Infantry and the entire 173rd were rendered combat-ineffective during the battle. The Pegasus force consisted of the Army 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) plus the 1st Marine Regiment. [35], American intelligence analysts were quite baffled by the series of enemy actions. The Khe Sanh battlefield was considerably more extensive from the North Vietnamese perspective than from that of the U.S. Marine Corps, both geographically and chronologically. today! Many American casualties were caused by the 10,908 rounds of rockets, artillery and mortars the North Vietnamese fired into the base and hill positions. [156] Correspondent Michael Herr reported on the battle, and his account would inspire the surreal "Do Long Bridge" scene in the film Apocalypse Now, which emphasized the anarchy of the war. From the Hu site the communication signal was sent to Danang headquarters where it could be sent anywhere in the world. Of the 24 Americans at the camp, 10 had been killed and 11 wounded. At 21:30, the attack came on, but it was stifled by the small arms of the Rangers, who were supported by thousands of artillery rounds and air strikes. "[155], According to military historian Ronald Spector, to reasonably record the fighting at Khe Sanh as an American victory is impossible. Two days later, the PAVN 273rd Regiment attacked a Special Forces camp near the border town of Loc Ninh, in Bnh Long Province. [109], The resupply of the numerous, isolated hill outposts was fraught with the same difficulties and dangers. The fighting was heavy. In his memoirs, he listed the reasons for a continued effort: Khe Sanh could serve as a patrol base for blocking enemy infiltration from Laos along Route 9; as a base for SOG operations to harass the enemy in Laos; as an airstrip for reconnaissance planes surveying the Ho Chi Minh Trail; as the western anchor for defenses south of the DMZ; and as an eventual jump-off point for ground operations to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail. This marked the first time that all three battalions of the 26th Marine Regiment had operated together in combat since the Battle of Iwo Jima during the Second World War. [173][174], After the ARVN defeat in Laos, the newly-reopened KSCB came under attack by PAVN sappers and artillery and the base was abandoned once again on 6 April 1971.[175][176]. [20] These figures do not include casualties among Special Forces troops at Lang Vei, aircrews killed or missing in the area, or Marine replacements killed or wounded while entering or exiting the base aboard aircraft. [70] The Marines and ARVN dug in and hoped that the approaching Tt truce (scheduled for 2931 January) would provide some respite. [59], Making matters worse for the defenders, any aircraft that braved the weather and attempted to land was subject to PAVN antiaircraft fire on its way in for a landing. [51] Other concerns raised included the assertion that the real danger to I Corps was from a direct threat to Qung Tr City and other urban areas, a defense would be pointless as a threat to infiltration since PAVN troops could easily bypass Khe Sanh, the base was too isolated, and the Marines "had neither the helicopter resources, the troops, nor the logistical bases for such operations." The Battle of Ban Houei Sane, not the attack three weeks later at Lang Vei, marked the first time that the PAVN had committed an armored unit to battle. The border battles, however, had two significant consequences, which were unappreciated at the time. Five Marines were killed on January 19 and 20, while on reconnaissance patrols. [146] Useful equipment was withdrawn or destroyed, and personnel were evacuated. A 77 day battle, Khe Sanh had been the biggest single battle of the Vietnam War to that point. [69] The Marine Direct Air Support Center (DASC), located at KSCB, was responsible for the coordination of air strikes with artillery fire. [122], In late February, ground sensors detected the 66th Regiment, 304th Division preparing to mount an attack on the positions of the 37th ARVN Ranger Battalion on the eastern perimeter. Ray Stubbe has published a translation of the North Vietnamese history of the siege at Khe Sanh. WALKI NA WZGRZU: PIERWSZA BITWA KHE SANH Edwarda F. Murphy'ego - twarda okadka w bardzo dobrym stanie | Books & Magazines, Books | eBay! Ten American soldiers were killed; the rest managed to escape down Route 9 to Khe Sanh. [63] Hills 881 South, 861, and the main base itself would be simultaneously attacked that same evening. Its mission was to destroy the Special Forces and their Vietnamese allies and to ambush any reinforcements coming from Khe Sanh. The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Qung Tr Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. The fighting around Khe Sanh began January 21, 1968, and concluded around April 8, 1968. The Marines suffered 155 killed in action and 425 wounded. Dien Bien Phu would loom large for the rest of the war, especially during the Battle of Khe Sanh. [95], It still came as a shock to the Special Forces troopers at Lang Vei when 12 tanks attacked their camp. "[84], Meanwhile, an interservice political struggle took place in the headquarters at Phu Bai Combat Base, Saigon, and the Pentagon over who should control aviation assets supporting the entire American effort in Southeast Asia. At 0330 hours, soldiers of the NVA 6th Battalion, 2nd Regiment, 325C Division, attacked the Marines on Hill 861. Only those killed in action during Operation Scotland, which began on November 1, 1967, and ended on March 31, 1968, were included in the official casualty count. On January 31, while approximately 50,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese troops were occupied in defending or supporting Khe Sanh and other DMZ bases, the communists launched an offensive throughout South Vietnam. In March 1968, an overland relief expedition (Operation Pegasus) was launched by a combined MarineArmy/ARVN task force that eventually broke through to the Marines at Khe Sanh. The lossesindicating that the enemy suffered a major defeatwere estimated at 3,550 KIA inflicted by delivered fires (i.e., aerial and artillery bombardment) and 2,000 KIA from ground action, for a total of 5,550 estimated North Vietnamese killed in action as of March 31. The figures of 5,500 NVA dead and 1,000 U.S. dead yield a ratio of 5.5:1. [127] At 08:00 the following day, Operation Scotland was officially terminated. There are still debates about the true number of casualties, but estimates range that 1,000 to 3,500 US soldiers died, and a secret report from the US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam,. The last of the American casualties were finally lifted off Hill 861 on March 17. Casualties were heavy among the attacking PAVN, who lost over 200 killed, while the defending Marines lost two men. After a ten-day battle, the attackers were pushed back into Cambodia. The latest microwave/tropospheric scatter technology enabled them to maintain communications at all times. [62], On 20 January, La Thanh Ton, a PAVN lieutenant from the 325th Division, defected and laid out the plans for an entire series of PAVN attacks. [29], During the second half of 1967, the North Vietnamese instigated a series of actions in the border regions of South Vietnam. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. The PAVN 130mm and 152mm artillery pieces, and 122mm rockets, had a longer range than the Marine artillery support which consisted of 105mm and 155mm howitzers. [12] Further fighting followed, resulting in the loss of another 11 Marines and 89 PAVN soldiers, before the Marines finally withdrew from the area on 11 July. [122] The majority of these were around the southern and southeastern corners of the perimeter, and formed part of a system that would be developed throughout the end of February and into March until they were ready to be used to launch an attack, providing cover for troops to advance to jumping-off points close to the perimeter. Just days before, as the Army of the . Johnson backed the Marine position due to his concern over protecting the Army's air assets from Air Force co-option. [164] He cited the fact that it would have taken longer to dislodge the North Vietnamese at Hue if the PAVN had committed the three divisions at Khe Sanh to the battle there instead of dividing its forces. Westmoreland planned on Khe Sanh being relieved and then used as the jump-off point for a "hot pursuit" of enemy forces into Laos. Overnight, they were moved to a temporary position a short distance from the perimeter and from there, some of the Laotians were eventually evacuated, although the majority turned around and walked back down Route 9 toward Laos. Throughout the campaign, US forces used the latest technology to locate PAVN forces for targeting. This fighting was heavy, involving South Vietnamese militia as well as U.S. Army MACV advisers and Marines attached to a Combined Action Company platoon. Following a rolling barrage fired by nine artillery batteries, the Marine attack advanced through two PAVN trenchlines, but the Marines failed to locate the remains of the men of the ambushed patrol. Khe Sanh was situated on Route 9, the major east-west highway. MACV therefore initiated an operation to open Route 9 to vehicle traffic. By the end of May, Marine forces were again drawn down from two battalions to one, the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines. Amid heavy shelling, the Marines attempted to salvage what they could before destroying what remained as they were evacuated. Battle of la Drang Valley (26 October - 27 . It was a bad beginning to a long 77-day siege. "[168][Note 7], Marine General Rathvon M. Tompkins, the commander of the 3rd Marine Division, pointed out that had the PAVN actually intended to take Khe Sanh, PAVN troops could have cut the base's sole source of water, a stream 500 m outside the perimeter of the base. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, then began planning for incursion into Laos, and in October, the construction of an airfield at Khe Sanh was completed. The official statistics yield a KIA ratio of between 50:1 and 75:1 of North Vietnamese to U.S. military deaths. While climbing, the C-123 was struck by several bursts of heavy machine gun and recoilless rifle fire. The Battle of Khe Sanh began 50 years ago this week when roughly 20,000 North Vietnamese troops surrounded an isolated combat base . The United States and its South Vietnamese allies pulled many huge offensive . If a battle tallied a sufficiently favorable body count ratio, American commanders declared victory, as they did after Khe Sanh. Both sides suffered major casualties with both claiming victory of their own. 1st Marine Aircraft Wing records claim that the unit delivered 4,661 tons of cargo into KSCB.
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