[157], Commencing in 1966, the US had attempted to establish a barrier system across the DMZ to prevent infiltration by North Vietnamese troops. January 30 marked the first day of the Vietnamese lunar new year celebration, called Tet. At 0330 hours, soldiers of the NVA 6th Battalion, 2nd Regiment, 325C Division, attacked the Marines on Hill 861. [33], The heaviest action took place near Dak To, in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. PAVN forces were driven out of the area around Khe Sanh after suffering 940 casualties. Of the 24 Americans at the camp, 10 had been killed and 11 wounded. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. [70] Regardless, the SOG reconnaissance teams kept patrolling, providing the only human intelligence available in the battle area. [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. Consequently, and unknown at the time, Operation Scotland became the starting point of the Battle of Khe Sanh in terms of Marine casualty reporting. How Many Were Really Killed at Khe Sanh? | RealClearHistory The official statistics yield a KIA ratio of between 50:1 and 75:1 of North Vietnamese to U.S. military deaths. Because of washed-out bridges and heavy enemy activity, however, the only way for Americans to get to Khe Sanh was by helicopter or airplane. After failing to respond to a challenge, they were fired upon and five were killed outright while the sixth, although wounded, escaped. newsletter for the best of the past, delivered every Monday and Thursday. The 1968 Battle of Khe Sanh was the longest, deadliest and most controversial of the Vietnam War, pitting the U.S. Marines and their allies against the North Vietnamese Army. Battlefield boundaries extended from eastern Laos eastward along both sides of Route 9 in Quang Tri province, Vietnam, to the coast. "[91][92], Not much activity (with the exception of patrolling) had occurred thus far during the battle for the Special Forces Detachment A-101 and their four companies of Bru CIDGs stationed at Lang Vei. Hundreds of mortar rounds and 122-mm rockets slammed into the base, levelling most of the above-ground structures. Further information on the bombing campaign: Further information on the electronic sensor system: Westmoreland's plan to use nuclear weapons, President Johnson orders that the base be held at all costs, Operation Charlie: evacuation of the base. The Battle of la Drang was considered essential because it sets up a change of tactics for both troops during the conflict. [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. The fact that the North Vietnamese committed only about half of their available forces to the offensive (6070,000), most of whom were Viet Cong, is cited in favor of Westmoreland's argument. [153][154] The gradual withdrawal of US forces began during 1969 and the adoption of Vietnamization meant that, by 1969, "although limited tactical offensives abounded, US military participation in the war would soon be relegated to a defensive stance. He believed that was proved by the PAVN's actions during Tet. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh by Murphy, Edward F. (mass_market) at the best online prices at eBay! The Marines withdrew all salvageable material and destroyed everything else. The last of the American casualties were finally lifted off Hill 861 on March 17. 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. The presence of the PAVN 1st Division prompted a 22-day battle there and had some of the most intense close-quarters fighting of the entire conflict. Setting out from Ca Lu, 10 miles east of Khe Sanh, Pegasus opened the highway, linked up with the Marines at Khe Sanh, and engaged NVA in the surrounding area. [1] According to Brush, it was "the only occasion in which Americans abandoned a major combat base due to enemy pressure" and in the aftermath, the North Vietnamese began a strong propaganda campaign, seeking to exploit the US withdrawal and to promote the message that the withdrawal had not been by choice. 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. That appraisal was later altered when the PAVN was found to be moving major forces into the area. [75], Niagara I was completed during the third week of January, and the next phase, Niagara II, was launched on the 21st,[76] the day of the first PAVN artillery barrage. On January 21 at Khe Sanh, 30,000 North Vietnamese troops attacked an air base held by just 6,000 United States Marines. The 1968 Battle of Khe Sanh was the longest, deadliest and most controversial of the Vietnam War, pitting the U.S. Marines and their allies against the North Vietnamese Army. On that day, Tolson ordered his unit to immediately make preparations for Operation Delaware, an air assault into the A Shau Valley. [104] Ladd, back on the scene, reported that the Marines stated, "they couldn't trust any gooks in their damn camp. Lownds also rejected a proposal to launch a helicopter extraction of the survivors. The platoon withdrew following a three-hour battle that left six Marines dead, 24 missing, and one taken prisoner. U.S. reconnaissance forces continued to monitor the Ho Chi Minh Trail. He gave the order for US Marines to take up positions around Khe Sanh. [31] Mortar rounds, artillery shells, and 122mm rockets fell randomly but incessantly upon the base. At about 0640 hours the NVA 7th Battalion, 66th Regiment, 304th Division, attacked the Huong Hoa District headquarters in Khe Sanh village. "[73], Nevertheless, ultimately the nuclear option was discounted by military planners. The 324th Division was located in the DMZ area 1015 miles (1624km) north of Khe Sanh while the 320th Division was within easy reinforcing distance to the northeast. The enemy by my count suffered at least 15,000 dead in the area.. Battle of Khe Sanh: American Casualties : Showing All Results. The tower at Khe Sanh instructed the pilot to take evasive action and go around for another approach. "[106] At the end of January, Tompkins had ordered that no Marine patrols proceed more than 500 meters from the Combat Base. On April 15, Operation Pegasus ended and Operation Scotland II began. 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. [123][124], Nevertheless, the same day that the trenches were detected, 25 February, 3rd Platoon from Bravo Company 1st Battalion, 26th Marines was ambushed on a short patrol outside the base's perimeter to test the PAVN strength. The legendary siege at Khe Sanh occurred in 1968, but during the spring of 1967, the United States Marines fought in northwestern Quang Tri Province in what became the first stage of the Khe Sanh battles. [117][20] The PAVN acknowledged 2,500 men killed in action. "[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. The Siege of Khe Sanh. The attack on Khe Sanh, however, proved to be a diversionary tactic for the larger Tet Offensive. Taking place between March and July 1970, the Battle of Fire. [40] The 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 3rd Marine Regiment, under the command of Colonel John P. Lanigan, reinforced KSCB and were given the task of pushing the PAVN off of Hills 861, 881 North, and 881 South. Five Marines were killed on January 19 and 20, while on reconnaissance patrols. [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. At 04:15 on 8 February under cover of fog and a mortar barrage, the PAVN penetrated the perimeter, overrunning most of the position and pushing the remaining 30 defenders into the southwestern portion of the defenses. On the morning of 22 January Lownds decided to evacuate the remaining forces in the village with most of the Americans evacuated by helicopter while two advisers led the surviving local forces overland to the combat base. Westmoreland was replaced two months after the end of the battle, and his successor explained the retreat in different ways. [79] On an average day, 350 tactical fighter-bombers, 60 B-52s, and 30 light observation or reconnaissance aircraft operated in the skies near the base. Airpower at Khe Sanh | Air & Space Forces Magazine - Air Force Magazine In the aftermath, the North Vietnamese proclaimed a victory at Khe Sanh, while US forces claimed that they had withdrawn, as the base was no longer required. That did not mean, however, that battle was over. "[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. Officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. A single company replaced an entire battalion. server. [42], In the wake of the hill fights, a lull in PAVN activity occurred around Khe Sanh. He made his final appearance in the story of Khe Sanh on 23 May, when his regimental sergeant major and he stood before President Johnson and were presented with a Presidential Unit Citation on behalf of the 26th Marines. Time magazine, in an April 12, 1968, article titled Victory at Khe Sanh, reported General William Westmoreland, commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, after flying into Khe Sanh by helicopter, declaring: We took 220 killed at Khe Sanh and about 800 wounded and evacuated. [22] The camp then became a Special Forces outpost of the Civilian Irregular Defense Groups, which were to keep watch on PAVN infiltration along the border and to protect the local population. The NVA continued shelling the base, and on July 1 launched a company-sized infantry attack against its perimeter. [69] The Marine Direct Air Support Center (DASC), located at KSCB, was responsible for the coordination of air strikes with artillery fire. The NVA surrounded Khe Sanh in an attempt to force the Marines to break out of their fighting positions, which would make it easier to engage and destroy them. The battle of Khe Sanh is one of the most well-known battles of the Vietnam War. [26] From there, reconnaissance teams were launched into Laos to explore and gather intelligence on the PAVN logistical system known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, also known as "Truong Son Strategic Supply Route" to the North Vietnamese soldiers. Cushman was appalled by the "implication of a rescue or breaking of the siege by outside forces. [55] They were supported logistically from the nearby Ho Chi Minh Trail. [158] The question, known among American historians as the "riddle of Khe Sanh," has been summed up by John Prados and Ray Stubbe: "Either the Tet Offensive was a diversion intended to facilitate PAVN/VC preparations for a war-winning battle at Khe Sanh, or Khe Sanh was a diversion to mesmerize Westmoreland in the days before Tet. The PAVN claim that during the entire battle they "eliminated" 17,000 enemy troops, including 13,000 Americans and destroyed 480 aircraft. Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January - 9 April 1968) Max Hastings wrote a bestseller on Vietnam, and Dan met him to discuss Domino theory, whether it was possible for the US to win the war and the effect the war had on those who fought in it. Due to severe losses, however, the NVA abandoned its plan for a massive ground attack. No logic was apparent to them behind the sustained PAVN/VC offensives other than to inflict casualties on the allied forces. Armies and Commanders Allies General William Westmoreland Colonel David Lownds Approx. As a result, "B-52 Arc Light strikes originating in Guam, Okinawa, and Thailand bombed the jungles surrounding Khe Sanh into stubble fields" and Khe Sanh became the major news headline coming out of Vietnam in late March 1968. The opportunity to engage and destroy a formerly elusive enemy that was moving toward a fixed position promised a victory of unprecedented proportions. McNamara wrote: "because of terrain and other conditions peculiar to our operations in South Vietnam, it is inconceivable that the use of nuclear weapons would be recommended there against either Viet Cong or North Vietnamese forces". The advance would be supported by 102 pieces of artillery. 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. What is the 25th Infantry known for? 216217. That was accomplished, but the casualties absorbed by the North Vietnamese seemed to negate any direct gains they might have obtained. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. Ten American soldiers were killed; the rest managed to escape down Route 9 to Khe Sanh. The official, public estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 North Vietnamese KIA stands in contrast to another estimate made by the American military. A smaller slice of the action saw Americans on the receiving end, defending some firebase or outpost. [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. The Pegasus force consisted of the Army 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) plus the 1st Marine Regiment. "[162] Those who agree with Westmoreland reason that no other explanation exists for Hanoi to commit so many forces to the area instead of deploying them for the Tet Offensive. [64], The main base was then subjected to an intense mortar and rocket barrage. [24], The plateau camp was permanently manned by the US Marines in 1967, when they established an outpost next to the airstrip. Over 100,000 tons of bombs were dropped by US aircraft and over 158,000 artillery rounds were fired in defense of the base. For seven weeks, American aircraft dropped from 35,000 to 40,000 tons of bombs in nearly 4,000 airstrikes. Casualties were heavy among the attacking PAVN, who lost over 200 killed, while the defending Marines lost two men. [128] They also reported 1,436 wounded before mid-March, of which 484 men returned to their units, while 396 were sent up the Ho Chi Minh Trail to hospitals in the north. By late January 1967, the 1/3 returned to Japan and was relieved by Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines (1/9 Marines). Throughout the campaign, US forces used the latest technology to locate PAVN forces for targeting. TBKQS / Trung tm TBKQS - BQP - H Ni: QND, 2004. Week of February 19, 2023 | Vietnam War Commemoration Battle of Dak To in the Vietnam War - ThoughtCo [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. [25], In the winter of 1964, Khe Sanh became the location of a launch site for the highly-classified Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group. . The PAVN claimed that Khe Sanh was "a stinging defeat from both the military and political points of view." The Battle of Khe Sanh and Its Retellings - The Atlantic The Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh by Murphy, Edward F Hernandez was killed. In an unconventional war without conventional frontlines, statistics became the most critical measure of progress. The Twenty-fifth United States Infantry Regiment was one of the racially segregated units of the United States Army known as Buffalo Soldiers.The 25th served from 1866 to 1957, seeing action in the American Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War and World War II. Let me caution everyone not to be confused. "[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. On July 11, the Marines finally left Khe Sanh. [118], On the night of the fall of Lang Vei, three companies of the PAVN 101D Regiment moved into jump-off positions to attack Alpha-1, an outpost west of the Combat Base held by 66 men of Company A, 1st Platoon, 1/9 Marines. The NVA used Hill 881 North to launch 122mm rockets at the Marines during the siege. The official assessment of the North Vietnamese Army dead is just over 1,600 killed, with two . If a battle tallied a sufficiently favorable body count ratio, American commanders declared victory, as they did after Khe Sanh. That proved to be the last overland attempt at resupply for Khe Sanh until the following March. These combined sources report a total of 354 KIA. That action prematurely triggered a PAVN offensive aimed at taking Khe Sanh. Senior Marine Corps General Victor Krulak agreed, noting on May 13 that the Marines had defeated the North Vietnamese and won the battle of Khe Sanh. Over time, these KIA figures have been accepted by historians. 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 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment (2/1 Marines) and the 2/3 Marines would launch a ground assault from Ca Lu Combat Base (16km east of Khe Sanh) and head west on Route 9 while the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brigades of the 1st Cavalry Division, would air-assault key terrain features along Route 9 to establish fire support bases and cover the Marine advance. For some unknown reason, the PAVN troops did not press their advantage and eliminate the pocket, instead throwing a steady stream of grenades at the Marines. [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. 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." 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." [89] As a result, on 7 March, for the first time during the Vietnam War, air operations were placed under the control of a single manager. 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. [61] To cover a defilade near the Rao Quan River, four companies from 2/26 were immediately sent out to occupy Hill 558, with another manning Hill 861A. Naval aircrews, many of whom were redirected from Operation Rolling Thunder strikes against North Vietnam, flew 5,337 sorties and dropped 7,941 tons of ordnance in the area. The Tet Offensive - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund During the darkness of January 20-21, the NVA launched a series of coordinated attacks against American positions. The Marines, fearing an ambush, did not attempt a relief, and after heavy fighting the camp was overrun. Two further attacks later in the morning were halted before the PAVN finally withdrew. The village, 3km south of the base, was defended by 160 local Bru troops, plus 15 American advisers. At least 852 PAVN soldiers were killed during the action, as opposed to 50 American and South Vietnamese. [105], Lownds estimated that the logistical requirements of KSCB were 60 tons per day in mid-January and rose to 185 tons per day when all five battalions were in place. These were pitted against two to three divisional-size elements of the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). [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. [56], At positions west of Hill 881 South and north of Co Roc Ridge (163340N 1063755E / 16.561N 106.632E / 16.561; 106.632), across the border in Laos, the PAVN established artillery, rocket, and mortar positions from which to launch attacks by fire on the base and to support its ground operations. [143][144], On 15 April, the 3rd Marine Division resumed responsibility for KSCB, Operation Pegasus ended, and Operation Scotland II began with the Marines seeking out the PAVN in the surrounding area. The Marines and their allies at Khe Sanh engaged tens of thousands, and killed thousands, of NVA over a period of many weeks. They fixed the attention of the American command on the border regions, and they drew American and ARVN forces away from the coastal lowlands and cities in preparation for the Tet Offensive. Operation Pegasus forces, however, were highly mobile and did not attack en masse down Route 9 far enough west of Khe Sanh for the NVA, by then dispersed, to implement their plan. After a ten-day battle, the attackers were pushed back into Cambodia. [37] He was vociferously opposed by General Lewis W. Walt, the Marine commander of I Corps, who argued heatedly that the real target of the American effort should be the pacification and protection of the population, not chasing the PAVN/VC in the hinterlands. "[105] There had been a history of distrust between the Special Forces personnel and the Marines, and General Rathvon M. Tompkins, commander of the 3rd Marine Division, described the Special Forces soldiers as "hopped up wretches [who] were a law unto themselves. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. The monumental Battle of Khe Sanh had begun, but the January 21 starting date is essentially arbitrary in terms of casualty reporting. Dien Bien Phu would loom large for the rest of the war, especially during the Battle of Khe Sanh. [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. [23][Note 2], James Marino wrote that in 1964, General William Westmoreland, the US commander in Vietnam, had determined, "Khe Sanh could serve as a patrol base blocking enemy infiltration from Laos; a base for operations to harass the enemy in Laos; an airstrip for reconnaissance to survey the Ho Chi Minh Trail; a western anchor for the defenses south of the DMZ; and an eventual jumping-off point for ground operations to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail. 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.. Route 9, the only practical overland route from the east, was impassable due to its poor state of repair and the presence of PAVN troops. The battalion was assaulted on the night of 23 January by three PAVN battalions supported by seven tanks. [88] Westmoreland was so obsessed with the tactical situation that he threatened to resign if his wishes were not obeyed. Minor attacks continued before the base was officially closed on 5 July. Of the 500 CIDG troops at Lang Vei, 200 had been killed or were missing and 75 more were wounded. [48][Note 4], Not all leading Marine officers, however, had the same opinion. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. NVA casualties were more than 200. This base was to serve as the western anchor of Marine Corps forces, which had tactical responsibility for the five northernmost provinces of South Vietnam known as I Corps. Among the dead Marines was 18-year-old Pfc Curtis Bugger. [138] At 08:00 on 15 April, Operation Pegasus was officially terminated. During this time, KSCB and the hilltop outposts around it were subjected to constant PAVN artillery, mortar, and rocket attacks, and several infantry assaults. [87], Heated debate arose among Westmoreland, Commandant of the Marine Corps Leonard F. Chapman Jr., and Army Chief of Staff Harold K. Johnson. The Battle of Khe Sanh began 50 years ago this week when roughly 20,000 North Vietnamese troops surrounded an isolated combat base . According to the official Marine Corps history of the battle, total fatalities for Operation Scotland were 205 friendly KIA. The Marines recorded an actual body count of 1,602 NVA killed but estimated the total NVA dead at between 10,000 and 15,000. The link-up between the relief force and the Marines at KSCB took place at 08:00 on 8 April, when the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment entered the camp. The exact number of casualties suffered by both sides during the Khe Sanh battle is very difficult to ascertain, given that in many cases the two warring factions provided their own disparate counts. Although the camp's main defenses were overrun in only 13 minutes, the fighting lasted for several hours, during which the Special Forces men and Bru CIDGs managed to knock out at least five of the tanks. [171] When Hanoi made the decision to move in around the base, Khe Sanh was held by only one or two American battalions. The First Battle of Khe Sahn - HistoryNet During aerial resupply:1 KC-130, 3 C-123 ARVN losses: 229 killed, 436 wounded (not including CIDG, RF/PF and SOG losses)CIDG losses: 1,000 1,500 killed or missing, at least 250 captured (in Lang Vei), wounded unknown[16] Kingdom of Laos: Unknown. [1], The evacuation of Khe Sanh began on 19 June 1968 as Operation Charlie. They too were left out of the official Khe Sanh casualty count. [148], Regardless, the PAVN had gained control of a strategically important area, and its lines of communication extended further into South Vietnam. It was a bad beginning to a long 77-day siege. Many of the artillery and mortar rounds stored in the dump were thrown into the air and detonated on impact within the base. [128] Also, Marine Lieutenant General Victor Krulak seconded the notion that there was never a serious intention to take the base by arguing that neither the water supply nor the telephone land lines were ever cut by the PAVN. This range overmatch was used by the PAVN to avoid counter-battery fire. When the weather later cleared in March, the amount was increased to 40 tons per day. It was not sufficient to simply be an American military person killed in the fighting there during the winter and spring of 1967-68. That was superseded by the smaller contingency plans. [81] The sensors were implanted by a special naval squadron, Observation Squadron Sixty-Seven (VO-67). 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. Ray Stubbe has published a translation of the North Vietnamese history of the siege at Khe Sanh. On the afternoon of 29 January, however, the 3rd Marine Division notified Khe Sanh that the truce had been cancelled. By early January, the defenders could count on fire support from 46 artillery pieces of various calibers, five tanks armed with 90-mm guns, and 92 single or Ontos-mounted 106-mm recoilless rifles. Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh, 1967 The attack was to have been supported by armor and artillery. The microwave/tropo site was located in an underground bunker next to the airstrip.