Lownds feared that PAVN infiltrators were mixed up in the crowd of more than 6,000, and lacked sufficient resources to sustain them. [85] Westmoreland had given his deputy commander for air operations, Air Force General William W. Momyer, the responsibility for coordinating all air assets during the operation to support KSCB. The Battle of Khe Sanh took place between January 21 and July 9, 1968; however, most of the official statistics provided pertain only to Operation Scotland, which ended on March 31, or to the 77-day period beginning what is classified as the Siege of Khe Sanh, where the 26th Marines were pinned down until Operations Niagara, and Pegasus freed [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 official statistics yield a KIA ratio of between 50:1 and 75:1 of North Vietnamese to U.S. military deaths. [45] In December and early January, numerous sightings of PAVN troops and activities were made in the Khe Sanh area, but the sector remained relatively quiet.[46]. by John Prados. The Soviet-built PT-76 amphibious tanks of the 203rd Armored Regiment churned over the defenses, backed up by an infantry assault by the 7th Battalion, 66th Regiment and the 4th Battalion of the 24th Regiment, both elements of the 304th Division. [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. The Marines pursued three enemy scouts, who led them into an ambush. Minor attacks continued before the base was officially closed on 5 July. The site was first established near the village and later moved to the French fort. [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. For additional reading, see: Valley of Decision: The Siege of Khe Sanh, by John Prados and Ray W. Stubbe; and the official Marine Corps history, The Battle for Khe Sanh, by Moyers S. Shore II. [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. He has published over 20 books including: How to Survive Anything, Anywhere. The Marine Corps casualty reporting system was based on named operations and not geographic location. 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. [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. Making the prospect even more enticing was that the base was in an unpopulated area in which American firepower could be fully employed without civilian casualties. The fighting around Khe Sanh began January 21, 1968, and concluded around April 8, 1968. In the coming days, a campaign headquarters was established around Sap Lit. For a succinct overview of the creation of the CIDG program and its operations. [21], PAVN artillery fell on the main base for the first time on 21 January. [129][130] Nevertheless, according to Tom Johnson, President Johnson was "determined that Khe Sanh [would not] be an 'American Dien Bien Phu'". 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 explanations given out by the Saigon command were that "the enemy had changed his tactics and reduced his forces; that PAVN had carved out new infiltration routes; that the Marines now had enough troops and helicopters to carry out mobile operations; that a fixed base was no longer necessary. The new anchor base was established at Ca Lu, a few miles down Route 9 to the east. The village, 3km south of the base, was defended by 160 local Bru troops, plus 15 American advisers. Taking place between March and July 1970, the Battle of Fire. Only nine US battalions were available from Hue/Phu Bai northward. 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,. None of the deaths associated with Scotland II are included in the official count. Not including ARVN Ranger, RF/PF, Forward Operation Base 3 U.S. Army, Royal Laotian Army and SOG commandos losses. The microwave/tropo site was located in an underground bunker next to the airstrip. Both sides suffered major casualties with both claiming victory of their own. 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. Five Marines were killed on January 19 and 20, while on reconnaissance patrols. 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 . One of the first enemy shells set off an explosion in the main ammunition dump. [140] Total US casualties during the operation were 92 killed, 667 wounded, and five missing. Of the 24 Americans at the camp, 10 had been killed and 11 wounded. The Marines at Khe Sanh Combat Base broke out of their perimeter and began attacking the North Vietnamese in the surrounding area. The Marines knew that their withdrawal from Khe Sanh would present a propaganda victory for Hanoi. By the end of May, Marine forces were again drawn down from two battalions to one, the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines. [74], During January, the recently installed electronic sensors of Operation Muscle Shoals (later renamed "Igloo White"), which were undergoing test and evaluation in southeastern Laos, were alerted by a flurry of PAVN activity along the Ho Chi Minh Trail opposite the northwestern corner of South Vietnam. Of the 4953 Navy and Air Force casualties, both officer and enlisted, 4, 736 or 96% were white. The Marines fought long, hard and well at Khe Sanh, but they sacrificed in much greater numbers than has been acknowledged by official sources. [54] In attempting to determine PAVN intentions Marine intelligence confirmed that, within a period of just over a week, the 325th Division had moved into the vicinity of the base and two more divisions were within supporting distance. Army deaths at FOB-3, however, were not included in the official statistics either. [80] Westmoreland had already ordered the nascent Igloo White operation to assist in the Marine defense. In the US, the media following the battle drew comparisons with the 1954 Battle of Dien Bien Phu, which proved disastrous for the French. Listen Now. They attacked 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 64 district capitals, five of the six major cities, and more than two dozen airfields and bases. An additional 413 Marines were killed during Scotland II as of the end of June 1968. 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. 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. [112][113][114] In addition, over 100,000 tons of bombs were dropped until mid-April by aircraft of the USAF, US Navy and Marines onto the area surrounding Khe Sanh. [69] The Marine Direct Air Support Center (DASC), located at KSCB, was responsible for the coordination of air strikes with artillery fire. U.S. battles of the war in Vietnam had young GIs or Marines humping into the boonies in search of the enemy. [111] The base could also depend on fire support from US Army 175-mm guns located at Camp Carroll, east of Khe Sanh. Its mission was to destroy the Special Forces and their Vietnamese allies and to ambush any reinforcements coming from Khe Sanh. Name State Date War Branch; 1: Steven Glenn Abbott . [1], The evacuation of Khe Sanh began on 19 June 1968 as Operation Charlie. On March 6, two U.S. Air Force C-123 cargo airplanes departed Da Nang Air Base en route to Khe Sanh. After failing to respond to a challenge, they were fired upon and five were killed outright while the sixth, although wounded, escaped. However, the PAVN committed three regiments to the fighting from the Khe Sanh sector. [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. They asked what had changed in six months so that American commanders were willing to abandon Khe Sanh in July. On 18 January, Westmoreland passed his request for Air Force control up the chain of command to CINCPAC in Honolulu. The deaths of U.S. Air Force personnel, estimated between five and 20, are also omitted. [57][58] They were assisted in their emplacement efforts by the continuing bad weather of the winter monsoon. [71][72], Nine days before the Tet Offensive broke out, the PAVN opened the battle of Khe Sanh and attacked the US forces just south of the DMZ. [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. You could lose it and you really haven't lost a damn thing. 3% were Asian, 7 or . The Battle of Khe Sanh began Jan. 21, 1968, with inconclusive ground activity by US and North Vietnamese patrols. server. Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the start of the war's most famous siege, a 77-day struggle for a rain-swept plateau in central Vietnam that riveted the U.S. in 1968, and opened a year of . Marines stayed in the area, conducting operations to recover the bodies of Marines killed previously. After its adoption, Marine helicopters flew in 465 tons of supplies during February. 6,000 men North Vietnamese Vo Nguyen Giap Tran Quy Hai Approx. A group of 12 A-4 Skyhawk fighter-bombers provided flak suppression for massed flights of 1216 helicopters, which would resupply the hills simultaneously. A 77 day battle, Khe Sanh had been the biggest single battle of the Vietnam War to that point. Just days before, as the Army of the . [115] This equates to roughly 1,300 tons of bombs dropped daily 5 tons for every one of the 20,000 PAVN soldiers initially estimated to have been committed to the fighting at Khe Sanh. [12] With the abandonment of the base, according to Thomas Ricks, "Khe Sanh became etched in the minds of many Americans as a symbol of the pointless sacrifice and muddled tactics that permeated a doomed U.S. war effort in Vietnam". [145], Author Peter Brush details that an "additional 413 Marines were killed during Scotland II through the end of June 1968". 20,000-30,000 men Battle of Khe Sanh Overview [55] They were supported logistically from the nearby Ho Chi Minh Trail. As early as 1962, the U.S. Military CommandVietnam (MACV) established an Army Special Forces camp near the village. On April 5, 1968, MACV prepared an Analysis of the Khe Sanh Battle for General Westmoreland. The tower at Khe Sanh instructed the pilot to take evasive action and go around for another approach. It was the only time Americans abandoned a major combat base because of enemy pressure. [125] The 325C Divisional Headquarters was the first to leave, followed by the 95C and 101D Regiments, all of which relocated to the west. With Khe Sanh facing a full-scale. The Battle of Khe Sanh began 50 years ago this week when roughly 20,000 North Vietnamese troops surrounded an isolated combat base . [33], On 27 October, a PAVN regiment attacked an Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) battalion at Song Be, capital of Phc Long Province. 239240. [83] Westmoreland later wrote, "Washington so feared that some word of it might reach the press that I was told to desist, ironically answering what those consequences could be: a political disaster. The launching of the largest enemy offensive thus far in the conflict did not shift Westmoreland's focus away from Khe Sanh. [44], On 14 August, Colonel David E. Lownds took over as commander of the 26th Marine Regiment. 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. According to the official PAVN history, by December 1967 the North Vietnamese had in place, or within supporting distance: the 304th, 320th, 324th and 325th Infantry Divisions, the independent 270th infantry Regiment; five artillery regiments (the 16th, 45th, 84th, 204th, and 675th); three AAA regiments (the 208th, 214th, and 228th); four tank companies; one engineer regiment plus one independent engineer battalion; one signal battalion; and a number of local force units. [33], The heaviest action took place near Dak To, in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. [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. Casualties were heavy among the attacking PAVN, who lost over 200 killed, while the defending Marines lost two men. 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. The village of Khe Sanh was the seat of government of Hng Hoa district, an area of Bru Montagnard villages and coffee plantations about 7 miles (11km) from the Laotian frontier on Route 9, the northernmost transverse road in South Vietnam. [134], Westmoreland's planned relief effort infuriated the Marines, who had not wanted to hold Khe Sanh in the first place and who had been roundly criticized for not defending it well. Westmoreland was replaced two months after the end of the battle, and his successor explained the retreat in different ways. [142], Lownds and the 26th Marines departed Khe Sanh, leaving the defense of the base to the 1st Marine Regiment. newsletter for the best of the past, delivered every Monday and Thursday. 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. The Americans wanted a military presence there to block the infiltration of enemy forces from Laos, to provide a base for launching patrols into Laos to monitor the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and to serve as a western anchor for defense along the DMZ. The aircrew then had to contend with antiaircraft fire on the way out. [100][Note 6], Lownds infuriated the Special Forces personnel even further when the indigenous survivors of Lang Vei, their families, civilian refugees from the area, and Laotian survivors from the camp at Ban Houei Sane arrived at the gate of KSCB. At 00:30 on 21 January, Hill 861 was attacked by about 300 PAVN troops, the Marines, however, were prepared. [148], Regardless, the PAVN had gained control of a strategically important area, and its lines of communication extended further into South Vietnam. American logistical, aerial, and artillery support was provided to the operation. If firepower determined the outcome of the fight, it was airlift that allowed the defenders to hold their positions. [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. [43] Lieutenant General Robert E. Cushman Jr. relieved Walt as commander of III MAF in June. This caused problems for the Marine command, which possessed its own aviation squadrons that operated under their own close air support doctrine. By the middle of January 1968, some 6,000 Marines and Army troops occupied the Khe Sanh Combat Base and its surrounding positions. The distinctions between Operations Scotland, Pegasus and Scotland II, while important from the command perspective, were not necessarily apparent to individual Marines. [126], On 30 March, Bravo Company, 26th Marines, launched an attack toward the location of the ambush that had claimed so many of their comrades on 25 February. In 1970, the Office of Air Force History published a then "top secret", but now declassified, 106-page report, titled The Air Force in Southeast Asia: Toward a Bombing Halt, 1968. [104] Ladd, back on the scene, reported that the Marines stated, "they couldn't trust any gooks in their damn camp. Many of the artillery and mortar rounds stored in the dump were thrown into the air and detonated on impact within the base. Battle of Khe Sanh The attack finally came on January 21, 1968, when PAVN forces began a massive artillery bombardment of Khe Sanh, hitting the base's main store of ammunition and destroying. By late January 1967, the 1/3 returned to Japan and was relieved by Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines (1/9 Marines). Khe Sanh was situated on Route 9, the major east-west highway. January 30 marked the first day of the Vietnamese lunar new year celebration, called Tet. [63] Hills 881 South, 861, and the main base itself would be simultaneously attacked that same evening. The border battles, however, had two significant consequences, which were unappreciated at the time. [42], In the wake of the hill fights, a lull in PAVN activity occurred around Khe Sanh. Early in the war US forces had established a garrison at Khe Sanh in Quang Tri province, in the . The strike wounded two more Strike Force soldiers and damaged two bunkers. [125], By mid-March, Marine intelligence began to note an exodus of PAVN units from the Khe Sanh sector. 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 official assessment of the North Vietnamese Army dead is just over 1,600 killed, with two . Soon after, another shell hit a cache of tear gas, which saturated the entire area. Lima Company finally seized the hill after overcoming determined NVA resistance. Strategically, however, the withdrawal meant little. [39], On 24 April 1967, a patrol from Bravo Company became engaged with a PAVN force of an unknown size north of Hill 861. [65] The fighting and shelling on 21 January resulted in 14 Marines killed and 43 wounded. 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. Amid heavy shelling, the Marines attempted to salvage what they could before destroying what remained as they were evacuated. [47][Note 3] Westmoreland regarded the choice as quite simple. [108] The most dramatic supply delivery system used at Khe Sanh was the Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System, in which palletized supplies were pulled out of the cargo bay of a low-flying transport aircraft by means of an attached parachute. Then, on the morning of 6 February, the PAVN fired mortars into the Lang Vei compound, wounding eight Camp Strike Force soldiers. [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. [93], The situation changed radically during the early morning hours of 7 February. . The assault began on 10 May 1969 w ith the 101st Airborne Division and troops of the 9th M arine Regiment, the 5 th Cavalry Regiment, and the 3 rd ARVN Regiment. Had the plane been shot down departing Khe Sanh, the casualties would have been counted. [132], On 2 March, Tolson laid out what became known as Operation Pegasus, the operational plan for what was to become the largest operation launched by III MAF thus far in the conflict. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. 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 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. [66] Hours after the bombardment ceased, the base was still in danger. According to Gordon Rottman, even the North Vietnamese official history, Victory in Vietnam, is largely silent on the issue. On April 15, Operation Pegasus ended and Operation Scotland II began. Ten American soldiers were killed; the rest managed to escape down Route 9 to Khe Sanh. Rod Andrew, Jr., a history professor at Clemson University and colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, has written an easily read and thoroughly . Scotland was a 26th Marine Regiment operation, so only the deaths of Marines assigned to the regiment, and attached supporting units, were counted. The Marine defense of Khe Sanh, Operation Scotland, officially ended on March 31. "[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. This time period does not particularly coincide with the fighting; rather, it dates from before the siege began and terminates before the siege (and the fighting) ended. At the same time, the 304th Division withdrew to the southwest. Once the aircraft touched down, it became the target of any number of PAVN artillery or mortar crews. At about 0640 hours the NVA 7th Battalion, 66th Regiment, 304th Division, attacked the Huong Hoa District headquarters in Khe Sanh village. [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. It claimed, however, that only three American advisors were killed during the action. During this time, KSCB and the hilltop outposts around it were subjected to constant PAVN artillery, mortar, and rocket attacks, and several infantry assaults. The latest microwave/tropospheric scatter technology enabled them to maintain communications at all times. [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. The Armys 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), with more than 400 helicopters under its control, conducted airmobile operations deeper into enemy-controlled areas. Ten more Marines and 89 NVA died during this period. That was superseded by the smaller contingency plans. The Marines and their allies at Khe Sanh engaged tens of thousands, and killed thousands, of NVA over a period of many weeks. 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.
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