Tolson was not happy with the assignment, since he believed that the best course of action, after Tet, was to use his division in an attack into the A Shau Valley. [29], During the second half of 1967, the North Vietnamese instigated a series of actions in the border regions of South Vietnam. The official, public estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 North Vietnamese KIA stands in contrast to another estimate made by the American military. 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 . That proved to be the last overland attempt at resupply for Khe Sanh until the following March. Telfer, Rogers, and Fleming, pp. 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. When an enemy rocket-propelled grenade killed 2nd Lt. Randall Yeary and Corporal Richard John, although these Marines died before the beginning of the siege, their deaths were included in the official statistics. On April 15, Operation Pegasus ended and Operation Scotland II began. Westmoreland planned on Khe Sanh being relieved and then used as the jump-off point for a "hot pursuit" of enemy forces into Laos. Lownds feared that PAVN infiltrators were mixed up in the crowd of more than 6,000, and lacked sufficient resources to sustain them. In the aftermath, the North Vietnamese proclaimed a victory at Khe Sanh, while US forces claimed that they had withdrawn, as the base was no longer required. [146] Useful equipment was withdrawn or destroyed, and personnel were evacuated. [70] The Marines and ARVN dug in and hoped that the approaching Tt truce (scheduled for 2931 January) would provide some respite. On April 6, a front-page story in The New York Times declared that the siege of Khe Sanh had been lifted. [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. No logic was apparent to them behind the sustained PAVN/VC offensives other than to inflict casualties on the allied forces. 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. Battle of Khe Sanh "What had been a combat base looked like rubble." A US Marine carries an American flag on his rifle during a recovery operation 6 miles south of Khe Sanh, Vietnam, June 17 . The Battle of Khe Sanh and Its Retellings - The Atlantic The Marines, whose aircraft and doctrine were integral to their operations, were under no such centralized control. At least 852 PAVN soldiers were killed during the action, as opposed to 50 American and South Vietnamese. However, even if Westmoreland believed his statement, his argument never moved on to the next logical level. by John Prados. Let me caution everyone not to be confused. During one 8-hour period, the base was rocked by 1,307 rounds, most of which came from 130-mm (used for the first time on the battlefield) and 152-mm artillery pieces located in Laos. Stubbe examined the command chronologies of the 1st and 2nd battalions, 26th Marines, plus the after-action reports of the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines; 1st Battalion, 9th Marines; 1st Battalion, 13th Marines; and more than one dozen other units, all present at Khe Sanh under 26th Marine operational control. Both sides have published official histories of the battle, and while these histories agree the fighting took place at Khe Sanh, they disagree on virtually every other aspect of it. today! 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 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 aircrew then had to contend with antiaircraft fire on the way out. [28], In early December 1967, the PAVN appointed Major General Tran Quy Hai as the local commander for the actions around Khe Sanh, with Le Quang Do as his political commissar. [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. [97] During a meeting at Da Nang at 07:00 the next morning, Westmoreland and Cushman accepted Lownds' decision. Once the base came under siege, a series of actions were fought over a period of five months. U.S. Marines and their allies killed thousands of NVA, but to solve the riddle of Khe Sanh, you have to recount the numbers. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. 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." [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. Military History Institute of Vietnam, p. 222. I suspect he is also trying to draw everyone's attention away from the greatest area of threat, the northern part of I Corps. Rod Andrew, Jr., a history professor at Clemson University and colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, has written an easily read and thoroughly . At about 0640 hours the NVA 7th Battalion, 66th Regiment, 304th Division, attacked the Huong Hoa District headquarters in Khe Sanh village. Upon closer analysis, the official figure does not accurately portray even what it purports to represent. 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. The Operation Scotland tactical area of responsibility (TAOR) was limited to the area around Khe Sanh along Route 9 in western Quang Tri province. 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. The Pegasus force consisted of the Army 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) plus the 1st Marine Regiment. [43] Lieutenant General Robert E. Cushman Jr. relieved Walt as commander of III MAF in June. The fire of PAVN antiaircraft units took its toll of helicopters that made the attempt. 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. 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. [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. [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. Marines stayed in the area, conducting operations to recover the bodies of Marines killed previously. Khe Sanh - Location, Vietnam War & Who Won - HISTORY 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. Cushman, the new III MAF commander, supported Westmoreland perhaps because he wanted to mend Army/Marine relations after the departure of Walt. 50 Years Ago, US Troops Fought the Battle of Khe Sanh - Business Insider Unlike the official figures, Stubbes database of Khe Sanh casualties includes verifiable names and dates of death. [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. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. 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. 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. [82], By the end of the battle, USAF assets had flown 9,691 tactical sorties and dropped 14,223tons of bombs on targets within the Khe Sanh area. "[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. [21], PAVN artillery fell on the main base for the first time on 21 January. On January 14, Marines from Company B, 3rd Recon Battalion, were moving up the north slope of Hill 881 North, a few miles northwest of Khe Sanh Combat Base. "[24] In November 1964, the Special Forces moved their camp to the Xom Cham Plateau, the future site of Khe Sanh Combat Base. A 77 day battle, Khe Sanh had been the biggest single battle of the Vietnam War to that point. Fighting around Khe Sanh was continuous. It was later renamed "Dye Marker" by MACV in September 1967, just as the PAVN began the first phase of their offensive by launching attacks against Marine-held positions across the DMZ. Two days later, the PAVN 273rd Regiment attacked a Special Forces camp near the border town of Loc Ninh, in Bnh Long Province. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. 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. [93], The situation changed radically during the early morning hours of 7 February. At least 852 PAVN soldiers were killed during the action, as opposed to 50 American and South Vietnamese. However, the PAVN committed three regiments to the fighting from the Khe Sanh sector. First had been Operation Full Cry, the original three-division invasion plan. 5 Major Battles of the Vietnam War | History Hit New material will be added to that page through the end of 2018. Whether the destruction of one battalion could have been the goal of two to four PAVN divisions was debatable. The Siege of Khe Sanh. At the same time, the 304th Division withdrew to the southwest. That appraisal was later altered when the PAVN was found to be moving major forces into the area. Its main objectives were to inflict casualties on US troops and to isolate them in the remote border regions. "[28], As far as Westmoreland was concerned, however, all that he needed to know was that the PAVN had massed large numbers of troops for a set-piece battle. [48][Note 4], Not all leading Marine officers, however, had the same opinion. U.S. reconnaissance forces continued to monitor the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Army Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ladd (commander, 5th Special Forces Group), who had just flown in from Khe Sanh, was reportedly, "astounded that the Marines, who prided themselves on leaving no man behind, were willing to write off all of the Green Berets and simply ignore the fall of Lang Vei. Battle of Hamburger Hill The 29 th North Vietnam Army had entrenched themselves on Hamburger Hill in South Vietnam; a joint US-South Vietnamese force was ordered to remove them. 216217. On that day, Tolson ordered his unit to immediately make preparations for Operation Delaware, an air assault into the A Shau Valley. Taking a larger but more realistic view, the Khe Sanh campaign resulted in a death toll of American military personnel that approached 1,000. Westmoreland believed that the latter was the case, and his belief was the basis for his desire to stage "Dien Bien Phu in reverse. At 0330 hours, soldiers of the NVA 6th Battalion, 2nd Regiment, 325C Division, attacked the Marines on Hill 861. [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. Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh, 1967 But Pisor also pointed out that 205 is a completely false number. One had to meet certain criteria before being officially considered KIA at Khe Sanh. Only nine US battalions were available from Hue/Phu Bai northward. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. See also Pisor, p. 108. [1], The PAVN claim that they began attacking the withdrawing Americans on 26 June 1968 prolonging the withdrawal, killing 1,300 Americans and shooting down 34 aircraft before "liberating" Khe Sanh on 15 July. [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. [55] They were supported logistically from the nearby Ho Chi Minh Trail. Many of the artillery and mortar rounds stored in the dump were thrown into the air and detonated on impact within the base. Two Marines died. Battlefield boundaries extended from eastern Laos eastward along both sides of Route 9 in Quang Tri province, Vietnam, to the coast. The North Vietnamese lost as many as 15,000 casualties during the siege of Khe Sanh. [58] These tactics were reminiscent of those employed against the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, particularly in relation to entrenching tactics and artillery placement, and the realization assisted US planners in their targeting decisions. For them, the battle started when the North Vietnamese attacks began in January. Of the 4953 Navy and Air Force casualties, both officer and enlisted, 4, 736 or 96% were white. [110], As more infantry units had been assigned to defend KSCB, artillery reinforcement kept pace. They attacked 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 64 district capitals, five of the six major cities, and more than two dozen airfields and bases. "[136], Regardless, on 1 April, Operation Pegasus began. ~45,000 in total[11]~6,000 Marines at the Combat Base of Khe Sanh[12] Khe Sanh is a village located near the Laotian border and just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separated North and South Vietnam. [32], Westmoreland responded by launching Operation Neutralize, an aerial and naval bombardment campaign designed to break the siege. [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. Battle of la Drang Valley (26 October - 27 . The dead men have been described as wearing Marine uniforms; that they were a regimental commander and his staff on a reconnaissance; and that they were all identified, by name, by American intelligence. This article was written by Peter Brush and originally published in the June 2007 issue of Vietnam Magazine. The Battle of Khe Sanh began 50 years ago this week when roughly 20,000 North Vietnamese troops surrounded an isolated combat base . By the end of January 1968, he had moved half of all US combat troops, nearly 50 maneuver battalions, to I Corps. That did not mean, however, that battle was over. [145], Author Peter Brush details that an "additional 413 Marines were killed during Scotland II through the end of June 1968". The Battle of Khe Sanh began on January 21, 1968, when forces from the People's Army of North Vietnam (PAVN) carried out a massive artillery bombardment on the U.S. Marine garrison at Khe Sanh, located in South Vietnam near the border with Laos. Armies and Commanders Allies General William Westmoreland Colonel David Lownds Approx. The battalion was assaulted on the night of 23 January by three PAVN battalions supported by seven tanks. Marines remained around Hill 689, though, and fighting in the vicinity continued until 11 July until they were finally withdrawn, bringing the battle to a close. Hundreds of mortar rounds and 122-mm rockets slammed into the base, levelling most of the above-ground structures. The report, originally classified as secret, noted that intelligence from many sources indicated conclusively that the North Vietnamese had planned a massive ground attack against the base. The figures of 5,500 NVA dead and 1,000 U.S. dead yield a ratio of 5.5:1. The Marines, fearing an ambush, did not attempt a relief, and after heavy fighting the camp was overrun. Where were the major battles of the Vietnam War? Cushman was appalled by the "implication of a rescue or breaking of the siege by outside forces. [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. On June 28, a Communist spokesman claimed the Americans had been forced to retreat and that Khe Sanh was the gravest tactical and strategic defeat for the U.S. in the war. [170][140], One argument that was then leveled by Westmoreland and has since often quoted by historians of the battle is that only two Marine regiments were tied down at Khe Sanh, compared with the several PAVN divisions. According to Ray Stubbe, a U.S. Navy chaplain during the siege and since then the most significant Khe Sanh historian, the 205 figure is taken only from the records of the 26th Marine Regiment. Battle of Khe Sanh : American Casualties We have 535 casualty profiles listed in our archive. 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 fact, neither side won a resounding victory. Two further attacks later in the morning were halted before the PAVN finally withdrew. [12], Following the closure of the base, a small force of Marines remained around Hill 689 carrying out mopping-up operations. American intelligence estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 PAVN troops were killed during the operation, equating to up to 90% of the attacking 17,200-man PAVN force. The monumental Battle of Khe Sanh had begun, but the January 21 starting date is essentially arbitrary in terms of casualty reporting. According to this history, originally classified as secret, the battle deaths for all major NVA units participating in the entire Highway 9Khe Sanh Front from January 20 until July 20, 1968, totaled 2,469. A myth has grown up around this incident. Several rounds also landed on Hill 881. [75] On 22 January, the first sensor drops took place, and by the end of the month, 316 acoustic and seismic sensors had been dropped in 44 strings. Once the aircraft touched down, it became the target of any number of PAVN artillery or mortar crews. The Marines withdrew all salvageable material and destroyed everything else. Amid heavy shelling, the Marines attempted to salvage what they could before destroying what remained as they were evacuated. The Battle of Khe Sanh in the Vietnam War - ThoughtCo Historian Ronald Spector, in the book After Tet: The Bloodiest Year in Vietnam, noted that American casualties in the 10 weeks after the start of Operation Pegasus were more than twice those officially reported during the siege. "[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. [44], On 14 August, Colonel David E. Lownds took over as commander of the 26th Marine Regiment. By comparison, according to another Army general, a 10:1 ratio was considered average and 25:1 was considered very good. On January 21 at Khe Sanh, 30,000 North Vietnamese troops attacked an air base held by just 6,000 United States Marines. Battlefield:Vietnam | History The Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh by Murphy, Edward F A limited attack was made by a PAVN company on 1 July, falling on a company from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, who were holding a position 3km to the southeast of the base. Operation Scotland II continued until the end of the year, resulting in the deaths of 72 more Marines. [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".

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