How To Cancel Closet Candy Boutique Stylist, Finger On Lips Body Language, Oceanside Police Activity Today, Eddie Collins Obituary, Articles B

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 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. In fact, neither side won a resounding victory. Construction on the line was ultimately abandoned and resources were later diverted towards implementing a more mobile strategy. The Battle of Khe Sanh and Its Retellings - The Atlantic Amid heavy shelling, the Marines attempted to salvage what they could before destroying what remained as they were evacuated. A group of 12 A-4 Skyhawk fighter-bombers provided flak suppression for massed flights of 1216 helicopters, which would resupply the hills simultaneously. Only nine US battalions were available from Hue/Phu Bai northward. Westmoreland planned on Khe Sanh being relieved and then used as the jump-off point for a "hot pursuit" of enemy forces into Laos. [87], Heated debate arose among Westmoreland, Commandant of the Marine Corps Leonard F. Chapman Jr., and Army Chief of Staff Harold K. Johnson. [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. [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. The advance would be supported by 102 pieces of artillery. This article was written by Peter Brush and originally published in the June 2007 issue of Vietnam Magazine. [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 official assessment of the North Vietnamese Army dead is just over 1,600 killed, with two . The Battle of Khe Sanh, January 21 - April 8, 1968 - The History Reader [94] Although the PAVN was known to possess two armored regiments, it had not yet fielded an armored unit in South Vietnam, and besides, the Americans considered it impossible for them to get one down to Khe Sanh without it being spotted by aerial reconnaissance. Over 100,000 tons of bombs were dropped by US aircraft and over 158,000 artillery rounds were fired in defense of the base. During the darkness of January 20-21, the NVA launched a series of coordinated attacks against American positions. 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. [70] Regardless, the SOG reconnaissance teams kept patrolling, providing the only human intelligence available in the battle area. This is the battles end date from the North Vietnamese perspective. "[155], According to military historian Ronald Spector, to reasonably record the fighting at Khe Sanh as an American victory is impossible. After failing to respond to a challenge, they were fired upon and five were killed outright while the sixth, although wounded, escaped. However, North Vietnamese sources claim that the Americans did not win a victory at Khe Sanh but were forced to retreat to avoid destruction.