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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. Those 10 deaths were also left out of the official statistics. Additionally, Shore argued that the "weather was another critical factor because the poor visibility and low overcasts attendant to the monsoon season made such operations hazardous. [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. January 30 marked the first day of the Vietnamese lunar new year celebration, called Tet. This range overmatch was used by the PAVN to avoid counter-battery fire. [63] Hills 881 South, 861, and the main base itself would be simultaneously attacked that same evening. A 77 day battle, Khe Sanh had been the biggest single battle of the Vietnam War to that point. 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. This caused problems for the Marine command, which possessed its own aviation squadrons that operated under their own close air support doctrine. The NVAs main command post was located in Laos, at Sar Lit. Battle of Khe Sanh : American Casualties We have 535 casualty profiles listed in our archive. [117], Communications with military command outside of Khe Sanh was maintained by an U.S. Army Signal Corps team, the 544th Signal Detachment from the 337th Signal Company, 37th Signal Brigade in Danang. On Easter Sunday, April 14, the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines (3/26), assaulted Hill 881 North in order to clear the enemy firing positions. [127] At 08:00 the following day, Operation Scotland was officially terminated. [131], Planning for the overland relief of Khe Sanh had begun as early as 25 January 1968, when Westmoreland ordered General John J. Tolson, commander, First Cavalry Division, to prepare a contingency plan. Cushman, the new III MAF commander, supported Westmoreland perhaps because he wanted to mend Army/Marine relations after the departure of Walt. The official North Vietnamese history claimed that 400 South Vietnamese troops had been killed and 253 captured. Name State Date War Branch; 1: Steven Glenn Abbott . U.S. battles of the war in Vietnam had young GIs or Marines humping into the boonies in search of the enemy. Once the base came under siege, a series of actions were fought over a period of five months. The battle of Khe Sanh is one of the most well-known battles of the Vietnam War. On April 6, a front-page story in The New York Times declared that the siege of Khe Sanh had been lifted. [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. [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. On the afternoon of 29 January, however, the 3rd Marine Division notified Khe Sanh that the truce had been cancelled. 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. 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. 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. Military History Institute of Vietnam, pp. Indeed, had enemy forces not been at Khe Sanh, they could have joined the NVA and VC who occupied Hue, a much more important strategic target. 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. Just days before, as the Army of the . by John Prados. By late January 1967, the 1/3 returned to Japan and was relieved by Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines (1/9 Marines). [125] On the night of 28 February, the combat base unleashed artillery and airstrikes on possible PAVN staging areas and routes of advance. That was superseded by the smaller contingency plans. The platoon withdrew following a three-hour battle that left six Marines dead, 24 missing, and one taken prisoner. At least 852 PAVN soldiers were killed during the action, as opposed to 50 American and South Vietnamese. [152] The Marines occupied Hill 950 overlooking the Khe Sanh plateau from 1966 until September 1969 when control was handed to the Army who used the position as a SOG operations and support base until it was overrun by the PAVN in June 1971. [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. This article was written by Peter Brush and originally published in the June 2007 issue of Vietnam Magazine. However, even if Westmoreland believed his statement, his argument never moved on to the next logical level. [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. They asked what had changed in six months so that American commanders were willing to abandon Khe Sanh in July. It reveals that the nuclear option was discounted because of terrain considerations that were unique to South Vietnam, which would have reduced the effectiveness of tactical nuclear weapons. The Battle of Khe Sanh began Jan. 21, 1968, with inconclusive ground activity by US and North Vietnamese patrols. [109], The resupply of the numerous, isolated hill outposts was fraught with the same difficulties and dangers. [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. On 18 January, Westmoreland passed his request for Air Force control up the chain of command to CINCPAC in Honolulu. 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. The Operation Scotland tactical area of responsibility (TAOR) was limited to the area around Khe Sanh along Route 9 in western Quang Tri province. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. Ray Stubbe has published a translation of the North Vietnamese history of the siege at Khe Sanh. [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 claimed that Khe Sanh was "a stinging defeat from both the military and political points of view." [93] At 18:10 hours, the PAVN followed up their morning mortar attack with an artillery strike from 152mm howitzers, firing 60 rounds into the camp. [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 combat losses in February and March 1967 were a prelude to the "First Battle of Khe Sanh," one of the Vietnam War's hardest-fought battles, . 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. [147] The official closure of the base came on 5 July after fighting, which had killed five more Marines. [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. The PAVN forces were in the process of gaining elevated terrain before it launched the main attack. On April 5, 1968, MACV prepared an Analysis of the Khe Sanh Battle for General Westmoreland. Additionally, the logistical effort required to support the base once it was isolated demanded the implementation of other tactical innovations to keep the Marines supplied. TBKQS / Trung tm TBKQS - BQP - H Ni: QND, 2004. [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. The official assessment of the North Vietnamese Army dead is just over 1,600 killed, with two . [145], Author Peter Brush details that an "additional 413 Marines were killed during Scotland II through the end of June 1968". [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. Taking place between March and July 1970, the Battle of Fire. The opportunity to engage and destroy a formerly elusive enemy that was moving toward a fixed position promised a victory of unprecedented proportions. Lownds also rejected a proposal to launch a helicopter extraction of the survivors. Operation Scotland II continued until the end of the year, resulting in the deaths of 72 more Marines. [171] When Hanoi made the decision to move in around the base, Khe Sanh was held by only one or two American battalions. WALKI NA WZGRZU: PIERWSZA BITWA KHE SANH Edwarda F. Murphy'ego - twarda okadka w bardzo dobrym stanie | Books & Magazines, Books | eBay! . [97] During a meeting at Da Nang at 07:00 the next morning, Westmoreland and Cushman accepted Lownds' decision. [41], To prevent PAVN observation of the main base at the airfield and their possible use as firebases, the hills of the surrounding Khe Sanh Valley had to be continuously occupied and defended by separate Marine elements. The Marines fought long, hard and well at Khe Sanh, but they sacrificed in much greater numbers than has been acknowledged by official sources. [81] The sensors were implanted by a special naval squadron, Observation Squadron Sixty-Seven (VO-67). The new anchor base was established at Ca Lu, a few miles down Route 9 to the east. It claimed, however, that only three American advisors were killed during the action. Later, the 1/1 Marines and 3rd ARVN Airborne Task Force (the 3rd, 6th, and 8th Airborne Battalions) would join the operation. Taking a larger but more realistic view, the Khe Sanh campaign resulted in a death toll of American military personnel that approached 1,000. The Marine Corps casualty reporting system was based on named operations and not geographic location. Over 100,000 tons of bombs were dropped by US aircraft and over 158,000 artillery rounds were fired in defense of the base. newsletter for the best of the past, delivered every Monday and Thursday. Fighting around Khe Sanh was continuous. When the weather later cleared in March, the amount was increased to 40 tons per day. 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. On April 20, Operation Prairie IV began, with heavy fighting between the Marines and NVA forces. The Marines claimed 115 PAVN killed, while their own casualties amounted to 10 dead, 100 wounded, and two missing. [70] Regardless, the SOG reconnaissance teams kept patrolling, providing the only human intelligence available in the battle area. 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 . 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. The Marine garrison was also reinforced, and on November 1, 1967, Operation Scotland began. Two days later, the PAVN 273rd Regiment attacked a Special Forces camp near the border town of Loc Ninh, in Bnh Long Province. Known as the McNamara Line, it was initially codenamed "Project Nine". An airborne battlefield command and control center aboard a C-130 aircraft, directed incoming strike aircraft to forward air control (FAC) spotter planes, which, in turn directed them to targets either located by themselves or radioed in by ground units. 239240. [34] The heaviest action took place near Dak To, in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. Listen Now. The withdrawal of the last Marines under the cover of darkness was hampered by the shelling of a bridge along Route 9, which had to be repaired before the withdrawal could be completed. [88] Westmoreland was so obsessed with the tactical situation that he threatened to resign if his wishes were not obeyed. He has published over 20 books including: How to Survive Anything, Anywhere. 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. During this time, KSCB and the hilltop outposts around it were subjected to constant PAVN artillery, mortar, and rocket attacks, and several infantry assaults. [110], As more infantry units had been assigned to defend KSCB, artillery reinforcement kept pace. After failing to respond to a challenge, they were fired upon and five were killed outright while the sixth, although wounded, escaped. The Marines knew that their withdrawal from Khe Sanh would present a propaganda victory for Hanoi. [10] Once the news of the closure of KSCB was announced, the American media immediately raised questions about the reasoning behind its abandonment. [167], Another theory is that the actions around Khe Sanh and the other battles at the border were simply feints ands ruse meant to focus American attention and forces on the border. Marine Corps aviators had flown 7,098 missions and released 17,015tons. "[149], While KSCB was abandoned, the Marines continued to patrol the Khe Sanh plateau, including reoccupying the area with ARVN forces from 519 October 1968 with minimal opposition. Lima Company finally seized the hill after overcoming determined NVA resistance. The latest microwave/tropospheric scatter technology enabled them to maintain communications at all times. The main US forces defending Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB) were two regiments of the United States Marine Corps supported by elements from the United States Army and the United States Air Force (USAF), as well as a small number of Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops. server. The Battle of Khe Sanh's initial action cost the Marines 12 killed, 17 wounded and two missing. 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. [30], In early October, the PAVN had intensified battalion-sized ground probes and sustained artillery fire against Con Thien, a hilltop stronghold in the center of the Marines' defensive line south of the DMZ, in northern Qung Tr Province. [58] The USAF delivered 14,356 tons of supplies to Khe Sanh by air (8,120 tons by paradrop). At about 0640 hours the NVA 7th Battalion, 66th Regiment, 304th Division, attacked the Huong Hoa District headquarters in Khe Sanh village. The official, public estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 North Vietnamese KIA stands in contrast to another estimate made by the American military. New material will be added to that page through the end of 2018. [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. [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. Declassified documents show that in response, Westmoreland considered using nuclear weapons. While climbing, the C-123 was struck by several bursts of heavy machine gun and recoilless rifle fire. [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. The attack was to have been supported by armor and artillery. 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. [95], It still came as a shock to the Special Forces troopers at Lang Vei when 12 tanks attacked their camp. Unlike the official figures, Stubbes database of Khe Sanh casualties includes verifiable names and dates of death. [133] The Marines would be accompanied by their 11th Engineer Battalion, which would repair the road as the advance moved forward. 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. 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. [138] At 08:00 on 15 April, Operation Pegasus was officially terminated. 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. [24], The plateau camp was permanently manned by the US Marines in 1967, when they established an outpost next to the airstrip. In fact, neither side won a resounding victory. Background [ edit] According to Gordon Rottman, even the North Vietnamese official history, Victory in Vietnam, is largely silent on the issue. [125] The 325C Divisional Headquarters was the first to leave, followed by the 95C and 101D Regiments, all of which relocated to the west. [69] The Marine Direct Air Support Center (DASC), located at KSCB, was responsible for the coordination of air strikes with artillery fire. The attacks hindered the advancement of the McNamara Line, and as the fighting around Khe Sanh intensified, vital equipment including sensors and other hardware had to be diverted from elsewhere to meet the needs of the US garrison at Khe Sanh. Westmoreland echoed this judgment in his memoirs, and, using exactly the same figures, concluded that the North Vietnamese had suffered a most damaging and one-sided defeat. One headquarters would allocate and coordinate all air assets, distributing them wherever they were considered most necessary, and then transferring them as the situation required. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. 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. NVA casualties were more than 200. Two further attacks later in the morning were halted before the PAVN finally withdrew. [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. 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. "[73], Nevertheless, ultimately the nuclear option was discounted by military planners. At around 10:00, the fire ignited a large quantity of explosives, rocking the base with another series of detonations. Throughout the battle, Marine artillerymen fired 158,891 mixed rounds. As early as 1962, the U.S. Military CommandVietnam (MACV) established an Army Special Forces camp near the village. [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.