[129][130] Nevertheless, according to Tom Johnson, President Johnson was "determined that Khe Sanh [would not] be an 'American Dien Bien Phu'". The fighting around Khe Sanh began January 21, 1968, and concluded around April 8, 1968. The microwave/tropo site was located in an underground bunker next to the airstrip. 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 Khe Sanh: A history of the Vietnam War - Washington Post While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. On July 10, Pfc Robert Hernandez of Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, was manning an M-60 machine gun position when it took a direct hit from NVA mortars. 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. The Marines claimed 115 PAVN killed, while their own casualties amounted to 10 dead, 100 wounded, and two missing. 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". [99] The relief effort was not launched until 15:00, and it was successful. The Laotians were overrun, and many fled to the Special Forces camp at Lang Vei. Hundreds of mortar rounds and 122-mm rockets slammed into the base, levelling most of the above-ground structures. [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. 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. Many American casualties were caused by the 10,908 rounds of rockets, artillery and mortars the North Vietnamese fired into the base and hill positions. 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. Khe Sanh is a village located near the Laotian border and just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separated North and South Vietnam. 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." A myth has grown up around this incident. [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. Less likely to be mentioned is the final high-casualty engagement between units of the U.S. infantry and the North Vietnamese Army. American commanders considered the defense of Khe Sanh a success, but shortly after the siege was lifted, the decision was made to dismantle the base rather than risk similar battles in the future. 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 Marines, fearing an ambush, did not attempt a relief, and after heavy fighting the camp was overrun. The Pegasus force consisted of the Army 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) plus the 1st Marine Regiment. Throughout the battle, Marine artillerymen fired 158,891 mixed rounds. The PAVN 130mm and 152mm artillery pieces, and 122mm rockets, had a longer range than the Marine artillery support which consisted of 105mm and 155mm howitzers. Shortly after midnight on February 7, a large NVA force, reinforced with tanks, attacked the camp. Five Marines were killed on January 19 and 20, while on reconnaissance patrols. On 19 June 1968, the evacuation and destruction of KSCB began. [125] On the night of 28 February, the combat base unleashed artillery and airstrikes on possible PAVN staging areas and routes of advance. But only by checking my service record while writing this article did it become evident that I had participated in all three operations. 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. [69] Due to the arrival of the 304th Division, KSCB was further reinforced by the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment on 22 January. This fighting was heavy, involving South Vietnamese militia as well as U.S. Army MACV advisers and Marines attached to a Combined Action Company platoon. The latest microwave/tropospheric scatter technology enabled them to maintain communications at all times. The September bombardments ranged from 100 to 150 rounds per day, with a maximum on 25 September of 1,190 rounds. [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. Only those killed in action during Operation Scotland, which began on November 1, 1967, and ended on March 31, 1968, were included in the official casualty count. It was a bad beginning to a long 77-day siege. Strategically, however, the withdrawal meant little. 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. [166] This view was supported by a captured North Vietnamese study of the battle in 1974 that stated that the PAVN would have taken Khe Sanh if it could have done so, but there was a limit to the price that it would pay. The official, public estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 North Vietnamese KIA stands in contrast to another estimate made by the American military. In the coming days, a campaign headquarters was established around Sap Lit. [150] On 31 December 1968, the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion was landed west of Khe Sanh to commence Operation Dawson River West, on 2 January 1969 the 9th Marines and 2nd ARVN Regiment were also deployed on the plateau supported by the newly established Fire Support Bases Geiger and Smith; the 3-week operation found no significant PAVN forces or supplies in the Khe Sanh area. 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. By the end of January 1968, he had moved half of all US combat troops, nearly 50 maneuver battalions, to I Corps. Westmoreland believed that the latter was the case, and his belief was the basis for his desire to stage "Dien Bien Phu in reverse. The First Battle of Khe Sahn - HistoryNet 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. Westmoreland was replaced two months after the end of the battle, and his successor explained the retreat in different ways. WALKI NA WZGRZU: PIERWSZA BITWA KHE SANH Edwarda F. Murphy'ego - twarda okadka w bardzo dobrym stanie | Books & Magazines, Books | eBay! Cushman, the new III MAF commander, supported Westmoreland perhaps because he wanted to mend Army/Marine relations after the departure of Walt. Operation Pegasus casualties included 59 U.S. Army and 51 Marine Corps dead. Two further attacks later in the morning were halted before the PAVN finally withdrew. Hernandez was killed. What was a major Battle in the Vietnam War? - 2023 [95], It still came as a shock to the Special Forces troopers at Lang Vei when 12 tanks attacked their camp. The plane, piloted by Lt. Col. Frederick J. Hampton, crashed in a huge fireball a few miles east of Khe Sanh, killing all aboard. How many American soldiers died in the Battle of Ia Drang? [32], Westmoreland responded by launching Operation Neutralize, an aerial and naval bombardment campaign designed to break the siege. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, then began planning for incursion into Laos, and in October, the construction of an airfield at Khe Sanh was completed. [36], Things remained quiet in the Khe Sanh area through 1966. [29], During the second half of 1967, the North Vietnamese instigated a series of actions in the border regions of South Vietnam. Key Battles | Vietnam War - Pritzker Military Museum & Library Fighting around Khe Sanh was continuous. The American military presence at Khe Sanh consisted not only of the Marine Corps Khe Sanh Combat Base, but also Forward Operating Base 3, U.S. Army (FOB-3). In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. [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. The Battle of Khe Sanh began 50 years ago this week when roughly 20,000 North Vietnamese troops surrounded an isolated combat base . Many of the artillery and mortar rounds stored in the dump were thrown into the air and detonated on impact within the base. Minor attacks continued before the base was officially closed on 5 July. Battle of Khe Sanh: Greatest U.S. Victory in Vietnam - HistoryNet The Battle of Khe Sanh in the Vietnam War - ThoughtCo [148], Regardless, the PAVN had gained control of a strategically important area, and its lines of communication extended further into South Vietnam. Reinforcements from the ARVN 256th Regional Force (RF) company were dispatched aboard nine UH-1 helicopters of the 282nd Assault Helicopter Company, but they were landed near the abandoned French fort/former FOB-3 which was occupied by the PAVN who killed many of the RF troops and 4 Americans, including Lieutenant colonel Joseph Seymoe the deputy adviser for Quang Tri Province and forcing the remaining helicopters to abandon the mission. On the afternoon of 29 January, however, the 3rd Marine Division notified Khe Sanh that the truce had been cancelled. That was superseded by the smaller contingency plans. The advance would be supported by 102 pieces of artillery. [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. PAVN forces were driven out of the area around Khe Sanh after suffering 940 casualties. [58] The USAF delivered 14,356 tons of supplies to Khe Sanh by air (8,120 tons by paradrop). The Marine garrison was also reinforced, and on November 1, 1967, Operation Scotland began. The Vietnam War: 11 Major Battles - warhistoryonline [69] The Marine Direct Air Support Center (DASC), located at KSCB, was responsible for the coordination of air strikes with artillery fire. Two Marines died. Five more attacks against their sector were launched during March. [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. 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. [173][174], After the ARVN defeat in Laos, the newly-reopened KSCB came under attack by PAVN sappers and artillery and the base was abandoned once again on 6 April 1971.[175][176]. The NVA continued shelling the base, and on July 1 launched a company-sized infantry attack against its perimeter. The fighting was heavy. Cushman was appalled by the "implication of a rescue or breaking of the siege by outside forces. Officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. Home > Features > Battle of Khe Sanh > View All. Battle of Khe Sanh : American Casualties : Showing All Results The Khe Sanh battlefield was considerably more extensive from the North Vietnamese perspective than from that of the U.S. Marine Corps, both geographically and chronologically. After failing to respond to a challenge, they were fired upon and five were killed outright while the sixth, although wounded, escaped. At least 852 PAVN soldiers were killed during the action, as opposed to 50 American and South Vietnamese. For example, I served with a Marine heavy mortar battery at Khe Sanh during the siege. Amid heavy shelling, the Marines attempted to salvage what they could before destroying what remained as they were evacuated. [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. [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. The United States Marines gave the actual body count of the NVA troops killed to be 1,602, but estimates show that the total number of NVA troops . [55] They were supported logistically from the nearby Ho Chi Minh Trail. U.S. Marines and their allies killed thousands of NVA, but to solve the riddle of Khe Sanh, you have to recount the numbers. See also Pisor, p. 108. These Are Some of the Most Iconic Battles the US Marines Ever Fought At dawn on 21 January, it was attacked by a roughly 300-strong PAVN battalion. This, however, did not prevent the Marine tanks within the perimeter from training their guns on the SOG camp.