Besieged, Khe Sanh could only be resupplied by air. [20] These figures do not include casualties among Special Forces troops at Lang Vei, aircrews killed or missing in the area, or Marine replacements killed or wounded while entering or exiting the base aboard aircraft. But only by checking my service record while writing this article did it become evident that I had participated in all three operations. The report continues to state, "this prompted Air Force chief of staff, General John McConnell, to press, although unsuccessfully, for JCS (Joint Chiefs of Staff) authority to request Pacific Command to prepare a plan for using low-yield nuclear weapons to prevent a catastrophic loss of the U.S. Marine base. Telfer, Rogers, and Fleming, pp. [102], The Lao troops were eventually flown back to their homeland, but not before the Laotian regional commander remarked that his army had to "consider the South Vietnamese as enemy because of their conduct. Military History Institute of Vietnam, pp. Of the 4953 Navy and Air Force casualties, both officer and enlisted, 4, 736 or 96% were white. The launching of the largest enemy offensive thus far in the conflict did not shift Westmoreland's focus away from Khe Sanh. [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. That appraisal was later altered when the PAVN was found to be moving major forces into the area. [21][68], To eliminate any threat to their flank, the PAVN attacked Laotian Battalion BV-33, located at Ban Houei Sane, on Route 9 in Laos. "[160] That has led other observers to conclude that the siege served a wider PAVN strategy by diverting 30,000 US troops away from the cities that were the main targets of the Tet Offensive. Marines remained around Hill 689, though, and fighting in the vicinity continued until 11 July until they were finally withdrawn, bringing the battle to a close. [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. The PAVN, however, were not through with the ARVN troops. Armies and Commanders Allies General William Westmoreland Colonel David Lownds Approx. Battle of Khe Sanh: American Casualties : Showing All Results. [161], Whether the PAVN actually planned to capture Khe Sanh or the battle was an attempt to replicate the Vit Minh triumph against the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu has long been a point of contention. "[24] In November 1964, the Special Forces moved their camp to the Xom Cham Plateau, the future site of Khe Sanh Combat Base. A Look at the Damage from the Secret War in Laos, How Operation Homecoming Was Sprung into Action to Repatriate American POWs, The Viet Cong Were Shooting Down Americans From a Cave Until This GI Stopped Them, https://www.historynet.com/recounting-the-casualties-at-the-deadly-battle-of-khe-sanh/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, When 21 Sikh Soldiers Fought the Odds Against 10,000 Pashtun Warriors, Few Red Tails Remain: Tuskegee Airman Dies at 96. Site will be misbehaving during our migration to new (better!) 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. The fighting around Khe Sanh began January 21, 1968, and concluded around April 8, 1968. American logistical, aerial, and artillery support was provided to the operation. [57][58] They were assisted in their emplacement efforts by the continuing bad weather of the winter monsoon. A smaller slice of the action saw Americans on the receiving end, defending some firebase or outpost. According to Gordon Rottman, even the North Vietnamese official history, Victory in Vietnam, is largely silent on the issue. 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. The Tet Offensive was about to begin. Operation Pegasus casualties included 59 U.S. Army and 51 Marine Corps dead. [128] They also reported 1,436 wounded before mid-March, of which 484 men returned to their units, while 396 were sent up the Ho Chi Minh Trail to hospitals in the north. Not including ARVN Ranger, RF/PF, Forward Operation Base 3 U.S. Army, Royal Laotian Army and SOG commandos losses. In an unconventional war without conventional frontlines, statistics became the most critical measure of progress. Lima Company finally seized the hill after overcoming determined NVA resistance. [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. The Battle of la Drang was considered essential because it sets up a change of tactics for both troops during the conflict. [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. The pallet slid to a halt on the airstrip while the aircraft never had to actually land. Westmoreland was replaced two months after the end of the battle, and his successor explained the retreat in different ways. 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. Battlefield boundaries extended from eastern Laos eastward along both sides of Route 9 in Quang Tri province, Vietnam, to the coast. After failing to respond to a challenge, they were fired upon and five were killed outright while the sixth, although wounded, escaped. 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. 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. [12], Following the closure of the base, a small force of Marines remained around Hill 689 carrying out mopping-up operations. 1st Marine Aircraft Wing records claim that the unit delivered 4,661 tons of cargo into KSCB. Throughout the battle, Marine artillerymen fired 158,891 mixed rounds. This caused problems for the Marine command, which possessed its own aviation squadrons that operated under their own close air support doctrine. At dawn on 21 January, it was attacked by a roughly 300-strong PAVN battalion. However, the PAVN committed three regiments to the fighting from the Khe Sanh sector. 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. [12], General Creighton Abrams also suggested that the North Vietnamese may have been planning to emulate Dien Bien Phu. Dien Bien Phu would loom large for the rest of the war, especially during the Battle of Khe Sanh. Murphy 2003, pp. Fighting around Khe Sanh was continuous. Ho Chi Minhs oft-quoted admonition to the French applied equally to the Americans: You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours, but even at those odds, you will lose and I will win. The calculation by Stubbe that approximately 1,000 Americans died on the Khe Sanh battlefield is especially compelling, given that Stubbes numbers are accompanied by names and dates of death. To support the Marine base, a massive aerial bombardment campaign (Operation Niagara) was launched by the USAF. 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. 6,000 men North Vietnamese Vo Nguyen Giap Tran Quy Hai Approx. The Marines, whose aircraft and doctrine were integral to their operations, were under no such centralized control. The Armys 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), with more than 400 helicopters under its control, conducted airmobile operations deeper into enemy-controlled areas. today! Five more attacks against their sector were launched during March. The Battle of Khe Sanh began 50 years ago this week when roughly 20,000 North Vietnamese troops surrounded an isolated combat base . The Marine garrison was also reinforced, and on November 1, 1967, Operation Scotland began. On March 6, two U.S. Air Force C-123 cargo airplanes departed Da Nang Air Base en route to Khe Sanh. It is difficult to support the claim of an overwhelming American victory at Khe Sanh based solely on the ratios derived from the official casualty count. The fact that the North Vietnamese committed only about half of their available forces to the offensive (6070,000), most of whom were Viet Cong, is cited in favor of Westmoreland's argument. Upon closer analysis, the official figure does not accurately portray even what it purports to represent. Khe Sanh was one of the most remote outposts in Vietnam, but by January 1968, even President Lyndon Johnson had taken a personal interest in the base. The Hill Fights (also known as the First Battle of Khe Sanh) was a battle during the Vietnam War between the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 325C Division and United States Marines on several hill masses north of the Khe Sanh Combat Base in northwest Qung Tr Province . History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. The Marines found a solution to the problem in the "Super Gaggle" concept. Its mission was to destroy the Special Forces and their Vietnamese allies and to ambush any reinforcements coming from Khe Sanh. [165], Another interpretation was that the North Vietnamese were planning to work both ends against the middle, a strategy that has come to be known as the Option Play. [135] The Marines had constantly argued that technically, Khe Sanh had never been under siege, since it had never truly been isolated from resupply or reinforcement. Scotland was a 26th Marine Regiment operation, so only the deaths of Marines assigned to the regiment, and attached supporting units, were counted. A myth has grown up around this incident. [47][Note 3] Westmoreland regarded the choice as quite simple. [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". A victory for the Americans and South Vietnamese, the Battle of Dak To cost 376 US killed, 1,441 US wounded, and 79 ARVN killed. U.S. battles of the war in Vietnam had young GIs or Marines humping into the boonies in search of the enemy. By comparison, according to another Army general, a 10:1 ratio was considered average and 25:1 was considered very good. [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. Two further attacks later in the morning were halted before the PAVN finally withdrew. On April 5, 1968, MACV prepared an Analysis of the Khe Sanh Battle for General Westmoreland. This article was written by Peter Brush and originally published in the June 2007 issue of Vietnam Magazine. Subscribe to our HistoryNet Now! 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. Once the aircraft touched down, it became the target of any number of PAVN artillery or mortar crews. The Laotians were overrun, and many fled to the Special Forces camp at Lang Vei. [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. [146] Useful equipment was withdrawn or destroyed, and personnel were evacuated. server. The United States and its South Vietnamese allies pulled many huge offensive . Mobile combat operations continued against the North Vietnamese. All of the attacks were conducted by regimental-size PAVN/VC units, but unlike most of the previous usual hit-and-run tactics, they were sustained and bloody affairs. 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. 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. 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. At least 852 PAVN soldiers were killed during the action, as opposed to 50 American and South Vietnamese. How many American soldiers died in the Battle of Ia Drang? [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. The PAVN claim that during the entire battle they "eliminated" 17,000 enemy troops, including 13,000 Americans and destroyed 480 aircraft. 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 NVAs main command post was located in Laos, at Sar Lit. [127] At 08:00 the following day, Operation Scotland was officially terminated. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. During this time, KSCB and the hilltop outposts around it were subjected to constant PAVN artillery, mortar, and rocket attacks, and several infantry assaults. by John Prados. Both sides suffered major casualties with both claiming victory of their own. The advance would be supported by 102 pieces of artillery. NVA casualties were more than 200. The link-up between the relief force and the Marines at KSCB took place at 08:00 on 8 April, when the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment entered the camp. [66] Hours after the bombardment ceased, the base was still in danger. Marines stayed in the area, conducting operations to recover the bodies of Marines killed previously. 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,. [125] On the night of 28 February, the combat base unleashed artillery and airstrikes on possible PAVN staging areas and routes of advance. The badly-deteriorated Route 9 ran from the coastal region through the western highlands and crossed the border into Laos. Known as the McNamara Line, it was initially codenamed "Project Nine". 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. Gordan L Rottman, Osprey Campaign 150: The Khe Sanh 1967-68, p. 51. This is also the position taken in the official PAVN history but offers no further explanation of the strategy. It was a bad beginning to a long 77-day siege. newsletter for the best of the past, delivered every Monday and Thursday. [35], American intelligence analysts were quite baffled by the series of enemy actions. As a result, 65% of all supplies were delivered by paradrops delivered by C-130 aircraft, mostly by the USAF, whose crews had significantly more experience in airdrop tactics than Marine air crews. [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. [43] Lieutenant General Robert E. Cushman Jr. relieved Walt as commander of III MAF in June. Following a rolling barrage fired by nine artillery batteries, the Marine attack advanced through two PAVN trenchlines, but the Marines failed to locate the remains of the men of the ambushed patrol. "[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. Historians have observed that the Battle of Khe Sanh may have distracted American and South Vietnamese attention from the buildup of Viet Cong (VC) forces in the south before the early 1968 Tet Offensive. [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. Two days later, the PAVN 273rd Regiment attacked a Special Forces camp near the border town of Loc Ninh, in Bnh Long Province. [80] Westmoreland insisted for several months that the entire Tet Offensive was a diversion, including, famously, attacks on downtown Saigon and obsessively affirming that the true objective of the North Vietnamese was Khe Sanh. 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 . [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. These combined sources report a total of 354 KIA. [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. [44], On 14 August, Colonel David E. Lownds took over as commander of the 26th Marine Regiment. 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 . GitHub export from English Wikipedia. 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. [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 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, . [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. The Battle of Khe Sanh's initial action cost the Marines 12 killed, 17 wounded and two missing. 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. ~45,000 in total[11]~6,000 Marines at the Combat Base of Khe Sanh[12] That was accomplished, but the casualties absorbed by the North Vietnamese seemed to negate any direct gains they might have obtained. For example, I served with a Marine heavy mortar battery at Khe Sanh during the siege. [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. They asked what had changed in six months so that American commanders were willing to abandon Khe Sanh in July. The battalion was assaulted on the night of 23 January by three PAVN battalions supported by seven tanks. "[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. Operational control of the Khe Sanh area was handed over to the US Army's 1st Air Cavalry Division for the duration of Operation Pegasus. One of the first enemy shells set off an explosion in the main ammunition dump. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh by Murphy, Edward F. (mass_market) at the best online prices at eBay! I suspect he is also trying to draw everyone's attention away from the greatest area of threat, the northern part of I Corps. These forces, including support troops, totaled 20,000 to 30,000. The relief of Khe Sanh, called Operation Pegasus, began . Sporadic actions were taken in the vicinity during the late summer and early fall, the most serious of which was the ambush of a supply convoy on Route 9. Shortly after midnight on February 7, a large NVA force, reinforced with tanks, attacked the camp. 216217. In the 43-day . 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.