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 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. [67], At the same time as the artillery bombardment at KSCB, an attack was launched against Khe Sanh village, seat of Hng Ha District. Five more attacks against their sector were launched during March. The heavy reliance on American airpower was an ominous sign for Vietnamization and . [47][Note 3] Westmoreland regarded the choice as quite simple. Several rounds also landed on Hill 881. PAVN forces were driven out of the area around Khe Sanh after suffering 940 casualties. "[103] The Bru were excluded from evacuation from the highlands by an order from the ARVN I Corps commander, who ruled that no Bru be allowed to move into the lowlands. The Marine defense of Khe Sanh, Operation Scotland, officially ended on March 31. [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 Battle of la Drang was considered essential because it sets up a change of tactics for both troops during the conflict. While climbing, the C-123 was struck by several bursts of heavy machine gun and recoilless rifle fire. Khe Sanh is a village located near the Laotian border and just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separated North and South Vietnam. 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. [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. Fighting around Khe Sanh was continuous. [77] When weather conditions precluded FAC-directed strikes, the bombers were directed to their targets by either a Marine AN/TPQ-10 radar installation at KSCB or by Air Force Combat Skyspot MSQ-77 stations. [95], It still came as a shock to the Special Forces troopers at Lang Vei when 12 tanks attacked their camp. [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. 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. The Soviet-built PT-76 amphibious tanks of the 203rd Armored Regiment churned over the defenses, backed up by an infantry assault by the 7th Battalion, 66th Regiment and the 4th Battalion of the 24th Regiment, both elements of the 304th Division. That afternoon, as a rescue force was dispatched to the village, Army Lt. Col. Joseph Seymoe and other soldiers died when their helicopter was attacked. Five Marines were killed on January 19 and 20, while on reconnaissance patrols. If only it had contaminated the stream, the airlift would not have provided enough water to the Marines. The Battle of Khe Sanh began 50 years ago this week when roughly 20,000 North Vietnamese troops surrounded an isolated combat base . 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 Tet Offensive was about to begin. 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. Enemy artillery rounds slammed into the runway. [127] At 08:00 the following day, Operation Scotland was officially terminated. Consequently, and unknown at the time, Operation Scotland became the starting point of the Battle of Khe Sanh in terms of Marine casualty reporting. 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 official North Vietnamese history claimed that 400 South Vietnamese troops had been killed and 253 captured. Casualties were heavy among the attacking PAVN, who lost over 200 killed, while the defending Marines lost two men. Home > Features > Battle of Khe Sanh > View All. [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. 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. The official figure of 205 KIA only represents Marine deaths in the Operation Scotland TAORthat is, Marines killed in proximity to the Khe Sanh Combat Base during the period from November 1, 1967, to March 31, 1968. The origin of the combat base lay in the construction by US Army Special Forces of an airfield in August 1962 outside the village at an old French fort. For example, I served with a Marine heavy mortar battery at Khe Sanh during the siege. To support the Marine base, a massive aerial bombardment campaign (Operation Niagara) was launched by the USAF. Army deaths at FOB-3, however, were not included in the official statistics either. Where were the major battles of the Vietnam War? As a result of this intelligence, KSCB was reinforced on 22 January 1968 by the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment. 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. [Note 5] This event prompted Cushman to reinforce Lownds with the rest of the 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines. 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 United States and its South Vietnamese allies pulled many huge offensive . First had been Operation Full Cry, the original three-division invasion plan. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. Hundreds of mortar rounds and 122-mm rockets slammed into the base, levelling most of the above-ground structures. [15], Unknown (1,602 bodies were counted, US official public estimated 10,00015,000 KIA,[19][20] but MACV's secret report estimated 5,550 killed as of 31 March 1968)[1]. The Marines pursued three enemy scouts, who led them into an ambush. 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. [125] The 325C Divisional Headquarters was the first to leave, followed by the 95C and 101D Regiments, all of which relocated to the west. "[162] Those who agree with Westmoreland reason that no other explanation exists for Hanoi to commit so many forces to the area instead of deploying them for the Tet Offensive. [120], On 23 February, KSCB received its worst bombardment of the entire battle. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. [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. The base was officially closed on July 5. [43] Lieutenant General Robert E. Cushman Jr. relieved Walt as commander of III MAF in June. Unlike the official figures, Stubbes database of Khe Sanh casualties includes verifiable names and dates of death. Of the 24 Americans at the camp, 10 had been killed and 11 wounded. He subsequently ordered the US military to hold Khe Sanh at all costs. 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. This range overmatch was used by the PAVN to avoid counter-battery fire. [78], Thus began what was described by John Morocco as "the most concentrated application of aerial firepower in the history of warfare". [138] At 08:00 on 15 April, Operation Pegasus was officially terminated. [123][124], Nevertheless, the same day that the trenches were detected, 25 February, 3rd Platoon from Bravo Company 1st Battalion, 26th Marines was ambushed on a short patrol outside the base's perimeter to test the PAVN strength. A 77 day battle, Khe Sanh had been the biggest single battle of the Vietnam War to that point. "[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. [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. Two days later, US troops detected PAVN trenches running due north to within 25 m of the base perimeter. Lima Company finally seized the hill after overcoming determined NVA resistance. . Making the prospect even more enticing was that the base was in an unpopulated area in which American firepower could be fully employed without civilian casualties. [24], The plateau camp was permanently manned by the US Marines in 1967, when they established an outpost next to the airstrip. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. 1st Marine Aircraft Wing records claim that the unit delivered 4,661 tons of cargo into KSCB. 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. 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. 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. 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. "[159] In assessing North Vietnamese intentions, Peter Brush cites the claim of Vietnamese theater commander, V Nguyn Gip, "that Khe Sanh itself was not of importance, but only a diversion to draw U.S. forces away from the populated areas of South Vietnam. [90], The Tet Offensive was launched prematurely in some areas on 30 January. The NVAs main command post was located in Laos, at Sar Lit. Due to severe losses, however, the NVA abandoned its plan for a massive ground attack. Westmoreland was replaced two months after the end of the battle, and his successor explained the retreat in different ways. Two further attacks later in the morning were halted before the PAVN finally withdrew. [133] The Marines would be accompanied by their 11th Engineer Battalion, which would repair the road as the advance moved forward. Background [ edit] [125], By mid-March, Marine intelligence began to note an exodus of PAVN units from the Khe Sanh sector. Of the 500 CIDG troops at Lang Vei, 200 had been killed or were missing and 75 more were wounded. 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.