NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Battle of Khe Sanh

The Battle of Khe Sanh was conducted in northwestern Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, between 21 January and 8 April 1968 during the Vietnam War. The combatants were elements of the United States (U.S.) III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) and two to three division-size elements of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). The American command in South Vietnam gave the defense of the base the nickname Operation Scotland. The Vietnam War was a war fought between 1957 and 1975 on the ground in South Vietnam and bordering areas of Cambodia and Laos (See Secret War) and in bombing runs (Rolling Thunder) over North Vietnam. ... Krusevac Source: [1]. Site copyrighted (see [2]), but I doubt they hold the copyright on this image; it looks like a poor scan from a book. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... For the battle during the Vietnam War, see Battle of Khe Sanh. ... National motto: ??? Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area - Total - % water 173,809km² N/A population - Total - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... The UTM Grid The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system is a grid-based method of specifying locations on the surface of the Earth. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Vietnam. ... Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area - Total - % water 173,809 kmÂ² N/A Population - Total - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Vietnam. ... The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Vietnamese Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa), also known as North Vietnam, was founded by Ho Chi Minh and was recognized by China and the USSR in 1950. ... General William Westmoreland William Childs Westmoreland (born March 26, 1914, Spartanburg County, South Carolina) is a retired United States General who commanded US military operations in the Vietnam War from 1964_68 and served as US Army Chief of Staff from 1968 to 1972. ... General VÃµ NguyÃªn GiÃ¡p (born circa 1912[1]) Vietnamese general and statesman. ... Quang Tri (in Vietnamese Quáº£ng Trá»‹ ) is a province in the North Central Coast of Vietnam, next to the former capital of Huáº¿. This is where the southernmost Chinese commandery of Rinan was centred during the Later Han dynasty (25-220 CE). ... National motto: ??? Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area - Total - % water 173,809km² N/A population - Total - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Peopleâ€™s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... The III Marine Expeditionary Force, is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps that is forward-deployed and able to deploy rapidly and conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to amphibious assault and high intensity combat. ... The Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN) is the term used by the Vietnamese for their armed forces. ...

The American command in Saigon initially believed that combat operations around Khe Sanh during the summer of 1967 were just part of a series of minor North Vietnamese offensives in the border regions. That appraisal was altered when it was discovered that PAVN was moving major forces into the area during the fall and winter. A build-up of Marine forces took place and actions around Khe Sanh commenced when the Marine base was isolated. During a series of desperate actions that lasted 77 days, Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB) and the hilltop outposts around it were under constant North Vietnamese ground and artillery attacks. Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: ThÃ nh ChÃ Minh) is the largest city in Vietnam, located near the delta of the Mekong River. ... For the battle during the Vietnam War, see Battle of Khe Sanh. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 â€“ 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ...

During the battle a massive aerial bombardment campaign (Operation Niagara) was launched by the U.S. Air Force to support the Marine base. This campaign utilized the latest technological advances in order to locate PAVN forces for targeting. The logistical effort to support KSCB, once it was isolated overland, demanded the implementation of other tactical innovations in order to keep the Marines supplied. Combatants United States Democratic Republic of Vietnam Operation Niagara was a US Seventh Air Force close air support campaign carried out from January through March 1968, during the Vietnam Conflict. ... Seal of the Air Force. ...

In March 1968, an overland relief expedition (Operation Pegasus) was launched by a combined Marine/Army/South Vietnamese task force that eventually broke through to the Marines at Khe Sanh. The battle itself was a tactical victory for the Marines, but the strategic implications of the battle remain unclear. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ...

Preliminaries

The camp

The village of Khe Sanh was the seat of government of Huong Hoa district, an area of Bru Montagnard villages and coffee plantations, situated about seven miles from the Laotian frontier on Route 9, the northernmost transverse road in South Vietnam. The badly deteriorated Route 9 ran from the coastal region, through the western highlands, and then crossed the border into Laos. The origin of the combat base lay in the construction by U.S. Special Forces of an airfield in August 1962 outside the village at an old French fort.^[4] The camp then became a Special Forces outpost of the Civilian Irregular Defense Groups (CIDG), whose purpose was to keep watch on PAVN infiltration along the border and to protect the local population.^[5] In November 1964 the Green Berets moved their camp to the Xom Cham Plateau, the future site of KSCB. The Degar (referred to by French colonists as Montagnard) are the indigenous peoples of the central highlands of Vietnam. ... The United States Special Operations Forces is the official category where the U.S. Department of Defense lists the U.S. military units that have a training specialization in unconventional warfare and special operations. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG, pronounced sid-gee) is one several South Vietnamese irregular military units during the Vietnam War. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

During the winter of 1965, Khe Sanh became the location of a launch site for the highly-classified Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group or SOG (the site was first established near the village and was later moved to the French fort).^[6] From there, recon teams were launched into Laos to explore and gather intelligence on the PAVN logistical system known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1362x891, 365 KB) From Captain Moyars S. Shore II, The Battle for Khe Sanh. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1362x891, 365 KB) From Captain Moyars S. Shore II, The Battle for Khe Sanh. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with MACV-SOG. (Discuss) The Studies and Observations Group (SOG) was an extremely secret American special force which conducted unconventional warfare operations prior to and during the Vietnam War. ... The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of (North) Vietnam (DRV) to South Vietnam through the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia. ...

The plateau camp was permanently manned by the U.S. Marines during 1967, when they established an outpost next to the airstrip. This base was to serve as the western anchor of Marine Corps forces, which had tactical responsibility for the five northernmost provinces of South Vietnam known as I Corps.^[7] The Marines' defensive system stretched below the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) from the coast, along Route 9, to Khe Sanh. In 1966, the regular Special Forces troops had moved off the plateau and built a smaller camp down Route 9 at Lang Vei, about half the distance to the Laotian border.^[8] 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone was established as a dividing line between North and South Vietnam as a result of the First Indochina War. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Lang Vei was an American Special Forces camp, located approximately 7 kilometers west of the Khe Sanh Combat Base in the northwestern corner of South Vietnam, near its borders with North Vietnam and Laos. ...

Border battles

During the second half of 1967, the North Vietnamese instigated a series of actions in the border regions of South Vietnam. All of these attacks were conducted by regimental-size PAVN/NLF units, but unlike the usual hit-and-run tactics utilized by communists' forces, these were sustained and bloody affairs. Combatants United States Republic of Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Commanders Maj. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

In early September, PAVN intensified battalion-size ground probes and sustained artillery fire against Con Thien, a hilltop stronghold in the center of the Marine's defensive line south of the DMZ in northern Quang Tri Province.^[9] Mortar rounds, artillery shells, and 122mm rockets fell randomly but incessantly upon the base. The September bombardments ranged from 100 to 150 rounds per day, with a maximum on 25 September of 1,190.^[10] The American commander in Vietnam, General William C. Westmoreland responded by launching Operation Neutralize, an aerial and naval bombardment campaign designed to break the siege. For seven weeks, American aircraft delivered from 35,000 to 40,000 tons of bombs in nearly 4,000 airstrikes.^[11] Con Thien was a United States combat base in South Vietnam at (MGRS 48QYD113703). ... General William Westmoreland William Childs Westmoreland (born March 26, 1914, Spartanburg County, South Carolina) is a retired United States General who commanded US military operations in the Vietnam War from 1964_68 and served as US Army Chief of Staff from 1968 to 1972. ...

On 27 October, a PAVN regiment attacked an Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) battalion at Song Be, capital of Phuoc Long Province.^[12] The North Vietnamese fought for several days, took casualties, and fell back. Two days later, the 273rd NLF Regiment attacked a Special Forces camp near the border town of Loc Ninh, in Binh Long Province.^[13] Troops of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division were able to respond quickly. After a ten-day battle, the attackers were pushed back into Cambodia. At least 852 North Vietnamese soldiers were killed during the action, as opposed to 50 American and South Vietnamese dead.^[14] Image File history File links McAt3. ... Image File history File links McAt3. ... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was a military component of the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as South Vietnam). ... The 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army â€”nicknamed â€œThe Big Red Oneâ€ after its shoulder patch; and also nicknamed The Fighting Firstâ€”is the oldest division in the United States Army, and has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917. ...

The heaviest action took place near Dak To, in the central highlands province of Kontum.^[15] There, the presence of the 1st PAVN Division prompted a 22-day battle that saw some of the most intense close-quarters fighting of the entire conflict.^[16] Somewhere between 1,200 and 1,600 North Vietnamese troops were killed while 362 members of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and ARVN airborne elements were killed in action. Ominously, three of the four battalions of the 4th Infantry and the entire 173rd were rendered combat ineffective during the battle.^[17] The 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) is a combat division of the United States Army based at Fort Hood, Texas, with one maneuver brigade stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the 173rd Airborne Brigrade. ...

American intelligence analysts were quite baffled by this series of enemy actions. There appeared to be no logic behind the sustained PAVN/NLF offensives, other than to inflict casualties on the allied forces. This they accomplished, but the casualties absorbed by the North Vietnamese seemed to negate any direct gains they might have obtained. The border battles did, however, have two significant consequences that were unappreciated at the time - they fixed the attention of the American command on the border regions and they drew American and ARVN forces away from the coastal lowlands and cities.^[18]

Hill fights

Things remained quiet in the Khe Sanh area through 1966. Even so, General Westmoreland insisted that it not only be occupied by the Marines, but that it be reinforced.^[19] He was vociferously opposed by General Lewis W. Walt, the Marine commander of I Corps. Walt argued heatedly that the real target of the American effort should be the pacification and protection of the population, not chasing PAVN and the NLF in the hinterlands.^[20] Westmoreland won out, however, and the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment (1/3) was dispatched to occupy the camp and airstrip on 29 September. By late January 1967, 1/3 was relieved by Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. A single company was replacing an entire battalion. One of the mysteries surrounding the Battle of Khe Sanh was why, after running roughshod over the Marines over the defense of the base at Khe Sanh, Westmoreland allowed the drawdown.^[21] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1146x987, 213 KB) From Captain Moyars Shore III, The Battle for Khe Sanh. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1146x987, 213 KB) From Captain Moyars Shore III, The Battle for Khe Sanh. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Lewis William Walt (16 February 1913â€“26 March 1989), also known as Lew Walt, was a United States Marine Corps officer who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. ... 1st Battalion 3rd Marines (1/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

On 24 April 1967, a patrol from Bravo Company became engaged with a PAVN force of unknown size north of Hill 861. This action prematurely triggered a North Vietnamese offensive aimed at taking Khe Sanh. The PAVN forces were in the process of gaining elevated terrain before the launching of the main attack.^[22] The 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 9th Marine Regiment, under the command of Colonel John P. Lanigan, reinforced KSCB and were given the task of pushing the North Vietnamese off of Hills 861, 881 North, and 881 South. North Vietnamese forces were driven out of the area around Khe Sanh after suffering 940 casualties. The Marines suffered 155 killed in action and 425 wounded.^[23] In order 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, thereby spreading out the defense. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (939x1380, 521 KB) From Captain Moyars Shore III, The Fight for Khe Sanh. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (939x1380, 521 KB) From Captain Moyars Shore III, The Fight for Khe Sanh. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The 2nd Battalion 9th Marines (2/9) was an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. ... The 3rd Battalion 9th Marines (3/9) was an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. ... The 9th Marine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. ...

In the wake of the hill fights there was a lull in PAVN activity around Khe Sanh. By the end of May, Marine forces were again drawn down from two battalions to one, the 1st Battalion 26th Marines. Lieutenant General Robert E. Cushman, Jr. relieved General Walt as commander of III MAF in June. On 14 August, Colonel David E. Lownds took over as commander of the 26th. There were sporadic actions 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. This proved to be the last overland attempt at resupply for Khe Sanh until the following March.^[24] During December and early January there were numerous sightings of PAVN troops and activities in the Khe Sanh area, but the sector remained relatively quiet.^[25] General Robert Everton Cushman Jr. ... August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ...

Decisions

A decision then had to be made by the American high command: either commit more of the limited manpower in I Corps to the defense of Khe Sanh or abandon the base.^[26] General Westmoreland regarded this choice as quite simple. In his memoirs he listed the reasons for a continued effort:

Leading Marine officers, however, were not all of the same opinion. General Cushman, the new III MAF commander, supported Westmoreland (perhaps wanting to mend Army/Marine relations after the departure of Walt).^[28] Arguments offered by other Marine officers against remaining included: that the real danger to I Corps was from a direct threat to Quang Tri City and other urban areas; that a defense would be pointless as a threat to infiltration, since PAVN troops could easily bypass Khe Sanh; that the base was too isolated and that the Marines "had neither the helicopter resources, the troops, nor the logistical bases for such operations...The weather was another critical factor because of the poor visibility and low overcasts attendant to the monsoon season made such operations hazardous to say the least."^[29] Brigadier General Lowell English (assistant commander 3rd Marine Division) complained that the defense of the isolated outpost was ludicrous. "When you're at Khe Sanh, you're not really anywhere. You could lose it and you really haven't lost a damn thing."^[30] The U.S. 3rd Marine Division is a unit of the United States Marine Corps, one of three active divisions. ...

As far as Westmoreland was concerned, however, all he needed to know was that PAVN had massed large numbers of troops for a set-piece battle. Making the prospect even more enticing was that the Combat Base was in an unpopulated area where American firepower could be fully brought to bear without having to worry about civilian casualties. The opportunity to engage and destroy a formerly elusive enemy that was moving toward a fixed position promised a victory of unprecedented proportions.^[31]

At all costs

Battle is joined

Marine intelligence confirmed that, within a period of just over a week, the 325th PAVN Division had moved into the vicinity of the base and two more divisions were within supporting distance. The 324th PAVN Division was located in the DMZ area 10-15 miles north of Khe Sanh while the 320th PAVN Division was within easy reinforcing distance to the northeast.^[32] They were supported logistically from the nearby Ho Chi Minh Trail. As a result of this intelligence, KSCB was reinforced on 13 December by the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment.^[33] December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The 1st Battalion 9th Marines (1/9) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. ...

At positions west of Hill 881 South and north of Co Roc Ridge, across the border in Laos, PAVN established artillery, rocket, and mortar positions from which to launch attacks by fire on the base and to support its ground operations.^[34] They were assisted in their emplacement efforts by the continuing bad weather of the winter monsoon.

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. After failing to respond to a challenge, they were fired upon and five were killed outright while the sixth, although wounded, escaped.^[35] This event prompted General Cushman to reinforce Colonel Lownds with the rest of the 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines. This marked the first time that all three battalions of the 26th Marine Regiment had operated together in combat since the invasion of Iwo Jima during the Second World War.^[36] In order to cover a defilade near the Rao Quan River, Foxtrot Company, 2/26 was immediately sent out to occupy Hill 558. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1872x1567, 909 KB) Jack Schulimson, et al, US Marines in Vietnam: 1968. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1872x1567, 909 KB) Jack Schulimson, et al, US Marines in Vietnam: 1968. ... January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Holland Smith Tadamichi Kuribayashi â€ Strength 110,000 22,000 Casualties 6,825 killed in action,[1] 1,401 died of wounds,[1] 19,189 wounded,[1] 494 missing[1] Total: 27,909 20,703 dead,[1] 216 captured[1] Total: 20,919 The... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Enfilade and defilade are military tactical concepts used to describe a fighting units exposure to enemy fire. ...

On 20 January, a PAVN lieutenant of the 14th Anti-Aircraft Company, 325th Division defected at the base and laid out the plans for an entire series of North Vietnamese attacks.^[37] Hills 881 South, 861, and the main base itself would be simultaneously attacked that same evening. At 00:30 on 21 January, Hill 861 was attacked by approximately 300 PAVN troops. The Marines, however, were prepared for the attack. The North Vietnamese infantry, though bracketed by artillery fire, still managed to penetrate the perimeter of the defenses and were only driven back after severe close-quarters combat.^[38] January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The main base was then subjected to an intense mortar and rocket barrage. Hundreds of mortar rounds and 122mm rockets slammed into the base, leveling most of the above-ground structures. One of the first enemy shells set off an explosion in the main ammunition dump. Many of the artillery and mortar rounds stored in the dump were thrown into the air and detonated on impact within the base. Soon after another shell hit a cache of CS tear gas, which saturated the entire area.^[39] Hours after the bombardment ceased, the base was still in danger. At around 10:00, the fire ignited a large quantity of C-4 and other explosives, rocking the base with another series of detonations. PAVN forces, however, did not launch a ground attack. A riot control agent is a type of lachrymatory agent (or lacrimatory agent). ... This article is about the plastic explosive. ...

Simultaneous with the bombardment at KSCB was an attack launched against the Huong Hoa District headquarters. There, elements of the 66th Regiment, 304th PAVN Division were opposed by Bru CIDGs, Regional Force (RF) troops led by their Army advisors, and a platoon of the Marine Combined Action Program or CAP. The force managed to hold out until the morning of the 22nd, when helicopters were sent in for their extraction. The Marine CAP men and the Army advisors were stunned to learn that "no RFs or Bru with their weapons would be allowed on the helos to return to the Combat Base."^[40] An Army captain and his sergeant refused evacuation under such restraints and marched their men to the SOG compound by way of a hidden trail.^[41] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (762x1203, 279 KB) From Bernard C. Nalty, The War Against Trucks. Washington DC: Air Force History and Museums Program, 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (762x1203, 279 KB) From Bernard C. Nalty, The War Against Trucks. Washington DC: Air Force History and Museums Program, 2005. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

This attack revealed that the 304th PAVN Division had just arrived from the DRV with all three of its regiments, the 9th, 24th, 66th, the 68B Artillery Regiment, and the 14th Anti-Aircraft Battalion. Attached in support was the 24th Artillery Battalion.^[42] The division took up positions southwest of the Combat Base. There has been a significant discrepancy, however, as to what infantry units of the 325th Division remained in the Khe Sanh sector. An ARVN document study conducted after the battle concluded that only one regiment, 95C remained at Khe Sanh. According to the study, two regiments of other divisions held blocking positions on Route 9. They were the 31st Regiment of the PAVN 341st Division and possibly a regiment of the 324th Division.^[43] Two battalions of the 3rd Regiment later moved south to Hue to participate in the battle for that city during the latter stages of the Tet Offensive. Combatants Republic of Vietnam, United States of America, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia National Liberation Front, Democratic Republic of Vietnam Commanders William Westmoreland VÃµ NguyÃªn GiÃ¡p Strength 50,000+ (estimate) 85,000+ (estimate) Casualties 2,788 KIA, 8,299 WIA, 587 MIA 1,536 KIA, 7,764 WIA...

To eliminate any threat to their flank, the North Vietnamese made the decision to attack Laotian Battalion BV-33, located at Ban Houei Sane, on Route 9 in Laos. The battalion was assaulted on the night of 23 January by three PAVN battalions supported by seven tanks. The Laotians were overrun, and many fled to the Special Forces camp at Lang Vei. This action in Laos, not the attack three weeks later at Lang Vei, marked the first time that PAVN had committed an armoured unit to battle. January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Due to the arrival of the 304th Division, KSCB was further reinforced by the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment on 22 January. 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.^[44] PAVN artillery made its debut on the battlefield on 24 January, when a bombardment by 100mm and 152mm guns began with Hill 881 South, moved on to Hill 861, and then worked over the main base. The Marines and ARVN dug in and hoped that the approaching Tet truce (scheduled from 29-31 January) would provide some respite. On the afternoon of the 29th, however, the 3rd Marine Division notified Khe Sanh that the truce had been cancelled. The Tet Offensive was about to begin. January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 24 is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Operation Niagara

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. It was due to the nature of these activities, and the threat that they posed to KSCB that General Westmoreland ordered Operation Niagara I, an intense intelligence collection effort on PAVN activities in the vicinity of the Khe Sanh Valley.^[45] Combatants United States Democratic Republic of Vietnam Operation Niagara was a US Seventh Air Force close air support campaign carried out from January through March 1968, during the Vietnam Conflict. ... Text on this page is modified (with permission) from Paul N. Edwards, The Closed World: Computers and the Politics of Discourse in Cold War America (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996). ...

Niagara I was completed during the third week of January, and the next phase of the operation, Niagara II was launched on the 21st, the day of the first PAVN artillery barrage. The Marine Direct Air Support Center (DASC), located at the Combat Base, was responsible for the coordination of air strikes with artillery fire. An airborne battlefield command and control center (ABCCC), in the form of 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. 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. This LORAN-based system could direct aircraft to their targets in inclement weather or in absolute darkness. Overhead shot of a DASC setup The Direct Air Support Center (DASC) is the principal United States Marine Corps aviation command and control system and the air control agency responsible for the direction of air operations directly supporting ground forces. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop aircraft, is the main tactical air transport aircraft of the United States and UK military forces. ... A forward air controller (FAC) is a qualified individual who, from a forward position on the ground or in the air, directs the action of military aircraft engaged in close air support of land forces. ... The AN-MPQ-14 is a radar system used for Ground Directed Bombing (GDB), where a plane is remotely piloted from the ground with radar assistance, up to and including the point of bomb release. ... LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) is a terrestrial navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters that use the time interval between radio signals received from three or more stations to determine the position of a ship or aircraft. ...

Thus began what many considered "the most concentrated application of aerial firepower in the history of warfare."^[46] 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.^[47] Westmoreland had already ordered the nascent Igloo White to assist in the Marine defense.^[48] On 22 January, the first sensor drops took place ( Navy Squadron VO-67 ) and, by the end of the month, 316 acoustic and seismic sensors had been dropped in 44 strings.^[49] The Marines at KSCB credited 40 percent of intelligence available to their fire support coordination center to the sensors.^[50] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1095x780, 328 KB) US Air Force Photograph File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1095x780, 328 KB) US Air Force Photograph File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, jet strategic bomber flown by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1954. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

By the end of the battle of Khe Sanh, U.S. Air Force assets had flown 9,691 tactical sorties and dropped 14,223 tons of bombs on targets within the Khe Sanh area. Marine Corps aviators had flown 7,098 missions and released 17,015 tons. Naval aircrews, many of whom were redirected from Rolling Thunder strikes against the DRV, flew 5,337 sorties and dropped 7,941 tons of ordnance on the enemy.^[51] Rolling Thunder Inc. ...

Not even this amount of unleashed firepower was enough to calm the anxiety of American leaders in Washington. On 1 February General Earle G. Wheeler, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, raised the issue with Westmoreland of "whether tactical nuclear weapons should be used if the situation at Khe Sanh should become that desperate." Westmoreland replied that their use would probably not be required. He added, however, that if the situation did change dramatically, "I visualize that either tactical nuclear weapons or chemical agents would be active candidates for employment."^[52] Westmoreland then established a small study group to examine the consequences of what was nicknamed Fracture Jaw.^[53] Westmoreland later wrote that "Washington so feared that some word of it might reach the press that I was told to desist.^[54] February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Earle G. Wheeler, often known by his nickname Bus, was a US Army General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ... Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States of America symbol The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a grouping comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the armed services in the United States armed forces. ...

While battles were raging around the Combat Base, other engagements were taking place in the headquarters at Hue/Phu Bai, Saigon, and the Pentagon. An intense interservice struggle over who should control aviation assets supporting not just Khe Sanh, but the entire American effort in Southeast Asia was being waged.^[55] Westmoreland had given his deputy commander for air operations, Air Force General William W. Momyer, the responsibility for coordinating all air assets during the operation to support KSCB. This caused problems for the Marine command, which possessed its own aviation squadrons that operated under their own close air support doctrine. They were extremely reluctant to relinquish authority to an Air Force General.^[56] Image File history File links L_B_Johnson_Model_Khe_Sanh. ... Image File history File links L_B_Johnson_Model_Khe_Sanh. ... Walt Whitman Rostow showing President Lyndon B. Johnson a model of the Khe Sanh area, 1968 Walt Whitman Rostow, October 7th, 1968 Walt Whitman Rostow (also known as Walt Rostow or W.W. Rostow) (October 7, 1916 â€“ February 13, 2003) was an American economist and political theorist who served as... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the U.S. military building. ... General William Wallace Momyer was commander of the U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Command. ...

The command and control arrangement in place in Southeast Asia went against the grain of Air Force doctrine, which was predicated on the single air manager concept. 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. The Marines, whose aircraft and doctrine were integral to their operations, were under no such centralized control. On 19 January Westmoreland passed his request for Air Force control up the chain of command to CINCPAC in Honolulu and there it stayed. The United States Pacific Command operates from suburban Honolulu in south central Oahu at the Nimitz-MacArthur Pacific Command Center. ...

Meanwhile, heated debate arose among Westmoreland, Commandant of the Marine Corps Leonard F. Chapman, Jr. and Army Chief of Staff Harold K. Johnson. Johnson backed the Marine position due to his concern over protecting the Army's air assets from Air Force co-option.^[57] Westmoreland went so far as to threaten to resign if his wishes were not obeyed.^[58] As a result, on 7 March, for the first time during the Vietnam Conflict, air operations were placed under the control of a single manager. General Westmoreland had won this battle.^[59] The Commandant of the United States Marine Corps is the highest ranking officer of the United States Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reporting to the Secretary of the Navy but not to the Chief of Naval Operations. ... Leonard Fielding Chapman, Jr. ... Joseph Richards Essigs portrait of General Johnson Harold Keith Johnson was a U.S. general. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (67th in leap years). ...

Fall of Lang Vei

The Tet Offensive was launched prematurely in some areas on 30 January. On the following night, a massive wave of PAVN/NLF attacks swept throughout South Vietnam, everywhere that is, except Khe Sanh. The launching of the largest enemy offensive thus far in the conflict did not shift Westmoreland's focus away from Khe Sanh. A press release prepared on January 31 (but never issued), at the height of Tet, showed that he was not about to be distracted. "The enemy is attempting to confuse the issue...I suspect he is also trying to draw everyone's attention away form the greatest area of threat, the northern part of I Corps. Let me caution everyone not to be confused."^[60] Combatants North Vietnam United States Commanders Unknown Capt. ... January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

There had not been much activity (with the exception of patrolling) thus far during the battle for the Green Berets of Detachment A-101 and their four companies of Bru CIDGs stationed at Lang Vei. That changed radically during the early morning hours of 7 February. The Americans had previous forewarning of PAVN armour in the area from Laotian refugeese from camp BV-33 (just across the border on Route 9), which had been overrun by an armoured assault on the night of 23 January. Although PAVN was known to possess two armoured regiments, it had not yet fielded an armoured unit in South Vietnam, and besides, it was thought impossible for them to get one down to Khe Sanh without it being spotted by aerial reconnaissance.^[61] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1110x764, 413 KB) The U.S. Army Center for Military History (USACMH) Purpose: CMH Online is an outreach service provided by the U.S. Army Center of Military History. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1110x764, 413 KB) The U.S. Army Center for Military History (USACMH) Purpose: CMH Online is an outreach service provided by the U.S. Army Center of Military History. ... February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

It still "came as a shock" to the Special Forces troopers at Lang Vei when 12 tanks attacked their camp. The Soviet-built PT-76 amphibious tanks of the 202nd PAVN Armoured Regiment churned over the defenses, backed up by an infantry assault by the 7th Battalion, 66th PAVN Regiment and the 4th Battalion of the 24th PAVN Regiment, both elements of the 304th PAVN Division. The ground troops were specially equipped for the attack with satchel charges, tear gas, and flame throwers. Although the camp's defenses were overrun in only 13 minutes, the fighting lasted several hours, during which the Special Forces men and Bru CIDGs managed to knock out at least five of the tanks.^[62] The PT-76 is a Soviet amphibious tank which was introduced in early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armies. ...

The Marines at Khe Sanh had a plan in place for providing a ground relief force in just such a contingency, but Colonel Lowndes, fearing a PAVN ambush, refused to implement it. Lowndes also rejected a proposal to launch a helicopter extraction of the survivors.^[63] During a meeting at Da Nang at 07:00 the next morning, Generals Westmoreland and Cushman accepted Lownds' decision. Army Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ladd (commander, 5th Special Forces Group), who had just flown in from Khe Sanh, was reportedly, "astounded that the Marines, who prided themselves on leaving no man behind, were willing to write off all of the Green Berets and simply ignore the fall of Lang Vei."^[64]

Ladd and the commander of the SOG compound (whose men and camp had been incorporated into the defenses of KSCB) proposed that, if the Marines would provide the helicopters, the SOG recon men would go in themselves to pick up any survivors.^[65] The Marines continued to oppose the operation until Westmoreland actually had to issue an order to Cushman to allow the rescue operation to proceed.^[66] It was not until 15:00 hours that the relief operation was launched and it was successful. Of the 500 CIDG troops at Lang Vei, 200 had been killed or were missing and 75 more were wounded. Of the 24 Americans at the camp, ten had been killed and 11 wounded.^[67] Image File history File links Khe_Sanh_Lang_Vei_SF-Camp_Map. ... Image File history File links Khe_Sanh_Lang_Vei_SF-Camp_Map. ...

Colonel 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. Lownds feared that PAVN infiltrators were mixed up in the crowd of more than 6,000.^[68] The indigenous soldiers, to the shock of the SOG and CAP personnel, were disarmed and forced to sit, under armed guard, in bomb craters. Without food or water, many of the Laotians turned around and walked back down Route 9 toward Laos.^[69]. 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.^[70] Colonel Ladd, back on the scene, reported that the Marines stated that "they couldn't trust any gooks in their damn camp"^[71]

Logistics and supporting fire

Colonel 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.^[72] The greatest impediments to the delivery of supplies to the base were the closure of Route 9 and the winter monsoon weather. From the beginning of the battle until early March, low-lying clouds and fog enclosed the area from early morning until around noon. Even then, the cloud cover rarely rose above 2,000 feet, closing the airfield to all but the most intrepid aviators.

Making matters worse, any aircraft that did brave the weather and attempted to land was subject to enemy anti-aircraft fire on its way in for a landing. Once the aircraft did touch down, it became the target of any number of PAVN artillery or mortar crews. The aircrew then had to brave the anti-aircraft gauntlet on the way out.^[73] As a result, 65 percent of all supplies were delivered by paradrops delivered by C-130 aircraft.^[74] The Air Force claimed that, during the siege, 14,356 tons were delivered to Khe Sanh by air (8,120 tons by paradrop). 1st Marine Aircraft Wing records indicated that the unit delivered 4,661 tons of cargo into KSCB.^[75] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (942x1368, 524 KB) From Captain Moyars Shore III, The Fight for Khe Sanh. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (942x1368, 524 KB) From Captain Moyars Shore III, The Fight for Khe Sanh. ... April 1, 2004: Sailors from USS Saipan (LHA-2) rush out to unchain a CH-46 Sea Knight. ... The A-4 Skyhawk was an attack aircraft originally designed to operate from United States Navy aircraft carriers. ... Official force name First Marine Aircraft Wing Other names 1 MAW The Wing Branch United States Marine Corps Chain of Command III MEF Description Combat ready expeditionary aviation forces. ...

The resupply of the numerous, isolated hill outposts was fraught with the same difficulties and dangers. The fire of PAVN anti-aircraft units took its toll of helicopters that made the attempt. The Marines found a solution to the problem in the "Super Gaggle" concept. 12 A-4 Skyhawk fighter-bombers provided flak suppression for massed flights of 12-16 helicopters, which would resupply the hills simultaneously. The adoption of this concept at the end of February was the turning point in the resupply effort. After its adoption, Marine helicopters flew in 465 tons of supplies during February. When the weather later cleared in March the amount was increased to 40 tons per day.^[76] The A-4 Skyhawk was an attack aircraft originally designed to operate from United States Navy aircraft carriers. ...

As more infantry units had been assigned to KSCB, artillery reinforcement kept pace. By early January, the defenders of KSCB could count on fire support from 46 artillery pieces of various calibers, five tanks armed with 90mm guns, and 92 single or Ontos-mounted 106mm recoiless rifles.^[77] The base could also depend on fire support from U.S. Army 175mm guns located at Camp Carrol. Throughout the battle, Marine artillerymen fired 158,891 mixed rounds.^[78] Marine analysis of PAVN artillery fire disclosed that PAVN gunners had fired 10,908 artillery and mortar rounds and rockets into Marine positions during the battle.^[79] Ontos M50A1 The 50-cal spotting rifles can be seen on the upper guns The Ontos, officially the 106mm Self-propelled Rifle M50, was a light anti-tank vehicle developed in the US in the 1950s. ...

Final attacks

On the night of the fall of Lang Vei, three companies of the PAVN 101D Regiment, moved into position to attack Alpha-1, an outpost just outside the Combat Base, held by 66 men of the 1/9 Marines. Under cover of a mortar barrage, the North Vietnamese penetrated the perimeter and pushed the remaining 30 defenders into the southwestern portion of the defenses. For some unknown reason, the PAVN troops did not press their advantage and eliminate the pocket.^[80] A relief force set out from the main base and attacked through the North Vietnamese, pushing them into supporting tank and artillery fire.^[81]

On 23 February, KSCB received its worst bombardment of the battle. During one eight-hour period the base was rocked by 1,307 enemy rounds, most of which came from 130mm (utilized for the first time on the battlefield) and 152mm artillery pieces located in Laos.^[82] Casualties from the bombardment were ten killed and 51 wounded. Two days later, the first PAVN trenches appeared, running due north to within 25 meters of the Combat Base perimeter. That same day, a patrol from Bravo Company 1/26 Marines was ambushed by a PAVN force estimated at battalion-size. Casualties during the contact amounted to nine Marines killed, 25 wounded, and 19 missing and presumed dead.^[83] February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

At the end of February, American intelligence postulated that the 66th Regiment, 304th PAVN Division was in the process of mounting an attack on the positions of the 37th ARVN Ranger Battalion, on the eastern perimeter.^[84] On the night of 28 February, the Combat Base unleashed artillery and airstrikes on possible North Vietnamese staging areas and routes of advance. At 21:30, the attack came on, but it was stifled by the small arms of the Rangers, who were supported by thousands of artillery rounds and air strikes. Two further attacks later in the morning were halted before the North Vietnamese finally withdrew. PAVN, however, was not through with the ARVN troops. Five more attacks against their sector of the defenses were launched during the month of March. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (943x640, 204 KB) From Jack Shulimson, Leonard A Balisol, Charles R. Smith, and David A. Dawson, US Marines in Vietnam: The Defining Year, 1968. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (943x640, 204 KB) From Jack Shulimson, Leonard A Balisol, Charles R. Smith, and David A. Dawson, US Marines in Vietnam: The Defining Year, 1968. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

By mid-March, Marine intelligence began to note an exodus of PAVN units from the Khe Sanh sector.^[85] The 325C Divisional Headquarters was the first to leave, followed by 95C and 101D Regiments, all of which relocated to the west. At the same time, the 304th PAVN Division withdrew to the southwest. That did not mean, however that battle was over. On 22 March over 1,000 North Vietnamese rounds fell on the base, and, once again, the ammo dump was detonated.^[86] March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (82nd in leap years). ...

On 30 March, Bravo Company, 1/26 Marines, launched an attack toward the location of the ambush that had claimed so many of their comrades on 25 February. 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. The Marines claimed 115 North Vietnamese killed while their own casualties amounted to ten dead, 100 wounded, and two missing.^[87] At 08:00 on the following day, Operation Scotland was officially terminated. Operational control of the Khe Sanh area was handed over to the Army's 1st Air Cavalry Division for the duration of Operation Pegasus.^[88] March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (90th in leap years). ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The 1st Cavalry Division (1st Cav Div) is a heavy armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Hood, Texas. ...

Cumulative friendly casualties for Operation Scotland, which began on 1 November 1967, were: 205 killed in action, 1,668 wounded, and 25 missing and presumed dead.^[89] 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. As far as North Vietnamese casualties were concerned, 1,602 bodies were counted, seven prisoners were taken, and two enemy rallied to allied forces during the operation. American intelligence estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 PAVN troops were killed during the operation.^[90] These figures, however, should be considered in light of the methods by which they were obtained. The estimates were almost exclusively gathered by indirect means: sensor readings, sightings of secondary explosions, reports of defectors or POWs, and inference or extrapolation.^[91] November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

Relief and results

Operation Pegasus

Planning for the overland relief of Khe Sanh had begun as early as 25 January 1968 when Westmoreland ordered General John J. Tolson, commander of the Army's 1st Air Cavalry Division, to prepare a contingency plan. Route 9, the only practical overland route from the east, was impassable due to its poor state of repair and the presence of PAVN troops. Tolson was not happy with the assignment, since he believed that the best course of action, post-Tet, was to utilize his division in an attack into the A Shau Valley. Westmoreland, however, was already planning ahead. Khe Sanh would be relieved and then utilized as the jump-off point for a "hot pursuit" of enemy forces into Laos.^[92] January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... The A Shau Valley is a valley in Vietnam. ...

On 2 March, Tolson presented a briefing and laid out the concept of what became known as Operation Pegasus. The operational plan for what was to become the largest operation launched by III MAF thus far in the conflict, was simple. The 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines Regiment would set out from LZ Stud at Ca Lu (16 kilometers to the east of Khe Sanh) and head down Route 9 while elements of the 1st Air Cavalry leapfrogged by helicopter down the road, air-assaulting onto key terrain features to cover the Marine advance. The advance would be supported by the fire of 102 pieces of artillery.^[93] The Marines would be accompanied by their 11th Engineer Battalion, which would repair the road as the advance moved forward. Later, the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment and 3rd ARVN Airborne Task Force (the 3rd, 6th, and 8th Airborne Battalions) would join the operation.^[94] March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (62nd in leap years). ... 2nd Battalion 1st Marines (2/1) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. ... 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines (2/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. ... 1st Battalion 1st Marines (1/1) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. ...

General Westmoreland's planned relief effort infuriated the Marines, who had not wanted to hold Khe Sanh in the first place and who had been roundly criticized for not defending it well.^[95] 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. General Cushman was appalled by the "implication of a rescue or breaking of the siege by outside forces."^[96]

Regardless, on 1 April, Operation Pegasus began. Opposition from the North Vietnamese was light and the only problem that hampered the operation was continual heavy morning cloud cover that slowed the pace of helicopter operations. As the relief force advanced, the Marines at Khe Sanh moved out from their positions and began patrolling at greater distances from the base. Things heated up for the air cavalrymen on 6 April, when the 3rd Brigade encounterd a PAVN blocking force and fought a day-long engagement. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1704x1266, 799 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1704x1266, 799 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... It has been suggested that April Fools Day be merged into this article or section. ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ...

On the following day, the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Air Cavalry captured the old French fort near Khe Sanh village after a three-day battle. 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 entered the camp.^[97] The 11th Engineers proclaimed Route 9 open to traffic on 11 April. On that day, the commander of the 1st Air Cavalry ordered his unit to immediately make ready for operations in the A Shau Valley.^[98] At 0800 on 15 April, Operation Pegasus was officially terminated. American casualties amounted to 92 killed in action, 667 wounded, and five missing. 33 ARVN troops were killed and 187 wounded. Estimates of PAVN casualties were 1,100 killed and 13 captured.^[99] April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ...

Colonel Lownds and the 26th Marines departed, leaving the defense of the base to the 1st Marine Regiment. General Westmoreland continued to demand that the base be occupied and kept it so until he departed Vietnam on 11 June.^[100] His successor, General Creighton W. Abrams allowed the passage of one week before he ordered the initiation of Operation Charlie, the destruction and evacuation of KSCB. That task was completed on 6 July.^[101] Colonel Lownds made his final appearance in the story of Khe Sanh on 23 May, when he and his regimental sergeant major stood before President Johnson and were presented with a Presidential Unit Citation on behalf of the 26th Marines. June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... Creighton W. Abrams watches Bob Hope at Long Binh in Vietnam Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... Please see Presidential Unit Citation for other versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941 (the date of the Attack on...

Once the news of the closure of the KSCB was announced, the American media immediately raised questions about the reasoning behind its abandonment. If Khe Sanh had been so strategically important in January, why was it not so in July? The explanations given out by the Saigon command were that

By this point in the conflict, however, the Marine demand for more mobility was moot. The gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces begun during the following year and the adoption of Vietnamization meant that, by 1969, "although limited tactical offensives abounded, U.S. military participation in the war would soon be relegated to a defensive stance."^[103] For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ...

Riddle of Khe Sanh

The precise nature of Hanoi's strategic goal at Khe Sanh is one of the most intriguing unanswered questions the Vietnam Conflict. This perplexing problem, known among historians as the "riddle of Khe Sanh" can be best summed up by John Prados and Ray Stubbe: "Either the Tet offensive was a diversion intended to facilitate PAVN/NLF preparations for a war-winning battle at Khe Sanh, or Khe Sanh was a diversion to mesmerize Westmoreland in the days before Tet." ^[104]

Was PAVN actually planning a genuine attempt to take Khe Sanh? Was the battle truly an attempt to replicate the Viet Minh triumph against the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu? General Westmoreland thought so. That belief was the basis for his desire to stage "Dien Bien Phu in reverse".^[105] If Hanoi was willing to mass its troops within a limited geographic area, making it vulnerable to American firepower, then so much the better in his opinion. Image File history File links General_Vo_Nguyen_Giap. ... Image File history File links General_Vo_Nguyen_Giap. ... The Viet Minh (abbreviated from Việt Nam ộc Lập ồng Minh Hội, League for the Independence of Vietnam) was formed by Ho Ngoc Lam and Nguyen Hai Than in 1941 to seek independence for Vietnam from France. ... Combatants France, Vietnam (loyalist), Hmong mercenaries Vietnam (Viet Minh), Chinese consultants Commanders Christian de Castries, Pierre Langlais # Vo Nguyen Giap Strength As of March 13: 10,800[1] As of March 13: 48,000 combat personnel, 15,000 logistical support personnel[2] Casualties 2,293 dead, 5,195 wounded, 11...

Why else would Hanoi have committed so many forces to the area instead of committing them to the Tet Offensive? The North Vietnamese only committed about half of their available forces to the offensive (60-70,000), the majority of whom were members of the NLF. Were the forces around Khe Sanh simply a localized defensive measure in the DMZ area? Were they serving as a reserve in case of an offensive American end run a la the American invasion at Inchon during the Korean Conflict? Combatants UN forces: United States; United Kingdom; South Korea; Canada; Australia; Netherlands; France North Korea Commanders Douglas MacArthur Arthur Dewey Struble Jeong Il-Gwon Kim Il-sung Choi Yong-Kun Strength 40,000[1] ? Casualties 566 killed 2,713 wounded 14,000 casualties[2] 7,000 captured[2] The Battle... The Korean War (Korean: 한국전쟁), from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ...

General Abrams has suggested that the North Vietnamese may indeed have been planning to emulate Dien Bien Phu. He believed that PAVN's actions during Tet proved it.^[106]It would have taken longer to dislodge the North Vietnamese at Huế if PAVN had committed the three divisions at Khe Sanh to the battle there (although PAVN did commit three regiments to the fighting from the Khe Sanh sector).^[107] Huáº¿ (åŒ– in Vietnamese Chá»¯ nÃ´m, é †åŒ– in Chinese characters) is the former modern capital of Vietnam. ...

Another interpretation was that the North Vietnamese were planning to work both ends against the middle. This strategy has come to be known as the Option Play. If PAVN could take Khe Sanh, all well and good. If they could not, they would occupy the attention of as many American and South Vietnamese forces in I Corps as they could in order to facilitate the Tet Offensive.^[108] This view was supported by a captured (in 1969) North Vietnamese study of the battle. According to the study, PAVN would have taken Khe Sanh if they could, but there were limits to the price they were willing to pay. Their main objectives were to kill American troops and to isolate them in the remote border regions.^[109]

Or was the action around Khe Sanh (and the other border battles) simply a feint, a ruse meant to focus American attention (and forces) on the borders? General and historian Dave Palmer accepts this rationale: "General Giap never had any intention of capturing Khe Sanh...[it] was a feint, a diversionary effort. And it had accomplished its purpose magnificently."^[110] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (784x656, 216 KB) From George L. MacGarrigle, The United States Army in Vietnam: Combat Operations, Taking the Offensive, October 1966-October 1967. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (784x656, 216 KB) From George L. MacGarrigle, The United States Army in Vietnam: Combat Operations, Taking the Offensive, October 1966-October 1967. ...

He was seconded by Marine General Rathvon M. Tompkins, commander of the 3rd Marine Division, who pointed out the key fact that refuted the idea that PAVN intended to take Khe Sanh: North Vietnamese troops had never bothered to threaten the Combat Base's sole source of water, a stream 500 meters outside the perimeter of the base. Had they contaminated the stream, the airlift would never have been able to provide enough water to the Marines.^[111]

One argument leveled by Westmoreland at the time (and often quoted by historians of the battle) was that only two Marine regiments were tied down at Khe Sanh compared with several PAVN divisions.^[112] But, at the time Hanoi made the decision to move in around the base, Khe Sanh was held by only two (or even just one) American battalions. Was the destruction of one battalion to be the goal of two to four PAVN divisions? Yet, even if Westmoreland believed his statement, his argument never moved on to the next logical level. By the end of January 1968, he had moved half of all U.S. combat troops - nearly fifty maneuver battalions - to I Corps.^[113] All of these arguments have intrigued historians of the battle, but the answer to the "riddle of Khe Sanh" will only be found when the historical archives of Vietnam are opened for research.

Battle in popular culture

class="preview" id="pv327"> For the battle during the Vietnam War, see Battle of Khe Sanh. ... Revival of the Pub Rock Scene made popular by Dire Straits and Elvis Costello. ... This article is about the Australian band. ... Born in the U.S.A. is an album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). ... Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Peopleâ€™s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... Combatants Viet Cong South Vietnam United States Commanders unknown battalion commander Bui Dinh Dam John Paul Vann Strength 350 1,400 Casualties 18 dead 39 wounded 83 dead 108 wounded The Battle of Ap Bac was a small-scale action early in the Vietnam War that resulted in the first... Combatants Viet Cong South Vietnam United States Commanders Gen. ... Combatants Viet Cong United States South Vietnam Casualties U.S casualties: 8 killed, 109 wounded and 20 aircraft destroyed or damaged. ... Combatants Viet Cong South Vietnam United States Casualties 85 Dead 49 ARVN dead 5 American dead The Battle of Song Be was a major action between the NLF (Viet Cong) and ARVN, the South Vietnamese army. ... Combatants Viet Cong South Vietnam United States Commanders Le Trong Tan Cao Van Vien, Charles W. Williams Strength 1,500 10,000 Casualties 700+ estimated KIA ARVN: 800+ killed U.S: 7 killed, 15 wounded and 13 missing The Battle of Dong Xoai was a battle that occurred during the... Combatants Viet Cong Australia Commanders Unknown John Healy Casualties Unknown 6 wounded 2 missing presumed dead The Battle of Gang Toi was fought on November 8, 1965. ... Combatants North Vietnam Viet Cong United States Commanders Nguyen Huu An Thomas Brown Hal Moore (X-Ray) Robert McDade (Albany) Casualties X-Ray: Est. ... Operation Hastings was an American military operation in the Vietnam War. ... Combatants United States South Vietnam North Vietnam Strength 395 2,000 Casualties U.S: 8 killed, 12 wounded and 5 missing South Vietnam: 47 killed or missing Unknown (U.S estimates put the number at 800) The Battle of A Shau was waged during the Vietnam War. ... Combatants North Vietnam South Korea Commanders Byung Soo Choi Casualties 134+ killed 7 killed 46 wounded In 1966, the Battle of Duc Co was a major engagement between the North Vietnamese 5th Battalion of the 88th Regiment and the South Korean 3rd Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Regiment. ... 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Notes

^ Kelley, Michael P. (2002). Where We Were In Vietnam. Hellgate Press, p. 5-274. ISBN 1-55571-625-3.
^ The low figure often cited for U.S. casualties (205 killed in action, 443 wounded, 2 missing) does not take into account U.S. Army or Air Force casualties or those incurred during Operation Pegasus John Prados and Ray W. Stubbe, Valley of Decision. Annapolis MD: Naval Institute Press, 1993, p. 454.
^ Schulimson, p. 283, and Shore, p. 131.
^ Jack Schulimson, LtCol. Leonard A Blaisol, Charles R. Smith, and Capt. David A. Dawson, U.S. Marines in Vietnam: 1968. Washington DC: Marine Corps History and Museums Division, 1997, p. 59.
^ For a succinct overview of the creation of the CIDG program and its operations, see Shelby L. Stanton, Green Berets at War. Novato CA: Presidio Press, 1985, pps. 35-48.
^ U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Command History 1965, Annex N. Saigon, 1966, p. 18.
^ Prados & Stubbe, pps. 140-146. See also Clark Dougan, Stephan Weiss, et al, Nineteen Sixty-Eight. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1983, p. 42.
^ Schulimson, p. 60.
^ Maj. Gary L. Telfer, LtCol. Lane Rogers, and V. Keith Fleming, U.S. Marines in Vietnam: 1967. Washington DC: U.S. Marine Corps History and Museums Program, 1984, pps. 129-131.
^ Terrence Maitland, Peter McInerney, et al, A Contagion of War. Boston Publishing Company, p. 164.
^ Maitland & McInerney, p. 165.
^ Maitland & McInerney, p. 165.
^ Maitland & McInerney, p. 165.
^ Maitland & McInerney, p. 165.
^ The most detailed account is in Edward F. Murphy, Dak To New York: Pocket Books, 1995.
^ Shelby L. Stanton, The Rise and Fall of an American Army, New York: Dell, 1985, pps. 160-169.
^ Maitland & McInerney, p. 183.
^ Dave R. Palmer, Summons of the Trumpet. New York: Ballantine Books, 1978, pps. 213-215.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 432.
^ Edward F. Murphy, The Hill Fights. New York: Ballentine Books, 2002, pps. 3-7 & 13-14.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 71.
^ Murphy, p. 79.
^ Captain Moyars S. Shore, The Battle for Khe Sanh. Washington DC: U.S. Marine Corps Historical Branch, 1969, p. 17. For detailed accounts of the Hill Fights, see Telfer, Rogers, & Fleming, Chapter 4 and Murphy, The Hill Fights.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 155.
^ Murphy, p. 233.
^ Only nine U.S. battalions were available from Hue/Phu Bai northward. Prados & Stubbe, p. 159.
^ William C. Westmoreland, A Soldier Reports New York: Doubleday, p. 236. General Westmoreland had been forwarding operational plans for an invasion of Laos since 1966. First there had been Operation Full Cry, the original three-division invasion plan. This was superseded by the smaller contingency plans Southpaw and High Port (1967). With Operation EL Paso the general returned to a three-divisional plan in 1968. There was another plan (York) which envisioned the use of even larger forces. U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Command History, 1966, Annex M. Saigon, 1967, p. 60. See also Jacob Van Staaveren, Interdiction in Southern Laos, 1961-1968. Washington DC: Center of Air Force History, 1993, p. 230 & 290.
^ Schulimson, p. 67.
^ Shore, p. 47
^ Dougan & Weiss p. 42.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 42.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 43.
^ According to the official PAVN history, by December 1967 the North Vietnamese had in place, or within supporting distance: the 304th, 320th, 324th, and 325th Infantry Divisions, the independent 270th infantry Regiment; five artillery regiments (the 16th, 45th, 84th, 204th, and 675th); three AAA regiments (the 208th, 214th, and 228th); four tank companies; one engineer regiment plus one independent engineer battalion; one signal battalion; and a number of local force units. Military Institute of Vietnam, Victory in Vietnam. Lawrence KS: University of Kansas Press, 2002, p. 216.
^ PAVN 152mm artillery pieces had a range of around ten and one-half miles. The 130mm gun, introduced later, had a range of nineteen miles. The heaviest Marine ordnance at Khe Sanh, the 155mm, had a range of only nine miles. This discrepancy in ranges was utilized by the North Vietnamese in order to avoid counter-battery fire.
^ A whole myth has grown up around this incident. The dead men have been described as wearing Marine uniforms; that they were a regimental commander and his staff on a reconnaissance; that they were all identified, by name, by American intelligence. See Prados & Stubbe, p. 215.
^ Shore, pps. 30-31.
^ Schulimson, p. 72.
^ Schulimson, pps. 258-259.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 44.
^ Schulimson, p. 264.
^ Schulimson, p. 264.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 268.
^ Prados & Stubbe, pps. 268-269.
^ Schulimson, p. 269.
^ Van Staaveren, p. 290.
^ John Morocco, Thunder from Above. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1984, p. 52
^ Morocco, p. 178.
^ Van Staaveren, p. 290.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 301.
^ Bernard C. Nalty, Air Power and the Fight for Khe Sanh. Washington DC: Office of Air Force History, 1986, p. 95.
^ Prados and Stubbe, p. 297.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 45.
^ Schulimson, p. 270.
^ Westmoreland, p. 252
^ Schulimson, pps. 487-515.
^ Prados & Stubbe, pps. 295-297.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 223.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 295.
^ Morocco, p. 178.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 286. See also Pisor, p. 152.
^ The method by which PAVN achieved this feat is described in Prados & Stubbe, pps. 319-320.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 329.
^ Schulimson, p. 276.
^ Schulimson, p. 276.
^ Prados & Stubbe, pps. 332-333.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 333.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 47. The official North Vietnamese history claimed that 400 enemy troops had been killed, and 253 captured. It claimed, however, that only three American advisors were killed. Victory in Vietnam, p. 222.
^ Shulimson, pps. 276-277.
^ 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." Prados & Stubbe, p. 338
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 340.
^ Schulimson, p. 277. There had never been any love lost between the Special Forces personnel and the Marines. General Rathvon Tompkins, commander of the 3rd Marine Division, described the Special Forces soldiers as "hopped up...wretches...[who] were a law unto themselves." Pisor, p. 76. At the end of January, General Tompkins had ordered that no Marine patrols proceed more than 500 meters from the main base. Schulimson, p. 269. The SOG recon teams however, kept on patrolling, providing the only human intelligence available for KSCB. This, however, did not prevent the Marine tanks within the perimeter from training their guns on the SOG camp. Schulimson, p. 277.
^ Shore, p. 90.
^ The fate of a USMC KC-130F of VMGR-152, provided a typical example of the difficulty in resupplying the firebase. Hit by groundfire during landing at Khe Sanh on 10 February, the fuel bladders aboard were set alight and the airframe burned out on the runway, further obstructing resupply operations.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 49. The most dramatic supply delivery system utilized at Khe Sanh was the Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System (LAPES), in which palletized supplies were pulled out of the cargo bay of a low-flying transport aircraft by means of an attached parachute. The pallet slid to a halt on the airstrip while the aircraft never had to actually land.
^ Shore, p. 79
^ Shore, p. 89.
^ Shore, p. 33.
^ Shore p. 107.
^ Schulimson, p. 283.
^ Schulimson, p. 277.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 348.
^ Schulimson, p. 279.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 405.
^ Schulimson, p. 281.
^ Schulimson, p. 281.
^ Schulimson, p. 282.
^ Schulimson, pps. 282-283.
^ Schulimson, p. 283.
^ Shore, p. 131.
^ Schulimson, p. 283, and Shore, p. 131.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 55.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 418 & 420.
^ Prados & Stubbe, pps. 428, 431, & 437.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 419.
^ Murphy, pps. 239-240. See also Pisor, p. 108.
^ Murphy, p. 240.
^ Schulimson, p. 286.
^ Schulimson, p. 287.
^ Schulimson, p. 289. It is at this point that Victory in Vietnam related the defeat and withdrawal of the relief force. According to the North Vietnamese history, the siege continued beyond this date. Victory in Vietnam, p. 223.
^ Pisor, pps. 238-232.
^ Murphy, p. 244. Victory in Vietnam relates ever an increasing intensity of PAVN attacks on the Combat Base, during which "1,300 American troops were killed and 34 aircraft were shot down." Victory in Vietnam, p. 229.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 54.
^ Stanton, The Rise and Fall of an American Army, p. 246.
^ Prados & Stubbe, p. 173.
^ Pisor, p. 61.
^ James Warren, The Mystery of Khe Sanh in Robert Cowley, ed. The Cold War: A Military History. New York: Random House, 2005, p. 333.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 38.
^ Pisor, p. 210.
^ Shulimson, pps. 67-68.
^ Palmer, p. 219. This is also the position taken in the official PAVN history, but which offers no further explanation of the strategy. Victory in Vietnam, p. 216-217.
^ Dougan & Weiss, p. 55.
^ Pisor, p. 240.
^ Murphy, p, 235.

1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft and the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. ... Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System (LAPES) is a tactical military airlift delivery method where a fixed wing cargo aircraft can deposit supplies when landing is not an option in an area that is too small to accurately parachute supplies from a high altitude, . This method was developed by the US...

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