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Battle of Khe Sanh
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Battle of Khe Sanh
The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January – 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Quảng Trị Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. The main US forces defending Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB) were two regiments of the United States Marine Corps supported by elements from the United States Army, the United States Air Force (USAF) and the RAAF, as well as a small number of Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops. These were pitted against two to three divisional-size elements of the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).
The US command in Saigon initially believed that combat operations around KSCB during 1967 were part of a series of minor PAVN offensives in the border regions, but when the PAVN was found to be moving major forces into the area, the U.S. force at KSCB was reinforced. On 21 January 1968, the PAVN surrounded and besieged the Marine base. In the ensuing five months, KSCB and the hilltop outposts around it were subjected to daily PAVN artillery, mortar, and rocket attacks, and several infantry assaults. More than 274 U.S. troops were killed and more than 2,500 wounded.
To support the Marine base, the USAF undertook Operation Niagara, a massive aerial bombardment campaign. In the first three months, over 114,810 tons of bombs were dropped by US & allied aircraft and over 158,900 artillery rounds were fired in defense of the base. U.S forces lost one KC-130, three C-123 and 35 helicopters, while 23 aircraft and 123 helicopters were damaged. Throughout the campaign, US forces used the latest technology to locate and target PAVN forces, and logistical innovations to support the base.
In March 1968, a combined Marine–Army/ARVN task force launched an overland relief expedition (Operation Pegasus) that eventually broke through to the Marines at Khe Sanh.
American commanders considered the defense of Khe Sanh a success, but shortly after the siege was lifted, decided to dismantle the base rather than risk similar battles in the future. On 19 June 1968, the evacuation and destruction of KSCB began. Amid heavy shelling, the Marines attempted to salvage what they could before destroying what remained as they were evacuated. Minor attacks continued before the base was officially closed on 5 July. 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.
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. 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. Nevertheless, the US commander during the battle, General William Westmoreland, maintained that the true intention of Tet was to distract forces from Khe Sanh.
The village of Khe Sanh was the seat of government of Hương Hoa district, an area of Bru Montagnard villages and coffee plantations about 7 miles (11 km) 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 crossed the border into Laos. 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. The camp then became a Special Forces outpost of the Civilian Irregular Defense Groups, which were to keep watch on PAVN infiltration along the border and to protect the local population.
James Marino wrote that in 1964, General William Westmoreland, the US commander in Vietnam, had determined, "Khe Sanh could serve as a patrol base blocking enemy infiltration from Laos; a base for... operations to harass the enemy in Laos; an airstrip for reconnaissance to survey the Ho Chi Minh Trail; a western anchor for the defenses south of the DMZ; and an eventual jumping-off point for ground operations to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail." In November 1964, the Special Forces moved their camp to the Xom Cham Plateau, the future site of Khe Sanh Combat Base.
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Battle of Khe Sanh
The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January – 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Quảng Trị Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. The main US forces defending Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB) were two regiments of the United States Marine Corps supported by elements from the United States Army, the United States Air Force (USAF) and the RAAF, as well as a small number of Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops. These were pitted against two to three divisional-size elements of the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).
The US command in Saigon initially believed that combat operations around KSCB during 1967 were part of a series of minor PAVN offensives in the border regions, but when the PAVN was found to be moving major forces into the area, the U.S. force at KSCB was reinforced. On 21 January 1968, the PAVN surrounded and besieged the Marine base. In the ensuing five months, KSCB and the hilltop outposts around it were subjected to daily PAVN artillery, mortar, and rocket attacks, and several infantry assaults. More than 274 U.S. troops were killed and more than 2,500 wounded.
To support the Marine base, the USAF undertook Operation Niagara, a massive aerial bombardment campaign. In the first three months, over 114,810 tons of bombs were dropped by US & allied aircraft and over 158,900 artillery rounds were fired in defense of the base. U.S forces lost one KC-130, three C-123 and 35 helicopters, while 23 aircraft and 123 helicopters were damaged. Throughout the campaign, US forces used the latest technology to locate and target PAVN forces, and logistical innovations to support the base.
In March 1968, a combined Marine–Army/ARVN task force launched an overland relief expedition (Operation Pegasus) that eventually broke through to the Marines at Khe Sanh.
American commanders considered the defense of Khe Sanh a success, but shortly after the siege was lifted, decided to dismantle the base rather than risk similar battles in the future. On 19 June 1968, the evacuation and destruction of KSCB began. Amid heavy shelling, the Marines attempted to salvage what they could before destroying what remained as they were evacuated. Minor attacks continued before the base was officially closed on 5 July. 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.
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. 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. Nevertheless, the US commander during the battle, General William Westmoreland, maintained that the true intention of Tet was to distract forces from Khe Sanh.
The village of Khe Sanh was the seat of government of Hương Hoa district, an area of Bru Montagnard villages and coffee plantations about 7 miles (11 km) 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 crossed the border into Laos. 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. The camp then became a Special Forces outpost of the Civilian Irregular Defense Groups, which were to keep watch on PAVN infiltration along the border and to protect the local population.
James Marino wrote that in 1964, General William Westmoreland, the US commander in Vietnam, had determined, "Khe Sanh could serve as a patrol base blocking enemy infiltration from Laos; a base for... operations to harass the enemy in Laos; an airstrip for reconnaissance to survey the Ho Chi Minh Trail; a western anchor for the defenses south of the DMZ; and an eventual jumping-off point for ground operations to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail." In November 1964, the Special Forces moved their camp to the Xom Cham Plateau, the future site of Khe Sanh Combat Base.
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