was the tet offensive successful

To further enhance their political posture at the Paris talks, which opened on 13 May, the North Vietnamese opened the second phase of the general offensive in late April. University Press of Kansas, May 2002 (original 1995). Steel and Blood: South Vietnamese Armor and the War for Southeast Asia. General Westmoreland, who had already cancelled the truce in I Corps, requested that South Vietnam cancel the upcoming cease-fire, but President Thiu (who had already reduced the cease-fire to 36 hours), refused to do so, claiming that it would damage troop morale and only benefit communist propagandists. [157] By the end of 1967, MACV had moved nearly half of its manoeuvre battalions to I Corps in anticipation of just such a battle. In what became known as the Battle of Dai Do, the PAVN clashed savagely with U.S. Marine, Army and ARVN forces before withdrawing. The most dramatic success of the Tet offensive was the attack on the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon. The number of civilian dead was estimated by the government at 14,300 with an additional 24,000 wounded. Westmoreland was more concerned with the situation at Khe Sanh, where, on 21 January 1968, a force estimated at 20,00040,000 PAVN troops had besieged the U.S. Marine garrison. [71] This announcement provoked a flurry of diplomatic activity (which amounted to nothing) during the last weeks of the year. According to American sources, there has been an extreme reluctance among Vietnamese historians to discuss the decision-making process that led to the general offensive and uprising, even decades after the event. In the year of 1968, 15 000 American soldiers were killed and 100 cities were targeted in South Vietnam in the Tet Offensive. What happened in the Tet Offensive's first 36 hours - Army Times [177], In the wake of the offensive, however, fresh determination was exhibited by the Thiu government. [254] By 12 May, however, it was all over. Orders cancelling leaves either came too late or were disregarded.[98]. The Tet Offensive had brought the terrible reality of the war home to an electorate that, for . South Vietnamese and U.S. military intelligence estimated that PAVN/VC forces in South Vietnam during January 1968 totaled 323,000 men, including 130,000 PAVN regulars, 160,000 VC and members of the infrastructure, and 33,000 service and support troops. During the last three months of the year intelligence agencies had observed signs of a major North Vietnamese military buildup. On Jan. 30-31, 1968, North Vietnam launched a massive, coordinated assault on nearly every city, town and military installation in South Vietnam . "Now that it's all over", he queried a visiting Washington official, "you really knew it was coming, didn't you? They seized the building, held it for six hours and, when running out of ammunition, the last eight attackers destroyed it and killed themselves using explosive charges, but they were unable to broadcast due to the cutting off of the audio lines from the main studio to the tower as soon as the station was seized. See also Zaffiri, p. 309. [206] In 1969, the year after the Tet battles, the US suffered 11,780 killed, the second highest annual total in the war. "[203], The Tet Offensive created a crisis within the Johnson administration, which became increasingly unable to convince the American public that it had been a major defeat for the communists. Naval Institute Press, 2008. In August, Chinh's report on the situation was accepted in toto, published, and broadcast via Radio Hanoi. Yet, as historian Ronald Spector has pointed out "the communist failures were not final or decisive either". [187] Meanwhile, the VC proclaimed itself the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, and took part in future peace negotiations under this title. [216] On 8 February, Westmoreland responded that he could use another division "if operations in Laos are authorized". [35] A poll taken in November indicated that 55 percent wanted a tougher war policy, exemplified by the public belief that "it was an error for us to have gotten involved in Vietnam in the first place. Only 775 out of 2,018 in one section survived; another lost all but 640 out of 1,430. Vietnam War - Tet Offensive & American public reaction [50] From October 1966 through April 1967, a very public debate over military strategy took place in print and via radio between Thanh and his rival for military power, Gip. The Tet Offensive - History Learning Site 728. But now that we're there, let's win or get out. INTEL - Tet Offensive at Fifty If it worked, all would be well and good. The fiercest fighting once again took place in Cholon. If outright victory was not achieved, the battle might still lead to the creation of a coalition government and the withdrawal of the Americans. A further 87,000 were made homeless while more than 500 were killed and another 4,500 were wounded. [117] A combat-ready battalion of ARVN paratroopers, awaiting transport to Da Nang, went instead directly into action supporting the United States Air Force's 377th Security Police Squadron and the U.S. Army's 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment in halting the attack. The Battle of Hue was part of the Tet Offensive. [258] The actions also brought more death and suffering to the city's inhabitants. The first maintained that the political consequences of the winter-spring offensive were an intended rather than an, Dougan and Weiss, p. 23. Page 247. The Tet Offensive was not much of a victory. [49], During the same period, a counter-attack was launched by a new, third grouping (the centrists) led by President H Ch Minh, L c Th, and Foreign Minister Nguyn Duy Trinh, who called for negotiations. 1516. A study of North Vietnamese documentation by James Wirtz led him to conclude that Gip believed that the American people would have to endure two more years of military stalemate (post-offensive) before turning decisively against the war. Overall, during the "Border Battles" of 1967 and the nine-month winter-spring campaign, 45,267 PAVN/VC troops had been killed in action. [104] Washington Post reporter Peter Braestrup summed up the feelings of his colleagues by asking "How could any effort against Saigon, especially downtown Saigon, be a diversion?"[105]. [131], In the aftermath of the recapture of the city, the discovery of several mass graves (the last of which were uncovered in 1970) of South Vietnamese citizens of Hu sparked a controversy that has not diminished with time. "We are on the offensive. As government troops pulled back to defend the urban areas, the VC moved in to fill the vacuum in the countryside. A substantial force. [150] Those taken into custody included South Vietnamese military personnel, present and former government officials, local civil servants, teachers, policemen, and religious figures. "[246] According to the Pentagon Papers, the advice of the group was decisive in convincing Johnson to reduce the bombing of North Vietnam.[247]. Thanks to innovative high-speed "Super Gaggles", which utilized fighter-bombers in combination with large numbers of supply helicopters, and the Air Force's utilization of C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft employing the innovative LAPES delivery method, aerial resupply was never halted. The allies, however, still responded without any real sense of urgency. The Politburo sought to exploit perceived instability and maintain political weakness in South Vietnam.[26]. The New York Times article had been released just two days before the Democratic Party's New Hampshire primary, where the President suffered an unexpected setback in the election, finishing barely ahead of Senator Eugene McCarthy. When the Tet offensive began, feelings ran high at MACV that the base was in for a serious attack. They concluded that the Saigon government and the U.S. presence were so unpopular with the population of the South that a broad-based attack would spark a spontaneous uprising of the population, which, if the offensive was successful, would enable the North Vietnamese to sweep to a quick, decisive victory. Kham Duc was evacuated by air while under fire, and abandoned to the North Vietnamese. [51] Gip had advocated a defensive, primarily guerrilla strategy against the U.S. and South Vietnam. [188] High-intensity, conventional big-unit battles were replaced with smaller-scale, quick attack and quick withdrawal operations to continually put pressure on the allied forces at the same time that mechanised and combined-arms capabilities were being built. Dougan and Weiss, p. 11. [122]:4647[123], At 03:40 on the foggy morning of 31 January, allied defensive positions north of the Perfume River in the city of Hu were mortared and rocketed and then attacked by two battalions of the PAVN 6th Regiment. Wirtz, p. 61. Despite efforts by North Vietnam to disrupt elections, higher than usual turnouts saw a political turning point towards a more democratic structure and ushered in a period of political stability after a series of coups had characterized the preceding years. This is complete nonsense. The Tet Offensive was launched prematurely in some areas on 30 January. See also Zaffiri, p. 305. Prior to 1967, the South Vietnamese constituent assembly was in the process of drafting a new constitution and eventual elections. The group was joined by Rusk, Wheeler, Bundy, Rostow, and Clifford. Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point in the Vietnam War? [263] In five weeks of fighting and after the loss of 20,000 troops, the previous objectives of spurring an uprising and mass-defection had not been attained during this "final and decisive phase". "[37] At the end of November, the campaign reached its climax when Johnson summoned Westmoreland and the new U.S. Laurence, John (2002), The Cat from Hue: a Vietnam War Story, PublicAffairs Press. In their memoirs, both Johnson and Westmoreland stated that they had predicted the offensive. According to James Meecham, an analyst at the Combined Intelligence Center who attended the party: "I had no conception Tet was coming, absolutely zero Of the 200-odd officers present, not one I talked to knew Tet was coming, without exception."[92]. Soon afterwards, Senator Robert F. Kennedy announced he would join the contest for the Democratic nomination, further emphasizing the plummeting support for Johnson's administration in the wake of Tet. See also Wirtz, pp. This presaged a siege and battle that would last for seventy-seven days and would see 6,000 Marines hold off 20,000 North Vietnamese. Roberts was heading off to Vietnam, so national. We were at a severe disadvantage, coming in to a country we did not know and trying. On Jan. 31, 1968, the first day of the celebration of the lunar new year, Vietnam's most important holiday, the Vietnamese Communists launched a major offensive throughout South Vietnam. What the North Vietnamese had done was carry out the first stage of their plan: to fix the attention of the U.S. command on the borders and draw the bulk of U.S. forces away from the heavily populated coastal lowlands and cities.[82]. [205] No matter that the PAVN/VC lost about 30,000 of their best troops in the fighting at Tet, they were capable of replacing those lost with recruits from North Vietnam. "[218], Wheeler's promptings were influenced by the severe strain imposed upon the U.S. military by the Vietnam commitment, which had been undertaken without mobilising its reserve forces. Doyle, Lipsman and Maitland, pp. On January 31, while approximately 50,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese troops were occupied in defending or supporting Khe Sanh and other DMZ bases, the communists launched an offensive throughout South Vietnam. In most cases, the defense was led by the South Vietnamese. Westmoreland agreed with his estimate and ordered 15 U.S. battalions to redeploy from positions near the Cambodian border back to the outskirts of Saigon. [129] Lasting 25 days,[130] the battle of Hu became one of the longest and bloodiest single battles of the Vietnam War. The U.S. estimated that during the first phase (30 January 8 April) approximately 45,000 PAVN/VC soldiers were killed and an unknown number were wounded. Also gone were discussions of victory over North Vietnam. [126] The undermanned ARVN defenders, led by General Ng Quang Trng, managed to hold their position, but the majority of the Citadel fell to the PAVN. I suspect he is also trying to draw everyone's attention from the area of greatest threat, the northern part of I Corps. The province itself was subjected to what one historian has called a "My Lai from the Sky" non-stop B-52 bombing. When the Vietcong launched Tet, during the Chinese New Year in January 1968, they switched their offensive to South Vietnam's cities. However, Tet was a strategic political defeat for the United States, when the American public realized that the enemy was capable of mounting such an . To Washington's surprise, on 3 April Hanoi announced that it would conduct negotiations, which were scheduled to begin on 13 May in Paris. The popular uprising anticipated by Hanoi never happened. Their target was the ARVN 1st Division headquarters located in the Citadel,[124] a three-square mile complex of palaces, parks, and residences,[125] which were surrounded by a moat and a massive earth and masonry fortress. In the aftermath of Tet, K supporters in the military and the administration were quickly removed from power, arrested, or exiled. The fighting during this phase differed from Tet Mau Than and "Mini-Tet" in that no U.S. installations were attacked. According to closer observers, however, the General was "stunned that the communists had been able to coordinate so many attacks in such secrecy", and he was "dispirited and deeply shaken. [222] Wheeler's written report of the trip, however, contained no mention of any new contingencies, strategies, or the building up of the strategic reserve. [208] Walter Cronkite, anchorman of the CBS Evening News and a World War II combat veteran, argued for negotiations as an honourable way out in a Special Report based on his journalism in Vietnam broadcast on CBS TV in March. The South Vietnamese military, although it had performed better than the Americans had expected, suffered from lowered morale, with desertion rates rising from 10.5 per thousand before Tet to 16.5 per thousand by July. [119], On the morning of 2 March 1968, while patrolling 4 miles (6.4km) north of Tan Son Nhut Air Base near the small village of Quoi Xuan to locate VC rocket sites, Company C, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment walked into an ambush losing 48 killed in just 8 minutes. If Westmoreland had a grasp of the potential for danger, he did not communicate it very well to others. General Phillip B. Davidson, the new MACV chief of intelligence, notified Westmoreland that "This is going to happen in the rest of the country tonight and tomorrow morning. This early attack allowed allied forces some time to prepare defensive measures. Three years later, the meaning of 2020 is clear for all of us to see | CNN It wouldn't have been credible to us. Rivalries between South Vietnam's generals were becoming less chaotic, and Thiu and K formed a joint ticket for the election. During this crucial crisis, however, no South Vietnamese unit broke or defected to the communists. This redeployment may have been one of the most critical tactical decisions of the war. A .30-caliber machine gun on the second floor of the headquarters disabled both cars and killed or wounded several sappers while the Navy security force organized a counterattack. Both Wheeler and Westmoreland were elated that McNamara would be replaced by the hawkish Clark Clifford in only eight days and that the military might finally obtain permission to widen the war. This remarkable result accounts for Tet's resonance whenever U.S. military forces meet even temporary. [78] The intense shelling (100150 rounds per day) prompted Westmoreland to launch Operation Neutralize, an intense aerial bombardment campaign of 4,000 sorties into and just north of the DMZ. During the late summer and fall of 1967 both South Vietnamese and U.S. intelligence agencies collected clues that indicated a significant shift in communist strategic planning. Today, the Tet Offensive of early 1968 is known as one of the largest military efforts of the Vietnam War, a successful surprise attack conducted by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam. U.S. Army units participating in the defense included the 716th Military Police Battalion, seven infantry battalions (one mechanized), and six artillery battalions. . Today there have been a great number of writings about this . North Vietnamese leaders believed they could not sustain the heavy . There was a discrepancy, however, between the order of battle estimates of the MACV and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) concerning the strength of VC guerrilla forces within South Vietnam. On 1 March, Clifford succeeded McNamara as Secretary of Defense. [248] On 31 March, President Johnson announced the unilateral (although still partial) bombing halt during his television address. "To deny it, or to attempt to cut it to a size which could be sustained by the thinly stretched active forces, would just as surely signify that an upper limit to the U.S. military commitment in South Vietnam had been reached. Tet Offensive - Wikipedia During the first half of 1969, more than 20,000 PAVN/VC troops rallied to allied forces, a threefold increase over the 1968 figure.[264]. Also see Doyle, Lipsman and Maitland, p. 56. They also resisted the idea of negotiating with the allies. [194] This increase would bring South Vietnam's troop strength to more than 900,000 men. Southeast Asia Report No. [131], During the first days of the North Vietnamese occupation, U.S. intelligence vastly underestimated the number of PAVN troops and little appreciated the effort that was going to be necessary to evict them. The Khe Sanh actions would draw PAVN forces away from the offensive into the cities, but Gip considered them necessary in order to protect his supply lines and divert American attention. On 5 May Trng Chinh rose to address a congress of Party members and proceeded to castigate the Party militants and their bid for quick victory. 126127. Around the U.S. combat base at Khe Sanh, fighting continued for two more months. [80], The most severe of what came to be known as "the Border Battles" erupted during October and November around Dak To, another border outpost in Kon Tum Province. [77] For 49 days during early September and lasting into October, the PAVN began shelling the U.S. Marine outpost of Con Thien, just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). [25], Protests, campaigning and the atmosphere of elections had been interpreted by the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam and L Dun as signs that the population would embrace a 'general uprising' against the government of South Vietnam. Film Study: Why the Tennessee offense is the most versatile in the SEC This is probably a low estimate. The Tet Offensive In 1968, the Vietcong used the cover of the Vietnamese New Year (known as Tet) celebrations to change tactics and launch a massive attack on US-held areas across South. His only real political rival was Vice President K, the former Air Force commander, who had been outmaneuvered by Thiu in the presidential election of 1967. As the leader of the "main force war" and "quick victory" faction, L Dun also came under severe criticism. Tet Offensive, attacks staged by North Vietnamese forces beginning in the early hours of January 31, 1968, during the Vietnam War. To "break the will of their domestic opponents and reaffirm their autonomy vis--vis their foreign allies", hundreds of pro-Soviet, party moderates, military officers, and intelligentsia were arrested on 27 July 1967, during what came to be called the Revisionist Anti-Party Affair. [46], By 19661967, however, after suffering massive casualties, stalemate on the battlefield, and destruction of the northern economy by U.S. aerial bombing, there was a dawning realization that if current trends continued, Hanoi would eventually lack the resources necessary to affect the military situation in the South. Tet Offensive - U-S-History.com By 3 February they had been reinforced by five ARVN Ranger Battalions, five Marine Corps, and five ARVN Airborne Battalions. Even unsuccessful ones like kursk, battle of the Bulge, spring awakening in 45, ww1 german spring offensive, Tet offensive etc had good initial successes/advances. [79], On 27 October, an ARVN battalion at Sng B, the capital of Phc Long Province, came under attack by an entire PAVN regiment. Westmoreland was "bitter" and was upset that he "had been made the goat for the war." During the second half of 1967 the administration had become alarmed by criticism, both inside and outside the government, and by reports of declining public support for its Vietnam policies. 421 ARVN troops were killed, another 2,123 were wounded, and 31 were missing. Journalists, political figures, and religious leaders alikeeven the militant Buddhistsprofessed confidence in the government's plans. The biggest fight was in the city of Hue. [118] A total of 35 PAVN/VC battalions, many of whose troops were undercover cadres who had lived and worked within the capital or its environs for years, had been committed to the Saigon objectives. [93] No one in either Washington or Vietnam was expecting what happened. [94][95], Whether by accident or design, the first wave of attacks began shortly after midnight on 30 January as five provincial capitals in II Corps and Da Nang, in I Corps, were attacked. General Fillmore K. Mearns would describe this as "a classic example of a properly executed ambush." [153] The exact circumstances leading to the deaths of those citizens of Hu discovered in the mass graves may never be known exactly, but most of the victims were killed as a result of PAVN and VC executions, considering evidence from captured documents and witness testimonies among other things.[148][154][155]. [102] In comparison with MACV's previous communications, which had been full of confidence, optimism, and resolve, Westmoreland's 12 February request for 10,500 troops was much more urgent: "which I desperately need time is of the essence". Does not include ARVN or U.S. casualties incurred during the "Border Battles"; ARVN killed, wounded, or missing from Phase III; U.S. wounded from Phase III; or U.S. missing during Phases II and III. Many urban dwellers were indignant that the communists had launched their attacks during Tet, and it drove many who had been previously apathetic into active support of the government. Every statistical indicator of progress, from "kill ratios" and "body counts" to village pacification, was fed to the press and to the Congress. Contrary to Western belief, H Ch Minh had been sidelined politically since 1963 and took little part in the day-to-day policy decisions of the Politburo or Secretariat. If it failed, it would be a failure only for the Communist Party militants. Battle of Hu - Wikipedia This was the version given in Douglas Pike's. [119] Bitter and destructive house-to-house fighting erupted in the area. "[228], To evaluate Westmoreland's request and its possible impact on domestic politics, Johnson convened the "Clifford Group" on 28 February and tasked its members with a complete policy reassessment. Includes casualties incurred during the "Border Battles", Tet Mau Than and the second and third phases of the offensive. At 02:45 it was attacked by a 19-man sapper team that blew a hole in the 8-foot-high (2.4m) surrounding wall and charged through. [52] Thanh's position was that Gip and his adherents were centered on their experiences during the First Indochina War and that they were too "conservative and captive to old methods and past experience mechanically repeating the past. The South Vietnamese and American losses totaled a fraction of that number. "[182] As also noted by the official history, "because our armed local forces had suffered severe losses, guerrilla operations had declined. Moscow, on the other hand, advocated negotiations, but simultaneously armed Hanoi's forces to conduct a conventional war on the Soviet model. To a lesser extent characterised as mere disappointment in the official history (a heavy characterisation for an official history), Duiker, William J. Nguyen, p. 34. This time, however, allied intelligence was better prepared, stripping away the element of surprise. When the main operation began during the early morning hours of 31 January, the offensive was countrywide; eventually more than 80,000 PAVN/VC troops struck more than 100 towns and cities, including 36 of 44 provincial capitals, five of the six autonomous cities, 72 of 245 district towns, and the southern capital. [80][81] MACV intelligence was confused by the possible motives of the North Vietnamese in prompting such large-scale actions in remote regions where U.S. artillery and aerial firepower could be applied indiscriminately, which meant that tactically and strategically, these operations made no sense. But on January 30, 1968, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong guerrillas (small groups of fighters who launch surprise attacks) launched the Tet Offensive. 2223) while William Duiker (p. 289) and Clark Clifford (p. 475) believed that it was so intended. Explanation: Before Tet the American government and public were being told by the military that aggressive search and destroy tactics were winning the war. Was the Tet Offensive a failure? - Profound-tips Thanh's original plan was elaborated on by a party committee headed by Thanh's deputy, Phm Hng, and then modified by Gip. On 24 April a U.S. Marine Corps patrol prematurely triggered a PAVN offensive aimed at taking Khe Sanh Combat Base, the western anchor of the Marines' defensive positions in Qung Tr Province. The Tet Offensive Essay - Vietnam, War on Study Boss Although the decision had been made in December 1967 and Westmoreland was made Army Chief of Staff, many saw his relief as punishment for the entire Tet debacle. "[156] In Westmoreland's view, the purpose of the base was to provoke the North Vietnamese into a focused and prolonged confrontation in a confined geographic area, one which would allow the application of massive U.S. artillery and air strikes that would inflict heavy casualties in a relatively unpopulated region. The Tet Offensive was unquestionably the biggest occurrence of the Vietnam War.

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