battle of khe sanh casualties

HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, then began planning for incursion into Laos, and in October, the construction of an airfield at Khe Sanh was completed. Of the 4953 Navy and Air Force casualties, both officer and enlisted, 4, 736 or 96% were white. The official figure of 205 KIA only represents Marine deaths in the Operation Scotland TAORthat is, Marines killed in proximity to the Khe Sanh Combat Base during the period from November 1, 1967, to March 31, 1968. [26] From there, reconnaissance teams were launched into Laos to explore and gather intelligence on the PAVN logistical system known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, also known as "Truong Son Strategic Supply Route" to the North Vietnamese soldiers. Let me caution everyone not to be confused. "[155], According to military historian Ronald Spector, to reasonably record the fighting at Khe Sanh as an American victory is impossible. The NVA continued shelling the base, and on July 1 launched a company-sized infantry attack against its perimeter. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. By the end of May, Marine forces were again drawn down from two battalions to one, the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines. Hernandez was killed. As the relief force made progress, the Marines at Khe Sanh moved out from their positions and began patrolling at greater distances from the base. [83] Westmoreland later wrote, "Washington so feared that some word of it might reach the press that I was told to desist, ironically answering what those consequences could be: a political disaster. 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. "[136], Regardless, on 1 April, Operation Pegasus began. During the darkness of January 20-21, the NVA launched a series of coordinated attacks against American positions. [170][140], One argument that was then leveled by Westmoreland and has since often quoted by historians of the battle is that only two Marine regiments were tied down at Khe Sanh, compared with the several PAVN divisions. [115] This equates to roughly 1,300 tons of bombs dropped daily 5 tons for every one of the 20,000 PAVN soldiers initially estimated to have been committed to the fighting at Khe Sanh. The PAVN claimed that Khe Sanh was "a stinging defeat from both the military and political points of view." Once the aircraft touched down, it became the target of any number of PAVN artillery or mortar crews. A platoon from Company D, 1/26 Marines was sent from the base but was withdrawn in the face of the superior PAVN forces. [21][68], To eliminate any threat to their flank, the PAVN attacked Laotian Battalion BV-33, located at Ban Houei Sane, on Route 9 in Laos. Since the Marines on board were not yet officially attached to the 26th Marine Regiment, their deaths were not included in the official Khe Sanh count, nor were the several other deaths associated with aircraft crashes. A single company replaced an entire battalion. It was not sufficient to simply be an American military person killed in the fighting there during the winter and spring of 1967-68. An additional 413 Marines were killed during Scotland II as of the end of June 1968. Vietnam War - Tet Offensive & American public reaction The combat losses in February and March 1967 were a prelude to the "First Battle of Khe Sanh," one of the Vietnam War's hardest-fought battles, . In the course of the fighting, Allied forces fired 151,000 artillery rounds, flew 2,096 tactical air sorties, and conducted 257 B-52 Stratofortress strikes. The Battle of Khe Sanh and Its Retellings - The Atlantic PAVN forces were driven out of the area around Khe Sanh after suffering 940 casualties. [123][124], Nevertheless, the same day that the trenches were detected, 25 February, 3rd Platoon from Bravo Company 1st Battalion, 26th Marines was ambushed on a short patrol outside the base's perimeter to test the PAVN strength. The monumental Battle of Khe Sanh had begun, but the January 21 starting date is essentially arbitrary in terms of casualty reporting. No logic was apparent to them behind the sustained PAVN/VC offensives other than to inflict casualties on the allied forces. For example, I served with a Marine heavy mortar battery at Khe Sanh during the siege. [23][Note 2], 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 the 43-day . [66] Hours after the bombardment ceased, the base was still in danger. [151] From 12 June to 6 July 1969, Task Force Guadalcanal comprising 1/9 Marines, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment and 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 2nd ARVN Regiment occupied the Khe Sanh area in Operation Utah Mesa. Mobile combat operations continued against the North Vietnamese. [107] The greatest impediments to the delivery of supplies to the base were the closure of Route 9 and the winter monsoon weather. Sporadic actions were taken in the vicinity during the late summer and early fall, the most serious of which was the ambush of a supply convoy on Route 9. These were pitted against two to three divisional-size elements of the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). Johnson backed the Marine position due to his concern over protecting the Army's air assets from Air Force co-option. Further information on the bombing campaign: Further information on the electronic sensor system: Westmoreland's plan to use nuclear weapons, President Johnson orders that the base be held at all costs, Operation Charlie: evacuation of the base. The Battle of Khe Sanh: The Vietnam War - WorldAtlas Marines stayed in the area, conducting operations to recover the bodies of Marines killed previously. [163] Other theories argued that the forces around Khe Sanh were simply a localized defensive measure in the DMZ area or that they were serving as a reserve in case of an offensive American end run in the mode of the American invasion at Inchon during the Korean War. [138], On the following day, the 2nd Brigade captured the old French fort near Khe Sanh village after a three-day battle. Operation Pegasus, begun the day after Scotland ended, lasted until April 15. At dawn on 21 January, it was attacked by a roughly 300-strong PAVN battalion. 50 Years Ago, US Troops Fought the Battle of Khe Sanh - Business Insider The platoon withdrew following a three-hour battle that left six Marines dead, 24 missing, and one taken prisoner. Five more attacks against their sector were launched during March. [156] Correspondent Michael Herr reported on the battle, and his account would inspire the surreal "Do Long Bridge" scene in the film Apocalypse Now, which emphasized the anarchy of the war. This, however, did not prevent the Marine tanks within the perimeter from training their guns on the SOG camp. [140] Operation Scotland II would continue until 28 February 1969 resulting in 435 Marines and 3304 PAVN killed. At least 852 PAVN soldiers were killed during the action, as opposed to 50 American and South Vietnamese. Battlefield:Vietnam | Timeline - PBS "[159] In assessing North Vietnamese intentions, Peter Brush cites the claim of Vietnamese theater commander, V Nguyn Gip, "that Khe Sanh itself was not of importance, but only a diversion to draw U.S. forces away from the populated areas of South Vietnam. Military History Institute of Vietnam, pp. [69] Due to the arrival of the 304th Division, KSCB was further reinforced by the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment on 22 January. The Soviet-built PT-76 amphibious tanks of the 203rd Armored Regiment churned over the defenses, backed up by an infantry assault by the 7th Battalion, 66th Regiment and the 4th Battalion of the 24th Regiment, both elements of the 304th Division. The Marine defense of Khe Sanh, Operation Scotland, officially ended on March 31. The NVA 304th Divisions history notes that on 9 July 1968, the liberation flag was waving from the flag pole at Ta Con [Khe Sanh] airfield. On July 13, 1968, Ho Chi Minh sent a message to the soldiers of the Route 9Khe Sanh Front affirming our victory at Khe Sanh.. Making the prospect even more enticing was that the base was in an unpopulated area in which American firepower could be fully employed without civilian casualties. [79] On an average day, 350 tactical fighter-bombers, 60 B-52s, and 30 light observation or reconnaissance aircraft operated in the skies near the base. The exact number of casualties suffered by both sides during the Khe Sanh battle is very difficult to ascertain, given that in many cases the two warring factions provided their own disparate counts. Ray Stubbe has published a translation of the North Vietnamese history of the siege at Khe Sanh. The badly-deteriorated Route 9 ran from the coastal region through the western highlands and crossed the border into Laos. At 04:15 on 8 February under cover of fog and a mortar barrage, the PAVN penetrated the perimeter, overrunning most of the position and pushing the remaining 30 defenders into the southwestern portion of the defenses. [93], The situation changed radically during the early morning hours of 7 February. [117], 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. [129][130] Nevertheless, according to Tom Johnson, President Johnson was "determined that Khe Sanh [would not] be an 'American Dien Bien Phu'". Two days later, the PAVN 273rd Regiment attacked a Special Forces camp near the border town of Loc Ninh, in Bnh Long Province. [104] Ladd, back on the scene, reported that the Marines stated, "they couldn't trust any gooks in their damn camp. As far as PAVN casualties were concerned, 1,602 bodies were counted, seven prisoners were taken, and two soldiers defected to allied forces during the operation. [35], American intelligence analysts were quite baffled by the series of enemy actions. Five Marines were killed on January 19 and 20, while on reconnaissance patrols. However, North Vietnamese sources claim that the Americans did not win a victory at Khe Sanh but were forced to retreat to avoid destruction. The legendary siege at Khe Sanh occurred in 1968, but during the spring of 1967, the United States Marines fought in northwestern Quang Tri Province in what became the first stage of the Khe Sanh battles. A group of 12 A-4 Skyhawk fighter-bombers provided flak suppression for massed flights of 1216 helicopters, which would resupply the hills simultaneously. 26th Marine Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia On April 20, Operation Prairie IV began, with heavy fighting between the Marines and NVA forces. The United States and its South Vietnamese allies pulled many huge offensive . Early in the war US forces had established a garrison at Khe Sanh in Quang Tri province, in the . Indeed, had enemy forces not been at Khe Sanh, they could have joined the NVA and VC who occupied Hue, a much more important strategic target. He gave the order for US Marines to take up positions around Khe Sanh. The lossesindicating that the enemy suffered a major defeatwere estimated at 3,550 KIA inflicted by delivered fires (i.e., aerial and artillery bombardment) and 2,000 KIA from ground action, for a total of 5,550 estimated North Vietnamese killed in action as of March 31. January 30 marked the first day of the Vietnamese lunar new year celebration, called Tet. The battle of Khe Sanh: A history of the Vietnam War - Washington Post What did the 25th Infantry do in Vietnam? - 2023 Tolson was not happy with the assignment, since he believed that the best course of action, after Tet, was to use his division in an attack into the A Shau Valley. Major Battles Of The Vietnam War - WorldAtlas Murphy 2003, pp. The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Qung Tr Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. The battalion was assaulted on the night of 23 January by three PAVN battalions supported by seven tanks. Background [ edit] [94] Although the PAVN was known to possess two armored regiments, it had not yet fielded an armored unit in South Vietnam, and besides, the Americans considered it impossible for them to get one down to Khe Sanh without it being spotted by aerial reconnaissance. [158] The question, known among American historians as the "riddle of Khe Sanh," has been summed up by John Prados and Ray Stubbe: "Either the Tet Offensive was a diversion intended to facilitate PAVN/VC preparations for a war-winning battle at Khe Sanh, or Khe Sanh was a diversion to mesmerize Westmoreland in the days before Tet. [29], During the second half of 1967, the North Vietnamese instigated a series of actions in the border regions of South Vietnam. But only by checking my service record while writing this article did it become evident that I had participated in all three operations. Thirty-three ARVN troops were also killed and 187 were wounded. Journalist Richard Ehrlich writes that according to the report, "in late January, General Westmoreland had warned that if the situation near the DMZ and at Khe Sanh worsened drastically, nuclear or chemical weapons might have to be used." [33] The PAVN fought for several days, took casualties, and fell back. It claimed, however, that only three American advisors were killed during the action. The Marine Corps casualty reporting system was based on named operations and not geographic location. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. There are still debates about the true number of casualties, but estimates range that 1,000 to 3,500 US soldiers died, and a secret report from the US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam,. Army deaths at FOB-3, however, were not included in the official statistics either. Less likely to be mentioned is the final high-casualty engagement between units of the U.S. infantry and the North Vietnamese Army. [121] Casualties from the bombardment were 10 killed and 51 wounded. 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. Lima Company finally seized the hill after overcoming determined NVA resistance. They attacked 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 64 district capitals, five of the six major cities, and more than two dozen airfields and bases. A limited attack was made by a PAVN company on 1 July, falling on a company from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, who were holding a position 3km to the southeast of the base. [98] The Marines continued to oppose the operation until Westmoreland actually had to issue an order to Cushman to allow the rescue operation to proceed. Operational control of the Khe Sanh area was handed over to the US Army's 1st Air Cavalry Division for the duration of Operation Pegasus. About two hours later, an NVA artillery barrage scored a hit on the main ammunition dump at Khe Sanh Combat Base, killing Lance Corp. Jerry Stenberg and other Marines. With a view to gain the eventual approval for an advance through Laos to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail, he determined that "it was absolutely essential to hold the base." Two further attacks later in the morning were halted before the PAVN finally withdrew. The launching of the largest enemy offensive thus far in the conflict did not shift Westmoreland's focus away from Khe Sanh. The heavy reliance on American airpower was an ominous sign for Vietnamization and . [172], On 30 January 1971, the ARVN and US forces launched Operation Dewey Canyon II, which involved the reopening of Route 9, securing the Khe Sanh area and reoccupying of KSCB as a forward supply base for Operation Lam Son 719. The PAVN, however, were not through with the ARVN troops. A myth has grown up around this incident. [132], On 2 March, Tolson laid out 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. In fact, neither side won a resounding victory. [80] Westmoreland had already ordered the nascent Igloo White operation to assist in the Marine defense. Battle of Khe Sanh begins - HISTORY This article was written by Peter Brush and originally published in the June 2007 issue of Vietnam Magazine. Westmoreland planned on Khe Sanh being relieved and then used as the jump-off point for a "hot pursuit" of enemy forces 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. Lownds also rejected a proposal to launch a helicopter extraction of the survivors.