battle of khe sanh casualtieslaura ingraham show yesterday

Operation Pegasus forces, however, were highly mobile and did not attack en masse down Route 9 far enough west of Khe Sanh for the NVA, by then dispersed, to implement their plan. That appraisal was later altered when the PAVN was found to be moving major forces into the area. 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. The battle of Khe Sanh is one of the most well-known battles of the Vietnam War. According to the official Marine Corps history of the battle, total fatalities for Operation Scotland were 205 friendly KIA. The Marines recorded an actual body count of 1,602 NVA killed but estimated the total NVA dead at between 10,000 and 15,000. 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. On 22 March, over 1,000 North Vietnamese rounds fell on the base, and once again, the ammunition dump was detonated. The PAVN forces were in the process of gaining elevated terrain before it launched the main attack. They asked what had changed in six months so that American commanders were willing to abandon Khe Sanh in July. 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, . Known as the McNamara Line, it was initially codenamed "Project Nine". Battle of Khe Sanh begins - HISTORY 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. At about 0640 hours the NVA 7th Battalion, 66th Regiment, 304th Division, attacked the Huong Hoa District headquarters in Khe Sanh village. This article was written by Peter Brush and originally published in the June 2007 issue of Vietnam Magazine. As journalist Robert Pisor pointed out in his 1982 book, The End of the Line: The Siege of Khe Sanh, no other battle of the entire war produced a better body count or kill ratio than that claimed by the Americans at Khe Sanh. [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. The Battle of Khe Sanh's initial action cost the Marines 12 killed, 17 wounded and two missing. At 00:30 on 21 January, Hill 861 was attacked by about 300 PAVN troops, the Marines, however, were prepared. Taking place between March and July 1970, the Battle of Fire. [20] 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. The United States Marines gave the actual body count of the NVA troops killed to be 1,602, but estimates show that the total number of NVA troops . [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. Week of February 19, 2023 | Vietnam War Commemoration Minor attacks continued before the base was officially closed on 5 July. Khe Sanh had long been responsible for the defense of Lang Vei. [12], General Creighton Abrams also suggested that the North Vietnamese may have been planning to emulate Dien Bien Phu. Free shipping for many products! [125] On the night of 28 February, the combat base unleashed artillery and airstrikes on possible PAVN staging areas and routes of advance. The Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh by Murphy, Edward F Five Marines were killed on January 19 and 20, while on reconnaissance patrols. Twenty-five USAF personnel who were killed are also not included. The aircrew then had to contend with antiaircraft fire on the way out. Declassified documents show that in response, Westmoreland considered using nuclear weapons. [53] Two divisions, the 304th and the 325th, were assigned to the operation: the 325th was given responsibility for the area around the north, while the 304th was given responsibility for the southern sector. The Marines found a solution to the problem in the "Super Gaggle" concept. On 19 June 1968, the evacuation and destruction of KSCB began. Two Marines died. [21], PAVN artillery fell on the main base for the first time on 21 January. [161], Whether the PAVN actually planned to capture Khe Sanh or the battle was an attempt to replicate the Vit Minh triumph against the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu has long been a point of contention. The official, public estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 North Vietnamese KIA stands in contrast to another estimate made by the American military. [31] Mortar rounds, artillery shells, and 122mm rockets fell randomly but incessantly upon the base. A closer look at the Khe Sanh body count, however, reveals anything but a straightforward matter of numbers. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. These forces, including support troops, totaled 20,000 to 30,000. [78], Thus began what was described by John Morocco as "the most concentrated application of aerial firepower in the history of warfare". [29], During the second half of 1967, the North Vietnamese instigated a series of actions in the border regions of South Vietnam. On April 6, a front-page story in The New York Times declared that the siege of Khe Sanh had been lifted. [48][Note 4], Not all leading Marine officers, however, had the same opinion. A secret memorandum reported by US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, sent to US President Lyndon B. Johnson on 19 February 1968, was declassified in 2005. "[162] Those who agree with Westmoreland reason that no other explanation exists for Hanoi to commit so many forces to the area instead of deploying them for the Tet Offensive. If a battle tallied a sufficiently favorable body count ratio, American commanders declared victory, as they did after Khe Sanh. Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the start of the war's most famous siege, a 77-day struggle for a rain-swept plateau in central Vietnam that riveted the U.S. in 1968, and opened a year of . Site will be misbehaving during our migration to new (better!) "[136], Regardless, on 1 April, Operation Pegasus began. The Hill Fights - Wikipedia Airpower at Khe Sanh | Air & Space Forces Magazine - Air Force Magazine 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." Thirty-three ARVN troops were also killed and 187 were wounded. The village, 3km south of the base, was defended by 160 local Bru troops, plus 15 American advisers. They too were left out of the official Khe Sanh casualty count. MACV therefore initiated an operation to open Route 9 to vehicle traffic. The Marines at Khe Sanh Combat Base broke out of their perimeter and began attacking the North Vietnamese in the surrounding area. The Americans wanted a military presence there to block the infiltration of enemy forces from Laos, to provide a base for launching patrols into Laos to monitor the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and to serve as a western anchor for defense along the DMZ. As early as 1962, the U.S. Military CommandVietnam (MACV) established an Army Special Forces camp near the village. Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh, 1967 Operation Pegasus, begun the day after Scotland ended, lasted until April 15. The relief of Khe Sanh, called Operation Pegasus, began . [139] The 11th Engineers proclaimed Route 9 open to traffic on 11 April. [41], To prevent PAVN observation of the main base at the airfield and their possible use as firebases, the hills of the surrounding Khe Sanh Valley had to be continuously occupied and defended by separate Marine elements. Murphy 2003, pp. On Easter Sunday, April 14, the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines (3/26), assaulted Hill 881 North in order to clear the enemy firing positions. These Are Some of the Most Iconic Battles the US Marines Ever Fought "[155], According to military historian Ronald Spector, to reasonably record the fighting at Khe Sanh as an American victory is impossible. 1st Marine Aircraft Wing records claim that the unit delivered 4,661 tons of cargo into KSCB. How Many Were Really Killed at Khe Sanh? | RealClearHistory American commanders considered the defense of Khe Sanh a success, but shortly after the siege was lifted, the decision was made to dismantle the base rather than risk similar battles in the future. A platoon from Company D, 1/26 Marines was sent from the base but was withdrawn in the face of the superior PAVN forces. [145], Author Peter Brush details that an "additional 413 Marines were killed during Scotland II through the end of June 1968". Among the dead Marines was 18-year-old Pfc Curtis Bugger. Once the aircraft touched down, it became the target of any number of PAVN artillery or mortar crews. [150] On 31 December 1968, the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion was landed west of Khe Sanh to commence Operation Dawson River West, on 2 January 1969 the 9th Marines and 2nd ARVN Regiment were also deployed on the plateau supported by the newly established Fire Support Bases Geiger and Smith; the 3-week operation found no significant PAVN forces or supplies in the Khe Sanh area. [147] The official closure of the base came on 5 July after fighting, which had killed five more Marines. What is the 25th Infantry known for? "[28], As far as Westmoreland was concerned, however, all that he needed to know was that the PAVN had massed large numbers of troops for a set-piece battle. [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. In 1966 the Marines built a base adjacent to the Army position, and organized their combat activities around named operations. In his memoirs, he listed the reasons for a continued effort: Khe Sanh could serve as a patrol base for blocking enemy infiltration from Laos along Route 9; as a base for SOG operations to harass the enemy in Laos; as an airstrip for reconnaissance planes surveying the Ho Chi Minh Trail; as the western anchor for defenses south of the DMZ; and as an eventual jump-off point for ground operations to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Officer casualties of all branches were overwhelmingly white. [44], On 14 August, Colonel David E. Lownds took over as commander of the 26th Marine Regiment. The NVA used Hill 881 North to launch 122mm rockets at the Marines during the siege. The Marines at KSCB credited 40% of intelligence available to their fire-support coordination center to the sensors. January 30 marked the first day of the Vietnamese lunar new year celebration, called Tet. [51] Other concerns raised included the assertion that the real danger to I Corps was from a direct threat to Qung Tr City and other urban areas, a defense would be pointless as a threat to infiltration since PAVN troops could easily bypass Khe Sanh, the base was too isolated, and the Marines "had neither the helicopter resources, the troops, nor the logistical bases for such operations." Not including ARVN Ranger, RF/PF, Forward Operation Base 3 U.S. Army, Royal Laotian Army and SOG commandos losses. During the darkness of January 20-21, the NVA launched a series of coordinated attacks against American positions. Overnight, they were moved to a temporary position a short distance from the perimeter and from there, some of the Laotians were eventually evacuated, although the majority turned around and walked back down Route 9 toward Laos.

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