Battle of Khe Sanh by Cameron Snyder

The U.S. Marines and their supporting services were successful in defending the Khe Sanh Combat Base against the North Vietnamese forces.

The battle of Khe Sanh began in the year of 1968, on January 21. Khe Sanh is a village located in South Vietnam just below the Demilitarized Zone, that separated North from South Vietnam. The U.S. set up special forces there, to monitor Loas and the Ho Chi Minh Trial, as well as an anchor for defense against the North Vietnamese. In the fall of 1967, the U.S. forces began to have suspicion that the North Vietnamese might target Khe Sanh, so they could put themselves in a stronger position before any peace negotiations came about, as they would have South Vietnam’s northernmost regions. This caused the U.S. to bring in more troops to prepare. Their suspicions were correct, and  the battle began when the People’s Army of North Vietnam (PAVN) carried out massive bombings on the base Khe Sanh, destroying nearly 90 percent of its artillery. President Lyndon B. Johnson agreed with the arguments to defend the base at whatever means necessary. The U.S. forces had a strong position, and used it to their advantage. They began bombing the North Vietnamese all the time. The U.S. had substantial air support, which also greatly aided in them being able to defense Khe Sanh. The B-52 fighter planes were said to have dropped around 100,000 bombs on the surrounding North Vietnamese camps over the stretch of the battle. This means that the U.S. planes dropped roughly 5,000 bombs a day during the battle, which is equivalent to five Hiroshima-sized bombs in the area, over the course of the battle. In the final clash, the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces were able to drive out the North. This was one of the most deadliest and extensive battles of the Vietnam war, lasting a total of 77 days. It had both geological and psychological advantages to each side. The U.S. and company was well aware that the North Vietnamese were willing to give up a large number of troops for their cause. They also knew if they didn’t win this battle it may cause a downward spiral in their efforts for the rest of the war. Nonetheless they pulled through and pushed the North back. On April 6, the siege of Khe Sanh had been declared lifted. The North Vietnamese suffered considerably  more casualties than the U.S. did. This was one of the most controversial and criticized battles, starting the widely spread anti war sentiment. The importance of this battle was the position of Khe Sanh, which would have given the North more control if they were able to siege it. The Battle of Khe Sanh was also fought as a portion of the Tet Offensive. Both sides fought long and hard for Khe Sanh, because its importance in the war was inevitable. This battle was one of the first to be put in the spotlight, which sparked major criticism about the involvement in the war.

https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/battle-of-khe-sanh-1
https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam-war/khe-sanh/