Page 18 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

General Nature of Flanoi's

Winter, Spring Carnpaign

What was to be referred to as the Cornrnunist Winter-
Carnpaign (wSC) or ttgeneral attacks, general uprisingsrr or Tet Offen-
sive was launched in the early days of the Year of the Monkey (Janua-
ry - February f968). These operations took the forrn of incessant and
powerful attacks against practically all the cities and townships of
South Vietnarn,

Ten days before the carnpaign started the Cornrnunist
High C ornrnand had ordered an unprecedental rnortar and rocket attack
again6t the Allied strategic base at Khe Sanh which was followed up
with violent ground assaulfs on the besieged outpost. The action,
which took place on 20 January 1968, propably was intended to divert
the attention of the Vietnarnese and U,S. High C ornrnands away frorn
what the C ornrnuni sts really had in rnind.

A srnall locality near the Laotian and North Vietnarnese
borders and not very far frorn Con Tien where big battles had been
recorded i.n rnid-196?, Khe Sanh practically sits on the rnain in{iltra-
tion routes that lead to the northernrnost provinces of South Vietnarn.
The base itseLf is positioned in the rniddle of a square rnile valley
surrouncled by high rnountains. It was rnanned by ab out 6, 000 U. S.
Marines and a srnall contingent of South Vietnarnese Rangers.
Khe Sanh was served by a small airport and could rely
on three srnall outposts atop Hills 881, 861 and 1015 for advance war-
ning of a rnajor Cornrnunist thrust. To the east was C arnp Carroll
to the west Lang Vei, a srnall village, the defense of which was en-
trusted. to a battalion of Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) and
a handful of Arneric an advisors.

The North Vietnarnese attack on Khe Sanh resulted in 20
Leathernecks heing killed and 109 wounded in the very first rninute s
of the battle. These casualties were rnainly due to the lengthy artillery
barrage against Carnp Carroll which was followed by ground assaults
against the troops on Hills 881 and 85I. In this probe, the 26th Regi-
rnent of the Third Marine Division had its firts taste of the tactics of
the 325th Division of the Peoplers Arrny of (North) Vietnarn (PAVN).
Face with the prospects of a big battle at Khe Sanh'