Page 447 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

A11 signs had been in favor of the RVN since; the arrival of Arnerican
troops in Vietnarn on February 7, 7965, fol'lowed by successive
operations which destroyed rnuch of the enernyrs strength, and by
the escalation of air raids againsi: the North.

Sorne observers would think that the increased enerny
infiltrations had only enabled the Cornrnunists to station their regular
forces along the borders in support of their guerrilla and popular
forces who were waging a terror war in rural areas in an atternpt
to destroy the RVN pacification prograrn.

Enemy infiltration of arrns and rnen frorn Nor:th Viet-
narn into the South actually started at a relatively low rate in 1951.
It took the C ornrnunists two years to establish their
inf iltration channels.

There were about 3, ?00 rnen infiltrated into the South
during 1961. This figure went uP to 5,400 in 1962, down to 4, 200 in
1963, and up again to reach the 7,000 rnark in 1964. This rneans that
frorrr 1959 to 7964, a total of Z0' 000 inen were inJiltrated into the
South. These included o{ficers, servicernen and specialized cadle.
Most of the se rnen were Southerner s who had been regrouped in the
North after the Geneva Agreernent. They were sent back to the South
to strengthen the developing Viet Cong forces.
The intervention of US troops in 1965 prornpted North
Vietnarn to change their p1an. In Auturrrn 1965, Hanoi' decided to send
south entixe regular regirnents. Up to the end of 1964 only one North
Vietnarnese division had inJiltrated into the South and was concen-
trated in the Konturn area, The division had the rnission of taking
over the Highland and rrraking it the Capital of the National Liberation
F r ont.
By Auturnn-Winter 1965, after nearly half a year of no
action f ollowing the arrival of Arnerican trooPs and the escalation of
air raids agai.nst North Vietnarn the Cornrnunists started sorne attacks
at regirnental level and higher, Typical of these attacks was the
battle of Ba Gia in Quang Ngai and the battle of Plei Mei in the High-
1and. Al1 these attacks {ailed, causing rnuch confusion arnonpl tlre
Viet Cong r anks,
In the course of 1955-1956, cornbined ARVN and allied
troops launched rnany operationa into VC strategic and secret zones,
causing heavy casualties to the enerny. The VC strength was conse-

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