Page 52 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

2. Enernv Losses :
(") NVA and VC Per sonnel Februarv March

41, r8r I7,I92
Killed (by body count) .
Captured 7,39r 2,070
IOTAL 48 , 572 r9,262

(b) Weapon Lossee

- Captured by RVN Troops :
t,504
Crew-Served Weapons . 837
Individual Weapons .., 3,241 L,646

- Captured by Allied Troops :
1,419
Crew-Served Weapons . 491
lndividual Weapons 5,838 4 463
TOTAL 12 , o0z 5,437

Though the Iosses reported by both arrnies were consid-
erable'' the casualties suffered by the civilian population were
drarnatic. Although no accurate statistics are available there were
approxirnately 14,300 killed, 24,000 wounded, 72,00O houses destroyed,
and 627,000 persons rnade horneless.
Destruction was nation-wide but it differed greaily frorn
one part of the country to another. In the northern provinces (f Corps),
where an estirnated 5,500 North Vietnarnese attacked the forrner
irnperial capital of Hue and occupied its citadel lor 26 daye, an esti-
rnated 4,350 civilians were killed including 2000 citizens of Hue and
another 4,500 were wounded in the conflagration. As two-thirds of Hue
was totally destroyed, sorne 90, 000 people out of a total population of
130,000 were rnade refugees in their horne town. Trade and comlrrerce

(l)included here are aircraft o{ all types lost due to enerny rnortar
attacks, ground fire, or for technical reasons.
(Z) Of the February tol1, 68 aircraft were shot down, 32 lost for tech-
nical reasons, and 205 destroyed or darnaged while on the ground.
Of the March toll, 38 were shot down, 67 lost for technical reason,
116 destroyed or darnaged in the course of enerny rnortar attacks,
{ive in the course of ground assaults, and ten were lost for unknown
reason6.

- 5b -