673024
Description
The Tet Offensive
- What was the ‘Tet’ Offensive?
- Took place from the end of January 1968
- Major attack by Viet Cong and NVA regular forces on 36 South Vietnamese provincial capitals and 5 major cities
- US and South Vietnamese forces largely successful in repelling attacks
- major shock after claims of progress
- major shock after claims of progress
- Turning point for the US Vietnam?
- Took place from the end of January 1968
- Background: US
- US military and government arguing that it is going well
- South Vietnam in no immediate danger of collapse
- Vietnam War increasingly unpopular in US: Increasingly expensive and growing numbers of
casualties
- But deep domestic divisions about what to do: increase effort, maintain effort, or withdraw?
- US military and government arguing that it is going well
- Background: North Vietnam
- Was it because the Americans were doing so badly that this was intended to be a ‘knock-out’ blow
- Or was it because Hanoi was concerned about American progress and thought they needed to change tactics
- Or was it because Hanoi was concerned about American progress and thought they needed to change tactics
- political jockeying in Hanoi for position, which those advocating an all-out attack won
- believed that attacks would encourage uprisings in the South that would lead to the withdrawal of the US,
allowing victory
- Massive build up in South during late 1967
- Was it because the Americans were doing so badly that this was intended to be a ‘knock-out’ blow
- Tet begins
- the lunar new year – traditionally a time of truce
- Primarily Viet Cong (People’s Liberation Armed Forces or PLAF) rather than NVA regulars
- Lack of co-ordination – attack was delayed by 24 hours but not all units got the message
- Therefore initial impact is slightly diluted
- Therefore initial impact is slightly diluted
- The US Response
- Americans knew something was up, but did not realise the scale
- Westmoreland moved troops just before the attacks
- Managed to rally and retaliate
- Huge bravery and resilience of American and South Vietnamese forces
- Massive losses for PLAF
- Could not take on the might of the US military in open battle
- Therefore military defeat for North Vietnam
- US Military Victory?
- US repels virtually all military attacks by late March
- Westmoreland proclaims stunning US victory (In public, Johnson supports this view)
- Thousands of Viet Cong dead (perhaps up to 40,000)
- After Tet, Viet Cong no-longer a major in the war
- About 1000 Americans killed
- North Vietnam had not taken any town and had failed in overall objectives of fomenting revolution
- BUT!
- Demonstrated extreme measure that North Vietnam was willing to go to
- Viet Cong suicide squad enters US embassy compound
- Long, brutal battle over Hue
- Took war out into the open, especially Saigon
- Question of whether US was, in fact, winning (Westmoreland requests 200,000 more troops!)
- Continued decline in US public support for war
- Demonstrated extreme measure that North Vietnam was willing to go to
- US repels virtually all military attacks by late March
- US Military Victory?
- Therefore military defeat for North Vietnam
- Americans knew something was up, but did not realise the scale
- the lunar new year – traditionally a time of truce
- US Political Response and Fallout
- Economic strain of the war: inflation and taxes
- Johnson’s handling of the war under severe pressure
- Johnson a broken man
- Nation divided
- 31 March 1968: Johnson announces bombing halt to bring Vietnamese to negotiating table
- Economic strain of the war: inflation and taxes
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