The Battle of Khe Sanh, which took place in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Quảng Trị Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War, is often considered one of the most significant battles of the conflict. The battle was fought from 21 January to 9 July 1968, between two divisional-size elements of the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and two regiments of the United States Marine Corps (6000 strong), with support from the United States Army, the U.S. Air Force, and a small number of Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops.

At the outset, the US command in Saigon believed that the combat operations around KSCB during 1967 were part of a series of minor PAVN offensives on the border regions. However, the PAVN was actually moving major forces into the area, and US forces were built up, preemptively, before the Marine base was isolated and came under siege. For five months, KSCB and the hilltop outposts around it were subjected to constant PAVN artillery, mortar, and rocket attacks, and several infantry assaults.

To support the Marines, the U.S. Air Force launched a massive aerial bombardment campaign known as Operation Niagara, flying 2,548 sorties. Over the course of three months, more than 60,000 tons of bombs were dropped by US aircraft, with an additional 158,900 artillery rounds fired in defense of the base. This campaign proved devastating to the PAVN's ground forces, but it did not deter them from continuing their assault. Throughout the battle, US forces utilized the latest technology to locate PAVN forces for targeting. This technological advantage proved invaluable, as it allowed the Marines to take out key targets that would have otherwise remained hidden. (Hastings 2018, 441)

To keep the Marines supplied, a logistical effort of unprecedented scale was required. The Marine base was isolated, and without a constant stream of supplies from afar, they would not have been able to hold out for as long as they did. In March of 1968, a relief expedition known as Operation Pegasus was launched by a combined Marine-Army/ARVN task force. The mission was to break through to the Marines at Khe Sanh, and it succeeded. The combined forces broke through the PAVN lines, delivering much-needed supplies to the besieged Marines.

U.S. forces employed the latest technology to locate PAVN forces for targeting, while logistical innovation was necessary to keep the Marines at Khe Sanh supplied. In March 1968, an overland relief expedition (Operation Pegasus) was launched by a combined Marine–Army/ARVN task force that eventually broke through to the Marines at Khe Sanh. The defense of Khe Sanh was considered a success by American commanders, but shortly after the siege was lifted, the decision was made to dismantle the base rather than risk similar battles in the future.

Top photo: Khe Sanh, January 1968. CH-46A Sea Knight helicopters drop U.S. Marines at Khe Sanh Combat Base.

Bottom photo: Khe Sanh, February 1968. Two U.S. marines too close to a possible enemy mortar of artillery round. 

Photo album: Battle of Khe Sanh

On 19 June 1968, the evacuation and destruction of KSCB began amid heavy PAVN shelling. The Marines attempted to salvage what they could before destroying what remained as they were evacuated. The Marines attempted to salvage what they could before destroying what remained as they were evacuated. Minor attacks continued until the base was officially closed on July 5th. Marines remained around Hill 689, and fighting in the vicinity continued until July 11th, until they were finally withdrawn, bringing the battle to a close.

In terms of losses, the U.S. suffered 274 killed and 2,541 wounded at Khe Sanh. While the battle may have distracted American and South Vietnamese attention from the buildup of Viet Cong forces in the south before the early 1968 Tet Offensive, the US commander during the battle, General William Westmoreland, maintained that the true intention of Tet was to distract forces from Khe Sanh. Historian Max Hastings writes that

Westmoreland endowed Khe Sanh with an importance that it did not deserve; like Dienbienphu, the place should probably never have been garrisoned. Worse, he allowed the world to see where his gaze was fixed, which made him appear foolish--indeed, helped to destroy his reputation--when the enemy struck elsewhere. Nonetheless, it seems mistaken to imagine that the North Veitnamese deployed two divisions solely as a deception.... Communist officers later lamented the fact that the two formations had not instead been committed farther east, preferably at Hue. (Hastings 2018, 442)

The Battle of Khe Sanh is significant for many reasons. Not only was it one of the most ferocious and prolonged confrontations of the Vietnam War, but it also represented a turning point in US military strategy in Vietnam. Prior to the battle, the US had focused on engaging the enemy in large-scale conventional operations. However, after Khe Sanh, U.S. forces increasingly relied on small-scale search-and-destroy missions. The battle also marked a significant shift in public opinion about the Vietnam War. Previous to Khe Sanh, many Americans believed that victory in Vietnam was achievable. However, after Khe Sanh, public support for the war began to decline rapidly as people realized the devastating toll that such a conflict could take on American troops and resources.

Bibliography:

Archer, Michael. "A Deadly Dilemma: At the height of the Vietnam War, the Khe Sanh battlefield turned the Marine Corps’ most cherished virtue of Semper Fidelis into a liability." Cloudflare. Accessed November 12, 2023. https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2023/august/deadly-dilemma.

Bowden, Mark. Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2017.

Hammel, Eric. Khe Sanh: Siege in the Clouds. Havertown: Casemate, 2018.

Hastings, Max. Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975. New York: Harper Perennial, 2018.