What was the purpose of the attack on Khe Sanh?

General William Westmoreland, commander of the U.S. Military Assistance Command in Vietnam (MACV), believed that Vietnamese Communist forces had targeted Khe Sanh as part of a general effort to seize South Vietnam’s northernmost regions and put themselves in a stronger position prior to any future peace negotiations.

What was the outcome of the Battle of Khe Sanh?

Indecisive; both sides claimed victory: The siege of Khe Sanh was broken by ground forces on 6 April. Americans destroyed the base complex of Khe Sanh and withdrew from the battle area in July 1968 (re-established in 1971). North Vietnamese Army gained control of the Khe Sanh region after the American withdrawal.

Was the Tet Offensive a turning point?

The Tet Offensive was one of the largest military operations of the Vietnam War, and became a key turning point in the conflict. The South Vietnamese and American losses totaled a fraction of that number. Although a military loss, the Tet Offensive was a stunning propaganda victory for the communists.

What was the goal of the Tet Offensive?

The Tet Offensive was a coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. The offensive was an attempt to foment rebellion among the South Vietnamese population and encourage the United States to scale back its involvement in the Vietnam War.

What was the Khe Sanh?

The battle of Khe Sanh was the iconic confrontation of the Vietnam War, an epic test of wills in which 6,000 U.S. Marines held off as many as 20,000 communist North Vietnamese Army troops over seventy-seven days of siege in early 1968.

Who won the Tet offensive and why?

Militarily, Tet was decidedly an Allied victory, but psychologically and politically, it was a disaster. The offensive was a crushing military defeat for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese, but the size and scope of the communist attacks had caught the American and South Vietnamese allies completely by surprise.