The Eruption Of The Battle Of Khe Sanh In The Middle Of The Vietnam War, In History 21 January 1968

US Marine fighter plane (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - On January 21, 1968, there was a battle in Vietnam known as the Battle of Khe Sanh. The battle took place in the middle of the Vietnam War.

The fighting involved troops from the North Vietnamese People's Army, who carried out a massive artillery bombardment of the US Marine base in Khe Sanh, South Vietnam, near the border with Laos. The battle lasted for 77 days.

Citing History, the US and South Vietnamese Marines joined forces to battle the intense siege of North Vietnamese forces. This battle was one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.

The US military has been in Khe Sanh since 1962. US Army Special Forces built a small camp near the village located about 22.5 km south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Vietnam. Then the US Marines also built a base adjacent to the Army camp in 1966.

In the fall of 1967, the North Vietnamese People's Army began to build up its strength in the region. US officials began to suspect that Khe Sanh would be the target of an attack.

Sniper of the US Army (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The commander of the US Military Assistance Command in Vietnam (MACV), General William Westmoreland, believed that Vietnamese Communist forces were targeting Khe Sanh in an attempt to seize the northernmost region of South Vietnam. North Vietnam had previously succeeded in doing so against French colonial forces at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, before gaining independence at the Geneva peace conference.

As part of a program codenamed Operation Scotland, Westmoreland reinforced the Marine garrison at Khe Sanh. US troops are also stockpiling munitions and updating airstrips at the base, all in preparation for a possible attack.

Battle breaks out

The battle began with a firefight involving the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines and a North Vietnamese battalion located between two hills northwest of the base. The next day North Vietnamese troops stormed the village of Khe Sanh and North Vietnamese long-range artillery opened fire on the US Marine base, hitting its main ammunition dump and detonating 1,500 tons of explosives.

The relentless barrage left US Marine defenders at Khe Sanh trapped in trenches and bunkers. Because the base had to be resupplied by air, the US high command was reluctant to include troops and devised a battle plan that called for massive artillery and air strikes.

Battle of Khe Sanh (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

During a 66-day siege of US Marine bases, US aircraft dropped 5,000 bombs every day. The explosion is said to be equivalent to the five atomic bombs of Hiroshima.

Westmoreland defended its decision to defend its base in Khe Sanh to the death. He also claimed the battle as a US victory for preventing the enemy from gaining control of the northwestern corner of South Vietnam. The battle inflicted heavy losses on the North Vietnamese troops. The number of North Vietnamese troops who died in the Battle of Khe Sanh stands at about 10,000, compared to fewer than 500 US Marines who died.

*Read other information about TODAY's HISTORY or read other interesting articles from Putri Ainur Islam.

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