Bold attacks by north Vietnamese on U.S and south Vietnamese forces helped strengthen American opposition to the war.
U.S. troops in Vietnam 1961-1968. Year number of troops 1961 4,000 1962 12,000 1963 15,000 1964 23,300 1965 200,000 1966 400,000 1967 485,300 1968 540,000 Source: Harry G. Summers,Jr. Vietnam war almanac, facts on file, 1987. More and more U.S. troops were sent to fight in South Vietnam during the 1960s. more than 50,000 U.S. soldiers died here.
The United States in Vietnam
Shortly after Vietnam won independence from the French in 1954, the country was split in two. A Communist government led by Ho Chi Minh ruled in the North. Another government, supported by the United States, ruled in the South. The two parts of the country fell into civil war. At first, the United States' aid to South Vietnam was limited to money 💰 and military advisers. But gradually more and more troops were sent. By 1968. over 500,000 American troops were stationed in South Vietnam. They tried to fight a traditional war, using their massive firepower to win. American pilots dropped thousands of bombs on North Vietnam every day. Army troops established strong bases throughout the South. But their enemies fought a guerilla war, making U.S. firepower worthless. They ambushed U.S. soldiers and then hid in the jungle, escaping retaliation. U.S. generals claimed that progress was being made. They pointed to areas that they said had been seized from the Vietcong, Communist guerilla fighters in the South. They announced that large numbers of enemy troops were killed each week.While the North Vietnamese and the Vietcong were losing many troops, they ignored their losses and kept fighting. And once American troops left an area that had been"freed," the Vietcong simply moved back in. Meanwhile, the war was growing more and more unpopular in the United States. Mass marches were held to protest the U.S. presence in Vietnam. Members of Congress spoke out against President Lyndon Johnson's war policy. In 1967, with a presidential election the following year, the country was deeply divided.
The Tet Offensive
In 1967, the North Vietnamese decided to try a new approach.General Vo Nguyen Giap, the hero of the war of independence against the French, developed the new plan. He would attack many targets at once and hit the cities, where little fighting had gone on. His goal was to shock the South Vietnamese government and perhaps cause its collapse. Giap began by attacking a number of American bases, including a huge one at Khe Sanh. The American general in command sent reinforcements. But by moving these troops out of the cities,he exposed the cities to attack. Meanwhile, Giap gathered his forces. Each year the two sides had observed a cease-fire during the holiday called Tet, the Vietnamese New year. Giap's plan was to strike during the period, when his enemy didn't expect it. On January 30, 1968, the day after the celebration began, the North Vietnamese attacked. It was not a single attack but bold series of moves launched at the same time all across the country. The North Vietnamese hit five of the six major cities and over 150 other locations. Most shocking of all were the strikes in Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. Commandos hit many strategic sites around the city, including the presidential palace, military head-quarters, and the U.S. embassy. To both sides, the embassy symbolized U.S. presence in the war. Nineteen commandos came to the embassy early in the morning, blasted a hole in the wall, and shooting. They killed several American soldiers and held out for a few hours before they themselves were killed. The U.S. army and the soldiers of South Vietnam were able to force the North Vietnamese out of the cities they had attacked. Most of the attacks were repulsed in days. The fiercest fighting took place in an ancient city named Hue and at Khe Sanh. The North Vietnamese were beaten there,too, although it took weeks. The Tet Offensive ended with the troops of both sides holding the areas they had held before it began.
In 1975, the U.S. embassy became a focal point again,as streams of Americans and South Vietnamese came here to escape the North Vietnamese,who were about to capture Saigon.
A Leader Falls
The United States suffered 1,100 killed I the Tet fighting. South Vietnam lost 2,300 soldiers and about 12,500 civilians also died. The North lost far more soldiers. The exact number is not known, but some estimates suggest that from 40,000 to 50,000 were killed. The offensive did not change the military or political situation in the South. The main damage caused by Tet was in the United States. People saw the strength of the North Vietnamese attack as a sign that the enemy would not quit. The commando attack on the embassy showed that no area was safe. It also shattered America's belief in the invincibility of its armed forces. Now even more people saw the war as unwinnable. President Johnson began to reach the same conclusion. He decided to try for peace. Johnson announced limits on the bombing of North Vietnam. He called for peace talks. And he stunned the country by announcing that he would not seek reelection as president. Tet had toppled a leader.
