Siege of Khe Sanh
Page 35
Tet Offensive (General Offensive) (1968), 149, 150–51, 171, 174, 177–92
casualties in, 181, 182, 184, 188, 190, 191, 249, 280
fighting in, 178, 180–81, 184–88, 278
Khe Sanh as diversion for, 248, 284
military assessments of, 250–51
outbreak of, 178–79
reaction in U.S. to, 180–83, 191, 249–51
U.S. intelligence on, 113, 142, 145, 177
U.S. victory claimed in, 249
VC troop movements before, 141–42, 145, 177
as watershed of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, 191, 250–51
Westmoreland’s analysis of, 180–81, 184, 249–51
Thailand, sensor signals analyzed in, 108
Thieu, Nguyen Van, 178, 181
Thomas, Michael H., 23, 25
Thó Montagnards, 157
Thompson, Sir Robert, 35, 251, 284, 286
Thua Thien Province, 89, 111
Time, 30, 57, 226, 244
Tolson, John J., 187, 257, 260, 269
Tompkins, Rathvon McCall, 121, 141, 217, 238, 260, 269
on body counts, 280
command assumed by, 101
control of hilltops as concern of, 104, 105, 116
on Green Berets, 94–95
Lownd’s relationship with, 131, 225
in preparations for Khe Sanh battle, 96–97, 106, 111, 114
on U.S. airpower, 283
Tonc, La Than, 110–14, 127, 137
information given by, 111–14, 118
reasons for defection of, 111–12
Tonkin Gulf incident (1964), 39, 76, 126
tour of duty, limiting of, 49–50, 113, 171
“training flights,” 36–37, 40
Tran Hung Dao, 153
“Trieu, Dame,” 152
Trung, Two Sisters, 152
25th Infantry Division, U.S., 69
U
university students, Vietnamese, demonstrations of, 39
U.S. News and World Report, 283
V
vacations, in Westmoreland’s Rest and Recreation program, 50–51, 112
Van Tien Dung, 167
Viet Cong (VC), 39, 40, 89
ambush tactics of, 65–67
as “Charlie,” 15
destruction of hamlet bases of, 56–60
equipment and weaponry of, 69–70
firepower successful against, 59
Green Beret camps attacked by, 69–70
as hard to find, 61
Hay’s pamphlet to, 59, 66
morale of, 60, 64
political arrests made by, 187
recuperative powers of, 60–61
in Tet (General) Offensive, 141–42, 145, 174–75, 178, 180–82, 186–88
as viewed by Westmoreland, 43, 55, 60–64, 71
Westmoreland’s mountain tactics against, 62–63, 73
Viet Minh (bo doi; People’s Army of Viet Nam)
camouflage techniques of, 172
combat spirit of, 157–58, 173
as defenders of North, 149–50, 167
field fortifications of, 173
formed by Giap, 156–58
French fought by, 34, 45, 157, 158, 161, 163–65
political foundations of, 163
U.S. soldiers compared with, 173
weapons of, 159, 161, 164
Vietnam
French colonial rule in, 83, 155, 158–56
Japanese and Chinese occupations of (1940s), 83–84, 155–56, 158
military history of, 46–47, 150–54
Vietnam, Democratic Republic of (North Vietnam); see also North Vietnamese Army
bombing of, 39, 150, 166, 227–28, 239, 256
casualties and death as viewed in, 153, 168
defense tactics in, 149–50, 167–68
military aid to, 175–76
Westmoreland’s plan for invasion of, 32–33, 63–64, 137–38
Vietnam, Republic of (South Vietnam); see also Army of the Republic of Vietnam
anti-government protests in, 39, 89, 134
coups in, 33–34, 39
influx of U.S. dollars into, 51
ports and airfields built in, 51
xenophobia of, 55–56
Vietnamese Evangelical Protestant Church, 85–86
Vietnam war
amenities for U.S. troops in, 47, 50–52, 109
atrocities ascribed to U.S. in, 75
first U.S. combat units in, 40
logistical base established for, 37, 42, 43, 45–47, 51, 173
restrictive rules in, 34, 40, 41, 43, 97
U.S. expenses in, 51, 252, 253
U.S. public opinion on, 42, 49–50, 64, 75–76, 141, 168, 191, 249–51, 253–54, 256
U.S. troop levels in, 37, 38, 40–41, 43, 55, 63–64, 180, 249, 251, 253, 256
U.S. weaknesses in, 169–71, 173
war powers resolution for (1964), 39, 75–76
Westmoreland’s transformation of (1964-1965), 37–44
Vu Hong, 71
W
Walker, Glenn D., 227
Wall Street Journal, 250
Walt, Lewis W., 285
War Zone C, Junction City operation in, 57–58
Washington, George, 49
Washington Post, 179
Washington Star, 114, 286
Westmoreland, Kitsy, 37–39, 114
Westmoreland, “Rip,” 37
Westmoreland, William C., 22, 29–79, 97, 106–7, 116, 126, 141–42, 211–12, 226, 239, 284–86
abandonment of Khe Sanh and, 269, 271–73
additional troops requested by (1965), 40–43, 63
aerial firepower planned by, see Niagara
amenities provided to U.S. troops by, 47, 50–52
arrival and familiarization process of (1964), 33–38
attrition strategy of, 64, 67, 70, 78, 139, 252–53
Command Presence of, 29–31, 35–36, 47
confidence in ARVN lacked by, 34–35
as confident of victory, 43, 67, 71, 74–75, 77
crisis of confidence in, 189
decorations won by, 48
defense of Khe Sanh as justified by, 138–40, 144–46
early military experience of, 38, 48–49
as exponent of Big War, 45–50, 57–58, 73
family background of, 47–48
firepower central to tactics of, 52–53, 68–73, 261
first combat units deployed by (1965), 40
first visit to Khe Sanh of, 36
fourth star ceremony for, 38
French defeat studied by, 44–47, 144
in interservice struggles for air and troop resources, 129–31, 133–35, 208–9, 257
invasion of North planned by, 32–33, 63, 137–38
Khe Sanh battle wanted by, 29, 31–33, 52, 77–79, 103, 104, 247–48, 254
Lang Vei relief plan and, 198–99, 204–5, 208–9
Laos invasion planned by, 33, 63, 93, 94, 96–98, 101, 103, 139
logistical base established by, 37, 42, 43, 45–47, 51, 173
mountain tactics of, 62–63, 73, 251
nuclear weapons considered by, 28, 146, 148, 182–83
NVA troop movements as assessed by, 11, 12, 18, 77, 103, 107, 114, 133, 248
offensives launched by (1967), 56–59
political prestige of, 30, 31, 41–42
popular support for war as concern of, 42, 49–50, 64, 75, 76
promoted to Chief of Staff, 29–30, 263
reinforcements requested by (1968), 189–91, 249, 253
relationship with troops of, 36
relief operation planned by, see Pegasus
relieved of Vietnam command, 254
report on Khe Sanh of, 261, 263, 279
restrictive rules eliminated by, 33, 40, 41, 43, 190
technological experiments of, 53–54, 107
tempo of combat increased by (1967), 65–68
Tet Offensive and, 145, 178, 180–85, 249–51
&n
bsp; troops ordered to Khe sanh by (1966), 89–91
Vietnam war transformed by (1964–1965), 37–44
at West Point, 29, 47
Wheeler, Earle G., 114, 251
Johnson assured of victory by, 138, 140, 143
in nuclear warfare discussions, 182–83
report on Saigon visit of, 189–92
troop deployments approved by, 40, 189
Wheeler, John, 204, 275–76
Willoughby, Frank C., 197–200, 202, 204–6, 211
Wise Old Men, 256, 280
World War II, 227, 229
Vietnam occupied in, 83–84, 156, 158
Copyright © 1982 by Robert L. Pisor
Introduction copyright © 2018 by Mark Bowden
Previously published under the title
THE END OF THE LINE: The Siege of Khe Sanh
First published as a Norton paperback 2002,
reissued with a new introduction 2018
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