tet offensive

• • On 30 January 1968, there was a temporary ceasefire in honour of Tet (a Vietnamese holiday).
  • The Vietcong broke the ceasefire and attacked towns, cities, US military bases and the US embassy in Saigon.
  • This attack became known as the Tet Offensive.
• • Tet Offensive: Why?
  • The Vietcong wanted to inspire the people of South Vietnam to rise up against their government andUS forces
  • They hoped the US public would withdraw support for the war if they saw US forces being defeated
• Tet Offensive: How?

  • The Vietcong had been launching smaller attacks away from major cities to make sure there were fewer US troops in Saigon
  • For months the Vietcong had been piling up weapons in homes around Saigon
• Tet Offensive: US reaction

  • US forces regained control of towns and cities quickly
  • They used their advanced technology and training to defeat the Vietcong
  • The US response seriously weakened the Vietcong by killing 10,000 fighters and 50,000 NorthVietnamese
• Tet Offensive: Impact on US military

  • The US army had to use a lot of artillery and air power in its response
  • By now the war was costing over $30 billion a year and over 300 US troops were being killed every week
  • The US public began to doubt that the US army would win the war and if the human and financial cost was worth it
• Impact: Fuelled the anti-war movement and the change in public opinion as the events were seen on TV and in newspapers

  Reason 1: Even after all the money spent on the war the Vietcong had easily attacked the US embassy in Saigon. The Vietcong did not look weak and this made people question the impact of the war

  Reason 2: Many ancient monuments and cities were destroyed; huge numbers of civilians were killed; US soldiers were killed or injured. US citizens did not want to be associated with this destruction
• • shocked Americans who had no idea how brutal the fighting was
  • caused people to question how much they could trust their government - what they were being shown didn't match up with what they were being told
  • showed that the Vietcong could attack with great force
  • made some Americans question whether they should be involved in this war at all.