Tet offensive

• what happened during the Tet offensive?

  Vietcong and North Vietnamese launched a massive surprise attack. Guerilla fighters attacked most American airbases in South Vietnam and most of the South's major cities. As well as the American Embassy in Saigon.
• when did the Tet offensive start?

  January 30, 1968
• where ?


  hundreds of towns, cities and military bases attacked

  -including US embassy in Saigon
• why did the Tet offensive happen?

  -Vietcong wanted to inspire South Vietnamese to rise up against government and US forces

  -Hoped US public would withdraw support for war if they saw US forces being defeated
• how did the Tet offensive happen?

  -Vietcong had been launching smaller attacks away from cities so there would be less US troops in Saigon

  -For months Vietcong had been piling up weapons in homes in Saigon
• what was the US response to the Tet offensive?

  -quickly regained control of towns and cities

  -used advanced training and tech to defeat Vietcong

  -Response weakened Vietcong

  -Vietcong lost 10,000 soldiers and 50,000 North Vietnamese
• what was the impact on the US army?

  -Had to use lots of artillery and air power in response

  -war was costing 30 billion a year and 300 US soldiers being killed a week

  -US began to doubt that US would win war and if it was worth it
• what were the failures of the Tet offensive?

  -defeat for Vietcong and north Vietnam

  -lost 10,000 soldiers

  -USA retook all they took from them
• what were the successes of it for the Vietcong?

  -shown they could strike at any moment

  -events shown on US tv and public saw chaos and destruction

  -US public began to realise they might not be able to beat Vietcong and started turning against Johnson and US involvement in war
• what were the results of offensive?

  -weakened US support for war drastically

  -woke US public up to how much money and lives the war was costing

  -Offensive killed many civilians and destroyed lots of land tat further weakened support for war