The Tet Offensive: Turning Point
The 31st of January marks the 54th anniversary of the launching of the Tet Offensive. To some, this offensive was a failure for the North Vietnamese and a resounding victory for the United States and South Vietnam. Others view it as an embarrassment for the forces of the South and the tipping of the scales in favor of the North. The polarizing nature of this important historical event continue to evoke passionate conversations, but why? How can a clear military defeat for the communist forces of the north still be seen as a victory for them?
Tet is a holiday celebrating the coming of the lunar new year in Vietnam. Because it was one of the most revered holidays in the country, a cease-fire was assumed by the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) who were all on leave. However, the cease-fire was a false assumption. The offensive was conceived by the communist commanders of The North Vietnamese Army (PAVN) and the leaders of the Northern Government. Their principal objective was to have enough success in their battles in the south to cause a popular uprising, not to permanently capture and hold the major population centers. The offensive was intended to capitalize on the hostility felt by many of the southern Vietnamese people towards their government and the patriotic feelings exacerbated by the Tet holiday. With the PAVN and the National Liberation Front (VC) coordinating attacks on major population centers such as Saigon and Hue, the communists assumed that the unhappy southerners would join them in the fight.
The three most impactful locations of fighting were the capital of Saigon, the ancient capital of Hue and the Marine base at Khe Sahn. The PAVN attacked the outskirts of the city and sent saboteurs into the southern capital to wreak havoc and, ideally, cause a panic in the civilian population. This was done with a series of bombings throughout the largest city in Vietnam and with the seizure of key locations including the US Embassy. The communist forces achieved many of their goals including a spectacular standoff with marine guards following the VC storming of the embassy. While it would not remain in enemy hands for very long, the mere fact that they were able to hold the embassy at all had a devastating effect on American morale at home. Further north, the ARVN and US troops were forced out of a majority of the ancient city of Hue by PAVN and VC forces. What would follow was the most brutal urban warfare since World War II. After being surprised and almost completely wiped out, ARVN forces in the north and US troops in the South began to slowly take the city back block by block. One of the reasons for the northern success in Hue was the conviction of the US commander, General Westmorland, that the main target was the marine base to the north. This led him to devote more troops to that area rather than around Hue. While Khe Sanh would become notorious for the conditions of the siege which it was involved in, it would never come under a major attack.
While there is merit to the opinion that the US was militarily victorious, the consequences of the shock and surprise that the north was able to carry out an offensive of this scale despite years of American involvement overruled any and all victories. The communist objectives may have all ended in failure, but the offensive caused such a stir in the United States that the political consequences would permanently affect the war until its end. Westmorland was replaced as the military commander in Vietnam, and Lyndon Johnson would announce that he refused to accept the Democratic nomination for president in the coming election. In addition, the antiwar movement became more and more popular after the offensive. The Tet Offensive would be the peak of military operations in Vietnam with the number of troops there steadily declining after it. The Tet Offensive caused heavy losses for the PAVN and the VC, with the latter being essentially eliminated as an effective fighting force. However, the damage to American morale and the crippling of American leader’s careers makes it evident that the Tet offensive was the beginning of the end of the Vietnam War.
