1968 was a year of major developments in the Vietnam War, beginning with the violation of a New Year’s Peace Treaty by the North Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and ending with a casualty total of approximately 305,000 troops from the Anti-Communist forces and 120,000 troops from the other, much smaller Communist forces.
The Viet Cong, the Communist guerrilla force, used guerrilla warfare in order to level the playing field against the much larger anti-Communist forces, which were comprised of mostly South Vietnamese and American soldiers. Guerrilla warfare is the use of knowledge of the landscape in order to avoid open battle with the enemy, where, due to the South’s superior technology, the North would have been decimated. Furthermore, this tactic also involves the launching of raids and surprise attacks, before disappearing into the undergrowth. A 200-mile tunnel system was created under the orders of Ho Chi Minh in order to aid the guerrilla fighters in travelling across the land without being spotted by the aboveground American troops. These tunnels weren’t merely means of travelling, they were essentially military bases.
The jungle terrain was often boobytrapped with spikes and grenades, and the tunnels often were misleading, such as false chimneys created to hide cooking spaces. The Viet Cong had experience with this tactic, having used it in their fight against the Japanese and French after World War Two. The American troops were at a disadvantage as they were used to fighting in open spaces and the Viet Cong were ordered to avoid open battles with the Americans where they would have the advantage. The use of small units and tactics of ambush and sabotage meant that the VC maintained a hold on the countryside and left the larger population centres to the government authorities.
On January 30th, the PAVN and Viet Cong decided to change tactics, launching an offensive now known as the Tet Offensive due to it commencing on the first day of the Vietnamese new year, Tet. The Viet Cong attacked 13 cities in South Vietnam and, 24 hours later, a further 120 attacks took place, the most ambitious being that on the US Embassy in Saigon. During this incident, a Viet Cong platoon managed to break in before it was destroyed by the US. Despite the element of surprise, the Viet Cong forces were spread too thin for a strong offensive and were successfully countered by the US and South Vietnamese troops, striking a crushing tactical blow to the North.
It was an attempt by the North Vietnamese leaders to end the stalemate between the North and South by rousing support and discontent in the South, which in turn would bring down the South Vietnamese government and army. They also hoped to prove to the US that it could not win the war. By moving away from their classical guerrilla tactics and attacking the South, the North’s troops ended up playing to their enemy’s advantage. The American organisational, technological, and logistical superiority was clearly evident in the high numbers of communists killed and the total of 24,000 weapons captured. Furthermore, the South had rejected the North’s attempts at galvanising a revolution.
However, it greatly eroded American public support for the war as the US death toll increased to over 500 a week during the initial phase of the offensive. As the casualties continued to rise, public support began to wane, which wasn’t helped by the role of the US media. The US media helped foster the belief in North Vietnamese strength and aggression, and the Tet Offensive produced some of the most powerful images in the media. Photographers such as Eddie Adams helped bring the brutality of the war to the front page of international newspapers.
On March 16th, the My Lai massacre took place. It is one of the most horrific events of violence against unarmed citizens during the Vietnam War. Charlie Company, part of the American Division’s 11th Infantry Brigade, slaughtered more than 500 people who lived in the small village of My Lai, killing nearly all inhabitants. Young girls and women were raped and mutilated before being murdered. The soldiers of the company had been warned that all found in the Son My area were considered Viet Cong or sympathisers and were ordered to destroy the village. The soldiers, led by Lieutenant William Calley, found no Viet Cong in the village, and despite finding only a few weapons in the huts, Calley ordered the villagers to be shot. All who tried to escape were gunned down and huts were set on fire, with those inside shot if they tried to flee. The massacre continued until Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson landed his aircraft between the troops and the fleeing villagers, threatening to open fire if the company continued their attack. He and his crew aided dozens of survivors by flying them to receive medical care.
American officers covered up the brutal carnage for a year until it was reported in the American press by Ron Ridenhour, a soldier in the 11th Brigade who had only heard reports of the massacre. He began a campaign to bring it to light, writing letters to President Nixon, the Pentagon, several congressmen and many more. After receiving no response, Ridenhour gave an interview to journalist Seymour Hersh who published the story in November 1969, a year and a half after the slaughter had taken place.
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