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Tet Offensive 1968: Battle of Saigon

Operation
Title
Tet Offensive 1968: Battle of Saigon
Start Date
1/31/1968
End Date
3/7/1968
CTZ
III
TAO
area around Saigon
Objective
to protect the Sai Gon Circle
Description
In December 1967, the U.S. had turned the responsibility of the defense of Sai Gon over to the S. Vietnamese. The IIFFV battalions were sent to VC campaigns on the Cambodian border in response to Gen. Giap's attempts to draw U.S. forces away from the major cities. Luckily for the Allies, the border campagin was not on schedule. The General of the IIFFV saw something odd in the patterns of enemy movement and got permission to keep some battalions within the Saigon circle. When Tet broke out, the 35 Communist battalions were up against a much bigger IIFFV force than they anticipated. The Communists had a series of 8 major objectives to bring down the RVN government and trigger a General Uprising. But because of the great secrecy of the plans, they suffered coordination problems. Some areas began the attack a day early and thus alerted the U.S. and ARVN units. On 31 January, a platoon attacked the Saigon Presidential Palace. Not long after this attack , the U.S. Embassy was also attacked. Though the VC Sappers never got inside of the embassy building, media pictures of the scene sent a demoralizing message around the world. However, the Embassy itself was relatively unimportant. Next the S-10 sapper battalion took the National Radio Station and planned to broadcast pre-recorded tapes proclaiming a general uprising. However, the broadcast link was severed on a prearranged signal. The VC took the ARVN depot complex at Go Vap, but the retreating ARVN troops had rendered the guns useless. At Tan Son Nhut, the VC attacked the air base. MACV sent a call for help, and 3d squadron, 5th Cavalry sent Troop C to help. Troop C was badly mauled, but halted the VC attack for awhile. Fighting was also going on at the Long Bing-Bien Hoa complex. Company A from the 9th Infantry Division's 2d Battalion, 47th Infantry was sent to relieve the attack on a large POW compound between the cities. Companies B and C were sent to Long Binh and Bien Hoa, respectively, to relieve the forces there. Meanwhile, Troop A, 3d Squadron, 5th Cavalry fought to relieve the Bien Hoa Air Base, where it linked up with the 101st Airborne Division's 2d Battalion, 506th Infantry. Except for in Cho Lon, most of the fighting inside the Sai Gon Circle was over in days. By 3 February, the N. Vietnamese were on the defensive. Most Communist survivors had traveled to this area. The Communists set up a system to execute the district's leaders and keep out the Allies. Cho Lon experienced a month-long reign of terror. Though U.S. forces entered Cho Lon on 31 January, the area was finally cleared out by 7 March. It was during the clean up of these operations that Gen. Loan was filmed executing a VC prisoner on 31 March. This image produced much outrage and anti-war feelings throughout the world.
Allied Units Involved
Unit
II Field Force Vietnam (1st Infantry Division, 9th Infantry Division, 25th Infantry Division, 101st Airborne Division, 199th Light Infantry Brigade, and 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
Branch
United States Army
Branch Abbrv.
USA
Unit
Australian, New Zealand, and Thai forces in the area
Unit
coordinated efforts of ARVN III and IV Corps, including the 5th, 7th, 9th, 18th, 21st, and 25th divisions)
Enemy Units Involved
Unit
35 Battalions (1 PAVN and 2 VC Divisions) including 5th VC Division, 7th PAVN Division, D16 VC Battalion, 267th VC Battalion, battalion from the 271st VC Regiment
Sources
Author
Spencer C. Tucker
Title
The Encyclopedia Of The Vientam War: A Political, Social & Military History
Author
Harry G. Summers, Jr.
Title
Historical Atlas Of The Vietnam War

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