Khe Sang 1968

In one of the fiercest clashes of the war, U.S. Marines battled North Vietnamese forces for control of the hills overlooking the Khe Sanh airstrip. Supported by massive air power, the Marines lost 160 killed and 764 wounded but captured the positions, inflicting more than 940 enemy deaths.

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In spring 1967, the isolated Marine base at Khe Sanh, located near the Laotian border in Quảng Trị Province, became the scene of some of the most intense fighting of the Vietnam War. North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units sought to seize the high ground around the Khe Sanh airstrip, which was vital for U.S. resupply and reinforcement. The Marines launched assaults on a series of hills overlooking the base, facing fierce resistance from entrenched NVA forces. The fighting quickly escalated into one of the bloodiest engagements to that point in the war, with the Marines relying heavily on artillery and air strikes to break enemy defenses.

The cost of the battle was staggering. U.S. losses totaled 160 killed and 764 wounded, nearly half of the Marines’ effective combat strength in the engagement. Despite the casualties, the Marines succeeded in capturing the hills, denying the NVA the positions they needed to threaten the airstrip. The North Vietnamese suffered even heavier losses, with over 940 killed according to American estimates. The victory secured Khe Sanh—for the time being—but also foreshadowed the larger and even more desperate siege of the base that would come in 1968. The battle demonstrated both the resilience of U.S. Marines under pressure and the central role of overwhelming American air power in holding remote outposts.

 

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