The 1968 Tet Offensive
Lyndon B Johnson was
the 36th American President who served in office from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969. One of the important events during his presidency was the Tet Offensive.
Tet Offensive
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Tet Offensive.
Tet Offensive
Facts for kids
Tet
Offensive Facts - 1: The
Vietnam War (November 1,
1955 – April 30, 1975) was fought between the Communist government
of North Vietnam and Viet Cong guerrillas, who were supported by the
Chinese, and the armies of South Vietnam, who were supported by the
United States. In 1967 General Westmoreland had told the American
public the war in Vietnam was progressing well and the end was in
sight.
Tet
Offensive Facts - 2: The 1968 Tet
Offensive was a military campaign launched by
Ho Chi Minh during the Vietnam
War. The result of the conflict was a tactical victory
for the US and South Vietnamese but a political,
strategic and psychological victory for the communist
North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong.
Tet
Offensive Facts - 3: The primary
objective of the Tet Offensive was to promote a popular
uprising so that the South Vietnamese people would rise
up in rebellion against their own government.
Tet
Offensive Facts - 4: The Tet Offensive
started on January 30, 1968 by communist forces of the
Viet Cong and North Vietnam against South Vietnam, the
United States and their allies.
Tet
Offensive Facts - 5: It is estimated that 85000
Viet Cong participated in the attacks in south Vietnam, supported by
thousands of North Vietnamese soldiers.
Tet
Offensive Facts - 6: On January 30,
1968, the Tet Offensive began when North Vietnamese
troops and Viet Cong forces simultaneously attacked
towns and cities in South Vietnam. The attacks were a
complete surprise because the enemy forces broke the
temporary ceasefire that had been called for the
Vietnamese lunar new year holiday of Tet. During
previous Tet holidays both sides had stopped fighting
for 3 days.
Tet
Offensive Facts - 7: During the surprise Tet
Offensive major targets in south Vietnam were attacked. These
included over 155 villages, towns and cities that were subjected to
rocket fire and massive artillery attacks. In some cities the
Communists were repelled within hours. In others, it took weeks of
fighting.
Tet
Offensive Facts - 8: The Tet Offensive
was the largest military operation conducted by either
side up to that point in the Vietnam war. It was
conducted in south Vietnam in a series of three phases:
● Phase 1:
January 30, 1968 – March 28, 1968
● Phase 2: May
5, 1968 – June 15, 1968
● Phase 3:
August 17, 1968 – September 23, 1968
The Viet Cong
fought an open war during the Tet Offensive, not the
guerrilla warfare that they usually fought.
Continued...
Tet Offensive
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Tet Offensive for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Tet Offensive.
Tet Offensive
Facts for kids
Tet Offensive
Facts -
9: At 2:45AM on the
morning January 31, 1968, the first day of the Tet
Offensive, the US embassy in Saigon was invaded. A
suicide squad of some 19 Viet Cong had blasted its way
through the high walls surrounding the embassy compound
and held IT until 9:15AM. Outside the city of Saigon two
Viet Cong battalions attacked the U.S. logistical and
headquarter complex at Long Binh
Tet Offensive
Facts - 10: Phase 1 of the Tet
Offensive was aimed at luring the Allied forces out of
the heavily populated cities to defend the borders, and
then launching surprise attacks on the cities.
Tet Offensive
Facts - 11: Phase 2 of the Tet
Offensive was a smaller offensive and consisted of
continuing heavy attacks on cities but also included
attacks on villages. The advantage of the element of
surprise had been lost and it was not nearly as
effective as Phase 1 and the communist Vietnamese
suffered numerous casualties.
Tet Offensive
Facts - 12: Phase 3 of the Tet
Offensive continued to target cities and villages in
south Vietnam but was fought by North Vietnamese
soldiers, no Viet Cong forces participated in Phase 3.
Tet Offensive
Facts -
13: The Viet Cong
scored their greatest triumph when they captured ancient
Vietnamese capital city of Hue. By the time the
communists were driven out of Hue, nearly 10,000
soldiers and civilians had been killed and the ancient
city of Hue was reduced to rubble
Tet Offensive
Facts - 14: At the end of the Tet Offensive, both sides had
endured losses, and both sides claimed victory. The United States
defeated the communists decisively, but at the same time handed them
a strategic victory.
Tet Offensive
Facts - 15: Militarily it was a defeat for
the communists, they were not focused on specific targets and had
found it impossible to coordinate the tens of thousands of
soldiers and Viet Cong taking part in the assaults. But they gained
a massive psychological and political victory contradicting
optimistic claims by the U.S. government and the military that the
Vietnam War was all but over.
Tet Offensive
Facts - 16: The events of the Tet
Offensive were brought into the living rooms of Americans by new
communications satellites that conveyed the scenes of the carnage
via the television. The invasion of the US embassy in Saigon was a
terrible shock to the nation, severely damaging national confidence
in the Vietnam war policies of President Lyndon Johnson
Tet Offensive
Facts for kids
Tet Offensive - President Lyndon Johnson Video
The article on the Tet Offensive provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Lyndon Johnson video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 36th American President whose presidency spanned from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969.
Tet Offensive
●
Interesting Facts about Tet Offensive for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Tet Offensive in US history
●
The Tet Offensive, a major
event in US history
●
Lyndon Johnson from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969
●
Fast, fun facts about the Tet Offensive
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Lyndon Johnson
● Lyndon Johnson Presidency and
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