The Tet Offensive, a surprise attack launched by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam in January 1968, was a military failure.
It was designed to spark an insurrection in South Vietnam that never ignited. After the initial shock, the South Vietnamese army and the US forces regrouped and inflicted heavy losses on the Viet Cong’s best troops.
But it had a major consequence on the Vietnam War.
General Tran Do, the North’s commander at the battle of Huế, recalled: “In all honesty, we didn’t achieve our main objective, which was to spur uprisings throughout the South. Still, we inflicted heavy casualties on the Americans and their puppets, and this was a big gain for us. As for making an impact in the United States, it had not been our intention – but it turned out to be a fortunate result.”
The Tet Offensive proved a tipping point in America’s support for the war. ….more
