Tet Offensive results in many new refugees
U.S.officials report that in addition to the 800000 people listed as refugees prior to January 30 the fighting during the Tet Offensive has created 350000 new refugees.The communist attack known as the Tet Offensive had begun at dawn on January 31 the first day of the Tet holiday truce.Viet Cong forces supported by large numbers of North Vietnamese troops launched the largest and best-coordinated offensive of the war driving into the centers of South Vietnams seven largest cities and attacking 30 provincial capitals ranging from the Delta to the DMZ.Among the cities taken during the first four days of the offensive were Hue Dalat Kontum and Quang Tri in the north all five provincial capitals were overrun.
At the same time enemy forces shelled numerous Allied airfields and bases.In Saigon a 19-man Viet Cong suicide squad seized the U.S.Embassy and held it for six hours until an assault force of U.S.
paratroopers landed by helicopter on the buildings roof and routed them.Nearly 1000 Viet Cong were believed to have infiltrated Saigon and it required a week of intense fighting by an estimated 11000 U.S.and South Vietnamese troops to dislodge them.
By February 10 the offensive was largely crushed but with a cost of heavy casualties on both sides.Militarily Tet was decidedly an Allied victory but psychologically and politically it was a disaster.The offensive was a crushing military defeat for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese but the size and scope of the communist attacks had caught the American and South Vietnamese allies completely by surprise.The early reporting of a smashing communist victory went largely uncorrected in the media and led to a psychological victory for the communists.
The heavy U.S.and South Vietnamese casualties incurred during the offensiveand the disillusionment over the early overly optimistic reports of progress in the waraccelerated the growing disenchantment with President Lyndon B.Johnsons conduct of the war.
