The Tet Offensive Flashcards
When was the Tet Offensive?
January 1968
How many fighters did the Viet Cong lose in the Tet Offensive?
10,000 experienced fighters
What happened in the Tet Offensive?
Viet Cong troops attacked nearly 30 American targets and dozens of South Vietnamese cities
What was the objective of the Tet Offensive?
To get the South to uprise with them; that didn’t happen
What effect did the Tet Offensive have on America’s involvement?
- Raised questions about US involvement and the Vietnam war in general
- How could the Communists launch this attack when America had 500,000 troops and $20 billion a year in funding?
- How was the attack able to cause so much disruption?
How long did the Viet Cong hold Sai Gon?
2 days
How did the Tet Offensive change American media coverage?
Before the offensive, most of the coverage had been positive
After the offensive, coverage became negative and harnessed many protests
What did Walter Cronkite say about the Tet Offensive?
“What the hell is going on? I thought we were winning this war!”
What happened during the My Lai massacre?
300-400 unarmed Vietnamese villagers, mostly women, children and old men, were shot dead in the My Lai valley
