Operation Pegasus is a Success, Siege of Khe Sanh Ends!

April 8, 1968 - Operation Pegasus, a US military operation, retakes Route 9, ending the siege of Khe Sanh.

NVA forces had been noticeably increasing in size in the areas surrounding Khe Sanh, a military base in the northwest corner of South Vietnam. This enlargement of NVA troops foreshadowed a large military strike on Khe Sanh.

The first attack occurred on January 21, 1968, at 5:30am. Mortars, rockets and artillery fire showered the marine base, killing eighteen men and wounding an additional 40. This barrage of enemy fire continued for the following two days.

The siege continued off and on for the next month. On February 23, 1968, the bunkers of Khe Sanh were severely damaged by an astounding 1,300 artillery rounds, a number greater than on any two previous days combined. Following the attack, the bunkers were rebuilt even stronger than before. Now they could withstand 82mm mortar rounds, the main weapon of which the NVA’s siege consisted.

One of the main problems the US military was faced with, was the need to re-supply the base of Khe Sanh. The siege had gone on for so long that the soldiers were reduced to minimal rations, and medical and ammunition supplies were near dangerous lows.

To solve the problem, the US air force attempted to use large cargo planes to air-lift supplies. These large, slow moving “targets” did not last long, and few successfully delivered their payload...

CONTINUED HERE....

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a Background on Vietnam
Anti-War Music
Quote
"Well its one two three. What are we fightin' for? Don't ask me. I don't give a damn. Next stop is Vietnam.-Country Joe McDonald