VIETNAM WAR: TET OFFENSIVE.
U.S. Marines take cover from sniper fire during the Battle of Hue, 1 February 1968.
Author: Paige Bailey
Interviewer: Mathew Reid
On the night of January 30/31, 1968, communist forces totaling about 84,000 sprang from hiding to surprise U.S. military and ARVN forces across South Vietnam. Gunfire abruptly ended the Tet holiday ceasefire in 105 South Vietnamese urban areas. Although U.S. forces successfully repelled the attacks, the level of surprise achieved by the communists profoundly impacted the U.S. war effort in Vietnam. Months prior to the attacks, U.S. intelligence gathered signals indicating the enemy was planning a major offensive, but the whole idea seemed preposterous to top U.S. officials and the intelligence was largely dismissed as propaganda.