Win the Battle and “Lose” the War

Also on January 30, 1968 the Tet Offensive began when Viet Cong forces supported by a large number of North Vietnamese regulars began the largest offensive of the war. On what was supposed to be the first day of a holiday truce, enemy forces quickly overran many of the largest cities in South Vietnam but by February 10 the offensive was largely crushed. The American and South Vietnamese forces had soundly defeated the enemy in the field but back in the states, the heavy casualties incurred by the Allied forces fueled civil and political protests that led President Lyndon Johnson to announce, on March 31, 1968, he would not seek re-election. That action added to the anti-war momentum and would eventually lead to the withdrawal of all American forces.


From This Day in History