What is a Tet Offinsive?

Answer 1

The Tet Offensive was a military action taken by the Viet Cong against the United States military in the Vietnam War. It began on the Tet, or the Vietnamese new year. Viet Cong soldiers stormed a very large number of US strongholds, outposts, and guarded locations. Within a week, all of this areas had been retaken by the United States military. The success of the Tet Offensive has been questioned by many historians and military strategists. The Tet offensive was a very important turn of events in the Vietnam war. Although it was considered a military loss for the Viet Cong, it was definitely a political victory. The Viet Cong lost nearly half of their soldiers. This completely crippled their ability to take on the United Sates militarily. However, military force has never been the only weapon in war. This attack convinced the American people that the US was losing. Americans weren't and still aren't used to thinking our military can be defeated. The Tet offensive startled many Americans because it displayed how unprepared we were. Even if the entire Viet Cong army was destroyed, they still would have triumphed from the Tet offensive, because the political impact far outweighed the military impact.