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Was This The Worst Strategy of the Vietnam War?

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It was 1966, and the Vietnam War was turning out to be unlike anything else the US military had faced before. Robert McNamara, the US Secretary of Defense, was severely concerned; despite massive territorial gains, the North Vietnamese troops continued to move south freely and didn’t seem the least deterred from continuing with the conflict.

If the US didn’t shift its strategy, the war would become unwinnable. Thus, a new plan was devised: the US would use its air superiority to conduct swift hit and run strikes in enemy territory, prioritizing enemy fatalities over territorial gains.

The new ‘Body Count’ or search and destroy approach began with Operation Attleboro, a massive air assault on the Tây Ninh province, which was being used by communist forces as the main supply area in the region.

On September 14, 1966, US troops boarded dozens of Huey helicopters to storm the Tây Ninh province in a series of daring probes. The strikes were moderately successful, with US troops inflicting many casualties on the communist forces and learning of a significant enemy operations base further in the north.

Brigadier General Edward H. de Saussure then deployed two battalions to destroy the base before the enemy could reinforce it, but as the American helicopters darkened the sky as they approached the target area, they were in for a nasty surprise.

As soon as they landed, the US forces were attacked by communist troops hiding in the tall grass. Besieged by mines, booby traps, and sniper fire, the soldiers were pinned down, and the future of the new strategy hung in the balance…

- As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -
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