| Phase III offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theVietnam War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States South Vietnam |  North Vietnam Viet Cong | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Creighton Abrams Keith L. Ware † Ellis W. Williamson Carl A. Youngdale Cao Văn Viên | Lê Duẩn Văn Tiến Dũng Hoàng Văn TháiChu Huy Mân | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | US / South Vietnamesebody count: 29,000+ killed or wounded | ||||||
| Civilian: 1,036 dead 2,536 wounded | |||||||
Phase III of theTet Offensive of 1968 (also known as theAugust offensive orThird offensive) was launched by thePeople's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) andViet Cong (VC) from 17 August to 27 September 1968. The offensive was divided into two waves of attacks from 17 to 31 August 1968 and from 11 to 27 September of that same year.
In late June 1968,COSVN and the commanders of Military Region 5 held a series of conferences to review the results of theMay offensive, also in attendance wasLê Duẩn who had pushed for the original plan for the General Offensive–General Uprising. The majority of the attendees, including Chinese military advisers, regarded the May offensive as a failure and opposed any renewal of the offensive. Lê Duẩn supported by GeneralHoàng Văn Thái and GeneralChu Huy Mân then persuaded the attendees to support the launching of a third offensive by mid-August. The Chinese advisers opposed this decision and returned to China, while several of the Vietnamese who had voiced their opposition to the new offensive were fired.[1]: 641 The offensives of May and August were primarily re-directed towards military targets, intending to blunt the perception that military victory was attainable for the United States (US).[2]
On 24 July in Hanoi, Lê Duẩn met with senior leaders responsible for military affairs including PAVN chief of staff, GeneralVăn Tiến Dũng to develop the operational plan for the offensive.
After considering the recommendations submitted by COSVN and Military Region 5, it was agreed thatTây Ninh Province with its proximity to base areas in Cambodia would be the main area of operations. Saigon would not be targeted because of the severe losses suffered by VC forces there in the Tet and May offensives and subsequent Allied security operations.[1]: 641–2 The plan called for the5th and9th Divisions to draw the US25th Infantry Division away from its positions betweenTây Ninh andDầu Tiếng allowing VC local force units to attack Tây Ninh. The7th Division would attackLộc Ninh inBình Long Province to divert the US1st Infantry Division and theArmy of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)5th Division from reinforcing Tây Ninh. Other PAVN/VC units would launch further diversionary attacks across the region.[1]: 642
In theCentral Highlands the PAVN1st Division was to seize theDuc Lap Camp and then move northeast to threatenBuôn Ma Thuột. The PAVN 24th Regiment would cutHighway 14 between Buôn Ma Thuột andPleiku. The 95C and 101D Regiments would make diversionary attacks on Allied bases acrossKon Tum Province, while in the lowland areas VC units would make attacks by fire and sapper attacks on Allied bases.[1]: 642
In centralI Corps the PAVN 31st and 38th Regiments would attack the1st Marine Division positions aroundĐà Nẵng allowing 6 VC local force battalions to penetrate and attack key installations across the city while the PAVN 368B Artillery Regiment would shellDa Nang Air Base.[1]: 642
In southern I Corps a reinforced regiment from the PAVN2nd Division would attackTam Kỳ and another reinforced regiment from the PAVN3rd Division would attackQuảng Ngãi.[1]: 643
Allied intelligence was able to detect the planning of the offensive, its timing and objectives. On 10 AugustCOMUSMACV GeneralCreighton Abrams reported to the USJoint Chiefs of Staff that the “current deployment of [allied] ground forces is satisfactory,” and he was “confident in our ability” to defeat the offensive.[1]: 642 Abrams ordered increased air strikes on suspected PAVN/VC assembly areas, but specifically ordered his commanders not to be drawn out into the countryside, but rather to stay back and defend the population centers.
On the evening of 17 August a night ambush patrol from Company D,2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, operating betweenNui Ba Den andHighway 13 3 km east of Tây Ninh, observed a VC unit marching toward the capital. They called in artillery fire and engaged the VC with small arms and the VC retreated to the north and east.[1]: 646
At midnight on 18 August a battalion from the 273rd Regiment, 9th Division, attacked Firebase Buell II (11°22′23″N106°07′37″E / 11.373°N 106.127°E /11.373; 106.127) which was defended by 2 platoons from Company D,3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, two platoons from Company C,4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment and fiveM48 tanks from Company A,2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment.[3]: 73 The PAVN hit the tanks withB40Rocket-propelled grenades to no effect and were unable to penetrate the base perimeter. At dawn the PAVN withdrew leaving 104 dead and eight wounded.[1]: 648
At the same time 9th Division sappers climbed Nui Ba Den to attack the US communications station on its summit. The sappers penetrated the perimeter destroying several buildings and the electric generators that provided power to the base. At dawn the PAVN withdrew leaving 15 dead. US losses were eight dead and 23 wounded. New generators were flown in and the base became operational later that day.[1]: 648
Also during the early morning of 18 August the D14 Local Force Battalion and a company from the 275th Regiment attacked southeast Tây Ninh but were held back from the center byRegional andPopular forces andpolice. At dawn Companies A and B, 4/23rd Infantry moved from Firebase Rawlins III (11°17′31″N106°11′13″E / 11.292°N 106.187°E /11.292; 106.187) to southeast Tây Ninh, and the ARVN Task Force 2-34 was deployed to the southwest.[3]: 437 Once these blocking forces were in position the Regional and Popular Forces within the city began pushing the PAVN back to the south and by nightfall the D14 Battalion had withdrawn southeast away from the city.[1]: 648–9
At 09:30 on 18 August, 8 km southeast of Tây Ninh the 275th Regiment ambushed Troop A,3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment on Route 239 in the Cau Khoi Plantation. Company A,1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, was dispatched south down Route 26 and attacked the VC flank, killing 34. US casualties totaled four dead and 17 wounded.[1]: 649
At midday on 18 August Company B 1/5th Infantry engaged a two battalion strong PAVN unit in theBến Củi Rubber Plantation northeast of Tây Ninh. Company C 1/5th Infantry and its reconnaissance platoon were sent to reinforce Company B and with artillery and air support by 16:00 they had scattered the enemy force who left behind 92 dead, a field radio and three .50-caliber machine guns. Captured documents showed that the force comprised a battalion from the 33rd Regiment and the D24 Anti-Aircraft Battalion.[1]: 649
On the morning of 19 August, 1/5th Infantry regained contact with the 33rd Regiment in the Bến Củi Plantation. Companies B and C and the reconnaissance platoon, engaged PAVN who had reoccupied their previous fighting positions. After severalM113 armored personnel carriers became bogged down the US advance halted and by dusk the 33rd Regiment withdrew further into the plantation. US losses were two killed and 24 wounded.[1]: 649–50
At 18:45 on 19 August, the 33rd Regiment ambushed a column of Company B 1/5th Infantry and Troop A 3/4th Cavalry as they moved along Route 239 through the Bến Củi Plantation towardsDầu Tiếng Base Camp. B-40 and recoilless rifle fire knocked out the two leading vehicles and Company B established a defensive position north of the road while artillery and air strikes were called in. At 20:45 a troop from the 3/44th Cavalry attacked the enemy flank allowing the column to disengage and move east, fighting its way through further ambushes with B-40s knocking out two M48s and two M113s. US losses were eight killed and 44 wounded while PAVN losses were estimated to be more than 200.[1]: 650–1
On the early morning of 20 August, a night ambush platoon from Company A, 2/27th Infantry, 2 km north ofTây Ninh Combat Base spotted a unit of VC. On engaging the unit with their personal weapons, the return fire indicated that they were facing a VC battalion. Air and artillery support was called in while the platoon fought to prevent the VC from overrunning their position. The VC withdrew at dawn leaving 155 dead, US losses were five killed and six wounded.[1]: 651
On the morning of 20 August, Company B, 4/23rd Infantry, was ambushed by elements of the 275th Regiment on Route 26 through the Cau Khoi Plantation. Company A deployed south down Route 26 from Firebase Rawlins III and the combined force made the VC disengage leaving 28 dead. US losses were four dead and seven wounded.[1]: 652
On the morning of 21 August as Company C and the reconnaissance platoon of 1/5th Infantry patrolled the northwest of the Bến Củi Plantation they were engaged by the 33rd Regiment. The PAVN aggressively closed on the US force sending in two battalions of infantry and knocking out the six lead M113s with B-40 rockets. The unit withdrew killing 182 VC for the loss of 18 US killed and 23 wounded. S. Sgt.Marvin R. Young would be posthumously awarded theMedal of Honor for taking command of his platoon after the commander had been killed and covering its withdrawal.[1]: 652–3
On the afternoon of 21 August Troop A 3/4th Cavalry and Company A 4/23rd Infantry, clashed with VC again in the Cau Khoi Plantation. US losses were three killed and five wounded.[1]: 653
On the night of 21 August the PAVN/VC launched simultaneous attacks on Firebases Buell II and Rawlins III. The 174th Regiment attacked Firebase Buell II which was defended by Companies C and D, 3/22nd Infantry, the attack was repulsed at a cost of 60 PAVN/VC killed and 11 wounded soldiers captured. US losses were 3 killed and 18 wounded. The 3rd Battalion, 275th Regiment attacked Firebase Rawlins III which was defended by Companies A and B, 4/23rd Infantry, the attack was repulsed at a cost of 25 PAVN/VC killed and four wounded soldiers captured. US losses were one killed and ten wounded.[1]: 653–4
On the morning of 22 August on Route 239 in the Bến Củi Plantation, Company B, 1/5th Infantry, reengaged elements of the 33rd Regiment killing 24 PAVN/VC for the loss of four US dead and 16 wounded.[1]: 654
On 22 August, 25th Infantry Division commander MGEllis W. Williamson instructed his 2nd Brigade to move north to Dầu Tiếng and on 23 August the 2nd Brigade established its headquarters there and assumed operational control over 1/5th Infantry. Troop A, 3/4th Cavalry, and the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 27th Infantry, each minus one company were also placed under 2nd Brigade operational control. These reinforcements allowed the 1st Brigade to focus its efforts on the areas immediately surrounding Tây Ninh. The 2nd Brigade commander sent a task force comprising Companies A, B and D of the 2/27th Infantry, supported by elements of Troop A, 3/4th Cavalry to construct a new firebase named Schofield (11°15′11″N106°17′06″E / 11.253°N 106.285°E /11.253; 106.285) on Route 239 halfway between the Bến Củi and Cau Khoi Plantations.[3]: 460 The firebase became operational that evening, with two 105-mm. howitzer units, Battery A,1st Battalion, 8th Artillery Regiment and Battery C7th Battalion, 11th Artillery. After midnight on 24 August two battalions from the 33rd Regiment attacked Firebase Schofield in a four hour long assault. PAVN/VC losses were 103 dead and an unusually large number of weapons were captured including four machine guns, four 60-mm. mortar tubes, two recoilless rifles and 11 B-40 launchers. US losses were nine dead and 41 wounded, four M113s and two M48s were destroyed.[1]: 654
On the afternoon of 25 August, an 89 vehicle supply convoy manned by troops from the6th and7th Transportation Battalions escorted by military police in gun-jeeps was moving along Highway 22 towards Tây Ninh Combat Base. As the convoy passed by the Thanh Duc Rubber Plantation approximately 10 km southeast of Tây Ninh they observed troops in ARVN uniforms in the trees to the east. The troops were actually the PAVN 88th Regiment in stolen uniforms who then opened fire on the convoy hitting it with mortars, B-40 rockets and machine gun fire. The lead vehicles were able to escape the ambush and sped north towards Tây Ninh, but an oil tanker was hit and burst into flames blocking the road for the 58 vehicles behind it. The drivers and MPs dismounted and returned fire from behind their vehicles or along the roadside. A relief force from the 4/23rd Infantry was sent to the ambush site with elements approaching from the north and south. At 14:00 Troop B 3/4th Cavalry, arrived at the southern end of the plantation and half the force was sent into the plantation to attack the PAVN left flank, while the others were sent to secure the convoy. At 14:15 helicopters landed Company C, 3/22nd Infantry, at the northern end of the ambush and they proceeded to attack the PAVN right flank. The counterattacks forced the PAVN deeper into the plantation and those vehicles that could move were sent north to Tây Ninh, while another 20 damaged vehicles awaited recovery. The PAVN withdrew as darkness fell and when US forces swept the plantation the next day they found 103 PAVN dead among the destroyed bunkers, US losses were 21 dead and 22 vehicles destroyed. For his actions during this battle Sgt.William W. Seay would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.[1]: 662–5
After midnight on 27 August, the 275th Regiment attacked Firebase Rawlins III. The attack was easily repulsed by the defending 4/23rd Infantry who killed 58 PAVN and captured two wounded prisoners, three machine guns and five B-40 launchers for the loss of only eight wounded.[1]: 665
On 11 September the offensive against Tây Ninh was renewed when the 271st Regiment fired 200 mortar rounds at Firebase Buell II before launching an attack that was repulsed by the 3/22nd Infantry. PAVN/VC losses were nine killed, US losses were 17 wounded.[1]: 665 Shortly afterwards the D14 Battalion attacked three Regional/Popular Forces posts to the north of Tây Ninh, opening a route for the 271st Regiment into the city. The Province Chief called for assistance and the ARVN6th Airborne Battalion and an artillery battery were flown into the hamlet of Ven Ven on Highway 22, while the South Vietnamese2nd and 3rd Marine Battalions and another artillery battery were flown in to set up another firebase 8 km further east. On the evening of 11 September the ARVN 3rd Airborne Brigade and the 4th Marine Battalion were landed by helicopter in the northeast suburbs of Tây Ninh to clear the area. When the PAVN/VC withdrew the following morning they left 21 dead.[1]: 668–9
Also on 11 September a battalion from the 275th Regiment attacked the position of Company A, 1/5th Infantry, of the 25th Infantry Division on the west of the Bến Củi Plantation. The attack continued throughout the night and Companies B and C and Company B, 3/22nd Infantry were sent to support Company A. The PAVN/VC withdrew at dawn leaving 100 dead, US losses were three killed and 18 wounded.[1]: 669
On 12 September the PAVN 88th Regiment, attempted a repeat of the 25 August ambush on Highway 22, 3 km north of that ambush site. The targeted convoy comprised 19 vehicles from the48th Transportation Group including one M48 and an M113. The initial fire disabled a vehicle in the middle of the convoy and its crew and those of the following four vehicles dismounted and engaged the PAVN, while the front section drove north and the rear section pulled back from the ambush site. 25th Infantry Division M113s operating nearby quickly arrived at the ambush site as did helicopter gunships. The PAVN withdrew leaving 18 dead, while US losses were only one vehicle destroyed.[1]: 669–70
On 13 September, the 3rd Battalion, 272d Regiment attacked Firebase Buell II. After a 600-round mortar barrage the infantry attacked the base but were easily repulsed leaving 76 dead for no US losses. The VC retreated west taking refuge in a hamlet southwest of Tây Ninh where they were engaged late that day by the ARVN 2nd Airborne Battalion who killed 150 VC for the loss of nine dead and 17 wounded.[1]: 670
On 14 September, Company B, 4/23rd Infantry, engaged the 1st Battalion, 272nd Regiment 12 km east of Tây Ninh, killing 33 PAVN/VC. While patrolling Route 239 6 km west of Dầu Tiếng a 1/5th Infantry unit engaged a unit of the 275th Regiment killing 25 PAVN/VC.[1]: 670
Between 16 and 20 September, units from the 275th Regiment attacked 1/5th Infantry outposts in and around the Bến Củi Plantation losing more than 20 killed for no US losses. The 174th Regiment attacked units from the 4/23rd Infantry and the 3/22d Infantry near the Cau Khoi Plantation with no US losses.[1]: 670
After midnight on 20 September the 1st Battalion, 272nd Regiment, attacked a Regional Forces outpost in Phước Tân hamlet, 20 km west of Tay Ninh City, losing 35 killed in the brief assault. The 1st Marine Battalion was deployed to Phước Tân later that day to defend against any renewed assault. That evening the 271st Regiment attacked, the assault was repelled with air and artillery support, killing 128 VC with six captured. The ARVN 8th Airborne Battalion was also deployed to Phước Tân and on the night of 27 September the 272nd Regiment attacked again losing 150 killed.[1]: 670
On the morning of 19 August PAVN 7th Division mortar crews shelled the Lộc Ninh Special Forces Camp. At dawn the2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, was sent to locate the PAVN and that afternoon they engaged the 5th and 6th Battalions, 165th Regiment, in the rubber plantations southwest of Lộc Ninh in a running two day battle. PAVN losses were 32 dead and 20 captured, while US losses were four dead and 31 wounded, with two M113s destroyed.[1]: 655
On 20 August, the1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment was flown into Lộc Ninh to support the 2/11th ACR. Over the next four days the US forces engaged the 165th Regiment southwest of Lộc Ninh and then a battalion from the 320th Regiment northeast of Lộc Ninh, killing more than 200 PAVN for the loss of 12 US killed. On 25 August the PAVN units began withdrawing into their sanctuaries in Cambodia.[1]: 655
On the morning of 11 September renewed the offensive by mortaring Lộc Ninh Special Forces Camp and the 1/2nd Infantry's adjacent base. At dawn two companies from 1/2nd Infantry began a sweep east of Lộc Ninh to locate the mortar positions. The infantry companies were engaged by entrenched PAVN 2 km east of Lộc Ninh losing five killed and 10 wounded before withdrawing. The next morning the1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment was flown into Lộc Ninh and 3 companies were sent in separate columns towards Hill 222 (11°53′17″N106°37′44″E / 11.888°N 106.629°E /11.888; 106.629), 6 km north of the town.[3]: 228 Around midday the columns were engaged by a battalion size PAVN force which they were only able to overcome with air and artillery support and the arrival of Troop E 2/11th ACR killing 121 PAVN and capturing three individual and nine crew-served weapons. Meanwhile, Companies C and D, 1/2nd Infantry headed east again, finding the PAVN bunkers deserted before coming upon and even larger occupied bunker complex 5 km east of Lộc Ninh which they were unable to capture despite air and artillery support. On 13 September the PAVN attacked Companies C and D to cover the withdrawal of the rest of their unit. After repelling this attack Companies C and D pursued the PAVN further east and at 13:00 they engaged the fresh 4th Battalion, 320th Regiment. Troop E, 2/11th ACR was sent to support the 1/2nd Infantry and the PAVN disengaged. Also on 13 September at Hill 222 the 1/28th Infantry, got into position to assault the hill, while three companies from the2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment were landed in blocking positions east of the hill. At 13:00 as the helicopter carrying 1st Infantry Division commander MGKeith L. Ware flew in to observe the assault on Hill 222 it was hit by anti-aircraft fire 5 km south of Lộc Ninh and crashed killing all eight on board. The initial assault on Hill 222 was repulsed by intense PAVN fire and 1/28th Infantry was withdrawn to allow for more air and artillery preparation, but a follow-up attack was similarly repulsed and the PAVN launched their own counterattacks before the fighting ended as darkness fell. On the morning of 14 September, Companies B and C, 1/2nd Infantry, marched north to join the attack at Hill 222, but when the assault resumed later that day they found that the PAVN had abandoned the position overnight.[1]: 667–8
On the night of 21–22 August VC units attacked 75 targets acrossIV Corps (South Vietnam). Of those attacks, 39 were attacks by fire and only seven of the ground attacks involved more than a single company. AtBến Tre an assault by the 516th and 550th Battalions was repulsed by the ARVN. On 24 August, the 263rd and 514A Battalions assaulted a district headquarters in Mỹ Tho Province, but their mortar crews hit their own infantry when their mortar baseplates sank into swampy ground.[1]: 655
On the night of 21–22 August, 22 122-mm. rockets hit Saigon, in the first such attack for two months. 17 civilians were killed and 69 wounded. One of the rockets hit theNational Assembly building, causing severe damage.[1]: 655–6
On the night of 22–23 August, PAVN and VC attacked 36 bases, towns and cities across I Corps mainly with rocket and mortar fire. A VC sapper attack on Landing Zone Bowman (15°29′24″N108°25′37″E / 15.49°N 108.427°E /15.49; 108.427) in theQue Son Valley killed five US and wounded 26 while the VC lost only one killed and one captured.[3]: 65 In Đà Nẵng, a company from the R20 Battalion and a sapper platoon infiltratedForward Operating Base 4, a compound just south ofMarble Mountain Air Facility that contained aMilitary Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group headquarters, severalSpecial Forces teams and aMIKE Force company, killing 17 Special Forces soldiers (their largest one-day loss of the war) and wounding another 125 allied soldiers, 32 VC were killed.[1]: 656–7
At 01:00 on 23 August, the VC V25 and T89 Battalions tried to capture theCẩm Lệ Bridge, 2 km south of Da Nang Air Base to allow follow-on units to attack the city. A platoon ofUS Marine Corps (USMC) Company D,1st Military Police Battalion defended the bridge from their bunkers until they were relieved by the1st Battalion, 27th Marines and ARVN Rangers. North of the bridge, a company from the VC 402nd Sapper Battalion tried to seize theHòa Vang District, but were held back by Regional Force units who were also reinforced by Marines and Rangers. The 402nd Sappers fell back to the Cẩm Lệ Bridge, where they continued to fight for a further nine hours, but by late afternoon after air and artillery strikes they abandoned the position leaving 184 dead.[1]: 657 [4]: 376–80
South of Đà Nẵng, the ARVN2nd Division and two Ranger battalions with Marine air support repulsed probing attacks from the PAVN 31st and 38th Regiments, killing almost 300 PAVN before they withdrew to their bases on Go Noi Island.[1]: 657 [4]: 381
1st Marine Division commander MGCarl A. Youngdale ordered his units to block the retreat of the PAVN from Đà Nẵng inOperation Sussex Bay. At 08:15 on 29 August, Company M,3rd Battalion, 7th Marines engaged a PAVN force 4 km south ofHill 55. Company D1st Battalion, 1st Marines and Company G 2/27th Marines supported by tanks arrived to support the 3/7 Marines killing 42 PAVN for the loss of two Marines killed and 41 wounded. ARVN Rangers engaged a PAVN Battalion between the hamlets of Dong Lien and Ha Nong Tay (2) killing 80 PAVN for the loss of eight ARVN. Further south a PAVN platoon ambushed Company D,1st Battalion, 5th Marines near the Song Tinh Yen river killing 12 Marines and wounding 18 for the loss of 25 PAVN dead.[4]: 381–2
At midnight on 30 August, Company H2nd Battalion, 5th Marines ambushed a PAVN unit attempting to cross the Song Ky Lam river to Go Noi island killing 29 for no US losses. An ARVN Ranger unit swept the area later that day killing a further 31 PAVN/VC.[4]: 382
On 31 August, the ARVN 21st and 37th Ranger Battalions trapped a PAVN unit in a bend of the Song Ky Lam with the3rd Battalion, 5th Marines on the opposite bank killing 80 PAVN with one captured for the loss of seven ARVN dead and 45 wounded. At 20:00, Company H 2/5th Marines ambushed 30 PAVN as they attempted to cross the Song Ky Lam on boats, killing all on board.[4]: 382
On the morning of 24 August, patrols from Troop A,1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment engaged the 1st Regiment, 3rd Division 6 km west of Quảng Ngãi. Troops B and C of the 1/1st Cavalry and an infantry company from each of the4th Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment and the2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment were sent to support Troop A. After four days of fighting, the 1st Regiment withdrew west to its mountain bases leaving 567 dead.[1]: 657–8
On the morning of 18 August, a battalion from the 101D Regiment attackedDak Seang Camp in northwest Kon Tum Province. TheCIDG defenders repelled the assault, killing 35 PAVN and capturing 11. The following day, PAVN gunners hit the camp with mortar and recoilless rifle fire.[1]: 658
On 20 August, a battalion from the 24th Regiment assaulted an ARVN firebase on Highway 14 22 km north of Pleiku. The ARVN repelled the assault killing 87 PAVN for the loss of 9 ARVN dead.[1]: 658
On the night of 23–24 August, PAVN/VC artillery hit more than thirty locations across II Corps.[1]: 658
Also on the night of 23 August, the 66th Regiment and the 20th Sapper Battalion gathered near Duc Lap Camp in preparation for their attack on the base while the 320th Regiment established a blocking position on Highway 14 northeast of Duc Lap to intercept allied ground units. In the ensuingBattle of Duc Lap from 24 to 27 August the assault would be repelled for the loss of over 700 PAVN, 114 ARVN and 7 US killed.[1]: 658
By the end of August, the US claimed that the PAVN/VC had lost approximately 8,700 killed in the offensive. General Abrams told his subordinates on 24 August that "He’s [the PAVN/VC] a prisoner of his own damn strategy, and he can’t find a good way out. He can’t admit it–that’s impossible for him." Abrams correctly predicted that the PAVN/VC would stagger their attacks across the various fronts to keep the offensive going for as long as possible, but that their strategy was hopeless given their declining capabilities.[1]: 665–6
The US claimed that the PAVN/VC lost 16,578 soldiers in August and a further 13,163 in September, while US losses over the same period were over 700 dead and an unknown number of ARVN/Allied troops although not all of these were involved in the Phase III offensive.MACV regarded the offensive as a "dismal failure"[5] that had "foundered from the outset" indicating that the PAVN were approaching exhaustion.[1]: 672
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