Which battle in 1968 saw US Marines besieged at a combat base for 77 days?

The Battle of Khe Sanh was the 1968 battle in which US Marines were besieged at Khe Sanh Combat Base for roughly 77 days. It became one of the most closely watched episodes of the Vietnam War.

The siege began on January 21, 1968, when North Vietnamese forces surrounded the Marine base in northwestern South Vietnam, near the demilitarized zone and the border with Laos. North Vietnamese artillery, rockets, and mortars struck the base repeatedly, while infantry units threatened the surrounding hills and supply routes.

US aircraft and artillery kept the garrison supplied and bombarded suspected North Vietnamese positions. Operation Niagara used extensive air power, while Operation Pegasus eventually opened an overland route to the base in early April. More than 270 US personnel were killed during the siege, and thousands were wounded, although casualty figures vary depending on how the wider fighting is counted.

The battle is often compared with the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu, but its strategic meaning remains debated. President Lyndon B. Johnson insisted that Khe Sanh be held, yet the base was evacuated and destroyed in June and July 1968 after the immediate siege had ended.