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The assault included air attacks as well, with North Vietnamese MiG-17s hitting American bases with bombs and rockets. Despite having the advantage of surprise, the attacks did little damage, and eight MiGs were lost to American defenses.<ref>''MiG-17 Units of the Vietnam War'', by Istvan Toperczer, Osprey Publishing, 2000</ref>
The assault included air attacks as well, with North Vietnamese MiG-17s hitting American bases with bombs and rockets. Despite having the advantage of surprise, the attacks did little damage, and eight MiGs were lost to American defenses.<ref>''MiG-17 Units of the Vietnam War'', by Istvan Toperczer, Osprey Publishing, 2000</ref>
The operation was a military failure for North. The Vietcong lost half their army and had to pull out of the battle, leaving only the North Vietnamese army. Yet, thanks in large part to willful misreporting by [[Walter Cronkite]] (see [[Liberal bias in media]]), it was a public relations victory. Despite the North's enormous, overwhelming losses, the result was that the American public became convinced that the North was unbeatable.<ref>[The] Tet Offensive was launched, and despite attacks on some 155 cities, villages and hamlets across South Vietnam, the communists got hammered. It is generally accepted, based on admissions from the North Vietnamese communists since the end of the war, that more than half of all communist forces were killed in action in this period, not including the numbers wounded or captured.[http://mavericknewsnetwork.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/05/index.html]</ref>
The operation was a military failure for North. The Vietcong lost half their army and had to pull out of the battle, leaving only the North Vietnamese army, and left enough casualties that General Giap later recounted in memoirs that NVA nearly considered requesting surrender.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20090723024009/http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Camp/7624/Generals/giap.htm</ref> Yet, thanks in large part to willful misreporting by [[Walter Cronkite]] (see [[Liberal bias#Liberal bias in media|Liberal bias in media]]), it was a public relations victory. Despite the North's enormous, overwhelming losses, the result was that the American public became convinced that the North was unbeatable.<ref>[The] Tet Offensive was launched, and despite attacks on some 155 cities, villages and hamlets across South Vietnam, the communists got hammered. It is generally accepted, based on admissions from the North Vietnamese communists since the end of the war, that more than half of all communist forces were killed in action in this period, not including the numbers wounded or captured.[http://mavericknewsnetwork.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/05/index.html]</ref> Cronkite's misreporting on Tet was also suspected to be one of the reasons why [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] ultimately ended up not pursuing reelection.<ref>http://www.iancfriedman.com/?p=383</ref> Ironically, it was also because of the earlier bias from the Western press, in particular ''[[The New York Times]]'', that caused the NVA to undergo the Tet Offensive in the first place, being filled with overconfidence that they would cause the entire South Vietnamese to embrace Communism and go against Capitalism and Saigon.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20111017152729/http://bigpeace.com/smandel/2010/09/29/the-truth-about-vietnam-correcting-the-record-on-tet/</ref>
In ''Crossroads of Modern Warfare,'' Drew Middleton writes, “The North Vietnamese regulars and the Viet Cong guerrillas were defeated utterly on the battlefield. Granted the American superiority at that time, there is at least the probability that North Vietnam forces could have been destroyed.”
In ''Crossroads of Modern Warfare,'' Drew Middleton writes, “The North Vietnamese regulars and the Viet Cong guerrillas were defeated utterly on the battlefield. Granted the American superiority at that time, there is at least the probability that North Vietnam forces could have been destroyed.”
Donald Bishop wrote:
Donald Bishop wrote:
:Nonetheless, the Tet offensive was a turning point in the war, and the North Vietnamese were successful in altering the course of [[Vietnam War|the war]] far beyond the accomplishments of their army. The American people were shocked that the Vietcong/ [[North Vietnamese Army]] (VC/NV A) possessed the strength to make the widespread strikes. In the public clamor that followed, President [[Lyndon Johnson]] announced a bombing halt and withdrew from the 1968 Presidential race. The policy of Vietnamization was launched, and many Americans concluded that the war was too costly to pursue.<ref>[http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1978/nov-dec/bishop.html The Press and the TET Offensive]</ref>
:Nonetheless, the Tet offensive was a turning point in the war, and the North Vietnamese were successful in altering the course of [[Vietnam War|the war]] far beyond the accomplishments of their army. The American people were shocked that the Vietcong/ [[North Vietnamese Army]] (VC/NV A) possessed the strength to make the widespread strikes. In the public clamor that followed, President [[Lyndon Johnson]] announced a bombing halt and withdrew from the 1968 Presidential race. The policy of Vietnamization was launched, and many Americans concluded that the war was too costly to pursue.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030310081110/http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1978/nov-dec/bishop.html The Press and the TET Offensive]</ref>
Despite this, however, the majority of Americans still supported the war effort, with a Harris poll conducted in 1969, a year after Tet, revealing that only fewer than ten percent wanted to pull out of South Vietnam if it meant a Communist victory. In addition, the landslide re-election of [[Richard Nixon]] in 1972 is attributed to his policy of peace with honor.
Despite this, however, the majority of Americans still supported the war effort, with a Harris poll conducted in 1969, a year after Tet, revealing that only fewer than ten percent wanted to pull out of South Vietnam if it meant a Communist victory. In addition, the landslide re-election of [[Richard Nixon]] in 1972 is attributed to his policy of peace with honor.
==See also==
==See also==
* [[Terrorism]]
* [[Terrorism]]
* [[Fourth generation warfare]]
* [[Fourth generation warfare]]