why was vietnam war called the first television war

This early attack allowed allied forces some time to prepare defensive measures.

The offensive was launched prematurely in the early morning hours of 30 January in large parts of the I and II Corps Tactical Zones of South Vietnam. The purpose of the wide-scale offensive by the Hanoi Politburo was to trigger political instability, in a belief that mass armed assault on urban centers would trigger defections and rebellions. The name is the truncated version of the Lunar New Year festival name in Vietnamese, Tết Nguyên Đán, with the offense chosen during a holiday period as most ARVN personnel were on leave.

It was a campaign of surprise attacks against military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched the attack on January 30, 1968, against the forces of the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the United States Armed Forces and their allies. The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. Trần Văn Trà reports (Phase One and Two):Ĭivilian: 14,300 killed, 24,000 wounded, and 630,000 refugees and South Vietnam military victory (see aftermath for details and long-term consequences)ġ23 aircraft destroyed, 214 heavily damaged and 215 medium damaged

Why was vietnam war called the first television war