By January 10, the Marines at Khe Sanh had dug firing positions next to their above-ground tents and bunkers and were busy improving their barbed-wire defenses and minefields. Helmets, flak jackets and gas masks became mandatory wear when the North Vietnamese began regularly shelling the base with artillery. Within the next week, some 1,000 reinforcements were inserted into the base, as more patrol contacts were made with enemy forces. On January 20, a surrendering NVA lieutenant revealed that the base would be attacked that night.

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Just after midnight a barrage of mortars, rockets and artillery broke over the firebase on Hill 861. The fire strike gave way to a ground attack of some 300 North Vietnamese Army troops, who opened a 75-meter-wide gap through the perimeter wire in heavy fog. The attackers penetrated to the helicopter pad at the center of the compound, but were then hit by a counterattack supported by mortar fire from Hill 881S. A second assault followed, and the Marines used flares, tear gas and hand-to-hand combat to drive off the enemy. Only minutes after the attack on Hill 861, the North Vietnamese launched a barrage against the main base. A 122mm rocket hit the combat base ammunition and fuel dump. The 1,500 tons of ammunition produced a massive explosion that spewed tear gas and hot, unexploded rounds all over the base. Shortly after­ward, the NVA attacked the village of Khe Sanh, which it took later the same day.

The shelling had destroyed 98 percent of the ammunition stocks on the Khe Sanh base, killed 18 Marines and wounded 40. The runway was cut to 2,000 feet of useable length, and one helicopter was destroyed. Six helicopter parking revetments that adjoined the runway also were destroyed. When asked to report on the situation, Colonel Lownds replied that it was “critical, to say the least.” Lownds estimated that he would need a resupply of 160 tons per day to maintain his position. Within the base itself, the defenses were hurriedly reinforced and the tents and above-ground structures gave way to trenches and dug-in bunkers. The siege of Khe Sanh had begun and would continue for 77 days, lasting until April 8, 1968.

A daily routine began to evolve. Each morning the base was shelled as daylight approached. Random bombardments of rockets, mortars and artillery continued throughout the day. Once night fell, a creeping barrage started on the west end of the runway and worked its way eastward. The number of rounds fired daily ranged from fewer than 100 to several hundred. Any major activity on the base, such as landing aircraft or construction, brought down immediate fire.

The North Vietnamese Army sited heavy mortars and 122mm rockets in the deep foliage surrounding Khe Sanh on all sides, including Hill 881N. They had 130mm and 152mm artillery positioned in caves in the mountains of Laos some 15 miles away. The big guns rolled out of the caves to fire and then withdrew into them to avoid counter-battery fire or air attack. The guns in Laos were beyond the range the U.S. artillery and were never silenced during the course of the siege. The Marines on the base had five to 18 seconds’ warning for most incoming artillery rounds. If a mortar was sighted as it fired, they had up to 22 seconds, but there was no warning except the sound of the incoming round if the firing was not sighted.

Fully reinforced after the January 21 attacks, Khe Sanh had 6,500 troops including those in the overlooking hills. The force consisted of five Marine battalions, one ARVN ranger battalion and assorted support elements. The base’s 21 vehicles included a few tanks and 10 M-50 Ontos antitank vehicles. The Marines had six 4.2-inch mortars, 18 105mm howitzers, six 155mm howitzers and 90 106mm recoilless rifles—which included the 60 mounted on Ontos. The artillery could initiate counter-battery fire against an incoming round’s firing position within 40 seconds. The base was also covered by artillery fire from the 16 M-107 self-propelled 175mm guns at the Rockpile and Camp Carroll.

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