launched surprised attacks during the holiday known as tet. considering it as a turningen point in the vietnam war. next on reel america, saigon targets zero. a 20 minute film shot by vietnamese armed forces. to protect civilians and restore order ner the capitol city. some of this may be disturbing to some viewers. ♪

♪ at the end of january, 1968 saigon was alive as everyone prepared -- for the people of vietnam, tet is a joyous and sacred time of year. the first spring of the second republican of vietnam. -- from the ever present anxiety of war. and both gathered to pay respects to their ancestors. the new year and thousands of saigon families before their

ancestors. the traditional fire crackers of the celebration of war. the noisy celebration and the attack on saigon. [ inaudible ] >> the blazing inferno. >> block after block in the capital city burned with the fires of viet cong treachery. >> people fled and many fell victim. soldiers reacted quickly and --

>> seventh district of the capital. the saigon radio -- the intersection throughout the city. >> whenever the enemy appeared -- in of the terrorists

attempted to hide. the soldiers found them and brought them out. the enemy -- immediately deployed to help dislodge the viet cong. saigon radio station. >> the enemy set fire to the

building. the vietnamese airborne quickly on the scene and put out the plaz. -- blaze. these bodies are evidence of the miscalculation of the north vietnamese jets. credited to having tet offensive and the officers in 1954. times have changed. thousands of men taught the communist general a grim lesson.

it has been described as an all or nothing go for broke effort. ended in failure. ten communists dead for their desperate attempts. the combat soldiers entering the danger roous areas. called on people to remain calm.

everywhere in the city, running the government soldiers for protection. the soldiers lead them out to safety and refugee centers. -- came to the aid of the civilians wounded in the city. military and civilian ambulances helped the seriously wounded. among the real heros, was a firefighter squad. heavily populated areas covering the streets. each time, the squads had to be on hand to put out the fire and keep them from spreading.

me braised the flames in saigon. >> psychological warfare were on hand. using the loud speakers to tell people the truth about the attack and how they can best escape to safer areas. using the loud speakers to appeal to the enemy to lay down their arms and surrender. many responded to the call to s surrender. these prisoners had information

and the lack of morale and fighting spirit in their rank. they were forced to fight when their leaders killed they willingly surrendered to the government soldiers. as the battle progresses, the bodies littered the streets. piles of weapons were taken from the dead and defeated communist groups. this man, a lifelong resident of saigon, showed the soldiers the best way to surround them. filled with residents trying to save themselves. in a ammatter of hours the

homeless numbers rose to tens to thousands. on fourth day of the battle -- the heavily populated section. house to house fighting lasted for days. here, the army and the women and children of the area. evacuated the area.

the entire -- in a match for the battle group. many of these forced from their farms and villages to face what their superiors knew was certain death. >> hundreds rounded and bleeding were abandoned on the streets of

saigon by the viet cong. and provided medical care by both civilians and medical. many of the victims and the seven day battle in saigon. given medical care and food.

♪ here are some of the pri prisoners being interviewed by military correspondents. all the weapons captured here are from russia and -- ♪ >> thousands of families burned out of their home.

the government immediately launched a program to set up refugee camps in areas of the city. when the fire subsided, the residents returned and shuffled through ruins. many of them were born in the houses and now nothing left but ashes and memories. >> the homeless turned around dazed, confused and helpless.

troopers and marines flushing out the last of the commune yis and the city. relocating the homeless with they can receive food and medical attention. fathers and husbands are dead. here they are, helpless and their homes destroyed and possessions burned. the government has the

responsibility of caring for these orphans and widows as best they can while trying to prevent the communist from launching another devastating attack. teams began a disease prevention campaign especially amongst the refugees. religious and civic action organizations all over the world responded to the government's request for aide, food, medical supplies and clothing and poured into the refugee camps and distributed to the victims. truck after truck carrying water in to outlying areas to help get it back on its feet.

the food in the camp was simple but nourishing. children are children even in refugee camps. they play and have recreation. as a health measure, beginning to collect the mounds of garbage and debris that pile up on the streets.

the refuges were loaded on a truck. the people of saigon cleaned up the city and begun to rebuild. bashed wire and barricades given way to traffic typical of the big city. >> life is returning to normal. the citizens of saigon will never forget how the communists shattered with some devastation and violence. ♪ c-span, where history

unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television companies and today we continue to bring you unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court and public policy events in washington, d.c. and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. >> the war in vietnam lasted for 17 years starting in 1955. but in 1968, the north vietnamese and the viet cong launched the tet offensive and the south vietnamese with the u.s. troops responded and the u.s. added more troops and increased spending. other the next several hours, "american history tv" is going to talk about that transforming year of 1968 and how it changed u.s. politics and public opinion which lead to ending the war.

followed by a film about the tet offensive made by south vietnamese armed forces at the time of the military drive. this is some of the "american history tv" programming normally seen weekends here on c-span 3. we're able to show it to you this week while congress is on its august break. >> this week on "american history tv" on c-span 3. watch the first of the nine part series 1968, america in turmoil. each night we look back 50 years to that year and starting tonight we'll discuss the vietnam war. on tuesday, a look at the presidential campaign of that year. wednesday, civil rights and race relations. thursday, a discussion on liberal politics. friday, conservative politics. saturday, women's rights. watch 1968, america in turmoil this week at 8:00 p.m. eastern

on "american history tv" on c-span 3 and all nine programs available on spotify as a podcast or watch on c-span.org on the page. >> a supreme court justice are expected in september and senators likely to question him about roe versus wade. on tuesday 8:00 p.m. eastern, c-span's landmark cases presents an in-depth look of roe versus wade and a court reporting discussing the issue. >> 1968 considering a turning point in the vietnam war. c-span produced a detailed look in america in turmoil covering the major military, political