FEB 23rd .
Quiet” at Khe Sanh meant the absence of North Vietnamese assaults, but there were constant patrol actions, sudden sightings of the enemy and incessant shelling. A few days ahead of Tet, the Vietnamese began using heavy artillery – 122 mm, 152 mm and 130 mm guns – for the first time in the war. Defenders became familiar with the pattern of the bombardments and adopted the "Khe Sanh shuffle,” a cover-run-duck technique to minimize dangers from the enemy artillery, rockets and mortars. Every day the defenders counted, and Lownds reported, the number of shells that hit allied positions. The record was 1,307 shells on Feb. 23. Through the entire month of March, the North Vietnamese sustained their bombardment at an average of 150 shells per day. Soon enough, bunker fatigue complemented the shuffle. North Vietnamese histories record that 243 fire missions were conducted during the high siege. They note expenditure of 9,423 rounds before the allies began their relief effort. S/F Ron
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