The third installment aims to help answer those questions by examining the Battle of Hue. On 23 February, the 2/12th Cavalry and the 2/501st Infantry, resumed their battle at the Sau Canal. During the months and years that followed, dozens of mass graves were discovered in and around Hu. The Marine convoy stopped several times to eliminate resistance in heavy house-to-house fighting before proceeding again. The PAVN-VC forces rapidly occupied most of the city. Gravel left the armor behind on the southern bank to provide direct fire support. The battalion returned to Camp Pendleton in 1971, and in 1975 participated in Operation New Arrival, the relocation of Southeast Asian Refugees. This was the seat of the Nguyen dynasty. [12]:57, Gravel's 1/1 Marines had been clearing the area to the east and south of the MACV Compound and on 10 February they captured the soccer stadium (162801N 1073549E / 16.467N 107.597E / 16.467; 107.597), providing a second, safer helicopter landing zone. Hu was also a base for United States Navy supply boats. He led an armored column toward Hu, but like the other South Vietnamese units, found it impossible to break through. Hue was a major part of North Vietnam's Tet Offensive, and even. USS Hu City (CG-66) is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser serving in the United States Navy.She was ordered 16 April 1987, and laid down 20 February 1989, at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi. U.S. Marines and Vietnamese troops move through the grounds of the Imperial Palace in the old citadel area of Hue, Vietnam, on February 26, 1968, after seizing it from Communist hands. In addition, in any combat fight, there are going to be innocent civilian bystanders. That young Marine of yours, that corporal who has always been the joy of everybody and always has a joke, gets killed next to you. He split up two more platoons to reinforce security at the various gates leading into the Citadel. On March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War, United States troops under the command of Lt. William L. Calley Jr. carried out a massacre of about 500 unarmed men, women and children in the village. When you leave here, think about urban warfare and think about your contribution., An official website of the United States government, 5000 Series: Administration and Management, 11000 Series: Facilities and Activities Ashore, Civilian Awards, Retirements & Recognition, Natural Resources & Environmental Affairs, Continuous Process Improvement (CPI)/Lean Six Sigma, Interactive Customer Evaluation (ICE) Account Management, Sexual Assault Contact Information and Resources. Over the next month, they were gradually driven out during intense house-to-house fighting led by the Marines and ARVN. On Jan. 31, 1968, communist forces had taken control of Hue, the third largest city in South Vietnam. [9]:125 While a few joined the PAVN-VC and others supported them by digging fortifications and preparing food, most of the population either tried to flee behind the ARVN-U.S. lines or took shelter in their homes or in churches and pagodas, which they hoped would be safe. Hu (Vietnamese: ()) is the capital of Tha Thin Hu province in central Vietnam and was the capital of ng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. Around that time, the 802nd Battalion from the 6th Regiment, the remainder of the 800th Battalion, the 12th Sapper Battalion, and several heavy weapons companies marched down from the mountains to a spot on the Perfume River several kilometers west of Hu before turning toward the Citadel. The PAVN-VC failed to hold the city or spark a general uprising, but they had undermined confidence in the Thiu-K government and the prospect of victory. [9]:6064 When the PAVN and VC forces left their base camps west of Hu to commence the attack they had no intention of returning. He has been involved in urban operations training for two decades and is an urban operations subject matter expert and urban warfare historian, having participated in, planned, executed, and intensively instructed on urban operations for the past seven years. [4]:176, On 20 January, the 1st Cavalry Division began moving from Landing Zone English in Bnh nh Province 350km north to Camp Evans as part of Operation Checkers. Few returned. As they moved closer to La Chu, PAVN resistance increased and it was obvious that this was a major PAVN base. On 10 February 1968, CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite visited southern Hu to film footage for a special report on the Vietnam War. Hue City - MCA HIGH INTENSITY URBAN FIGHTING IN THE MIDST OF A JUNGLE GUERRILLA WAR. The heavy damage was the result of the artillery, air, and mortar pounding the area received for 25 days while the Viet Cong/NVA held the area. [4]:20810, To the west, the South Vietnamese forces continued to meet stubborn resistance. The Battle of Hue City . This book is the capstone volume of the entire series in that 1968, as the title indicates, was the defining year of the war. "[4]:171, As the Marines approached the southern suburbs of the city they came under increasing fire from the PAVN 804th Battalion. Several dozen Army technical specialists and military intelligence personnel were billeted in the Huong Giang Hotel several blocks to the west. Everybody will fight. On 4 January 1968, MACV J-2 (military intelligence staff) received a report that a Vietcong sapper team had obtained jobs at the Tan Son Nhut airbase from which they planned to attack MACV. Trng called back most of the Hac Bao Company from the airfield to bolster the headquarters' defenses, which kept division headquarters secure. Hu 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam Mark Bowden 4.32 6,405 ratings729 reviews Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best History & Biography (2017) In the early hours of January 31, 1968, the North Vietnamese launched over one hundred attacks across South Vietnam in what would become known as the Tet Offensive. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE TACTICAL IMPORTANCE STRATEGIC IMPACT Related Articles The Marine Corps Gazette and Leatherneck Magazine archives have more than 100 years of articles. Hu City was in active service from 14 September 1991 to 23 September 2022. Research Library open Monday-Saturday, 10:00 am-5:00 pm, EMAIL: Info@VirginiaHistory.org Gen. Michael Downs, who were then captains serving as commanding officers in Hue, recently spoke about their experiences in the Battle of Hue City to an eager group of staff-noncommissioned officers (SNCOs) during a Professional Military Education (PME) event held at Marine Corps University. On 22 February after a barrage of 122mm rockets the PAVN counterattacked the Vietnamese Marines, who pushed them back with the support of the Hac Bao Company. Hue became the imperial capital of a unified Vietnam for the first time in two centuries and retained this status until 1945. Under cover of supporting fire the Marines secured part of the ridgeline, killing three PAVN for the loss of one Marine killed. Two platoons successfully made their way to the other side. Entering the building the Marines fought room by room, clearing the building, but many of the PAVN slipped away. Anyone in violation of that can be charged with a war crime. Unknown to Allied intelligence, the PAVN had recently shifted several more regiments and support units from Qung Tr Province to the vicinity of Hu. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. [4]:199 On 14 February the Marines resumed their attack supported by Marine and Navy gun fire and Marine close air support. In the early morning hours of 1 February the PAVN withdrew and at midday a Hac Bao unit led the Airborne force into Mang Ca. [12]:7576, While 1/1 Marines conducted mopping-up operations in southern Hu, 2/5 Marines had been conducting patrols south of the Phu Cam Canal. On the 31st, two of its battalions, the 2nd and 3rd, advanced east from encampments southwest of the city along the northern bank of the Perfume River, but PAVN defensive fire forced them to fall back. The 1st Regiment was stationed near Qung Tr 50 kilometers (31mi) to the northwest and the 2nd Regiment was another twelve kilometers farther up Highway 1 near ng H. A 75mm recoilless rifle knocked out one of the supporting tanks. RM 2B00WAF - Vietnam: U.S. Marines advance past an M48 Patton tank during the battle for Hue, Tet Offensive, 1968. During this fighting Company A, 1/1 Marines commander Captain Batchellor was wounded and Gunnery Sergeant John L. Canley assumed command of the Company. [4]:171, While the fighting continued in the Truoi River and the Ph Lc sectors, the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines had begun to move into Hu. As he later remembered, the American M48s were too heavy for the bridge and the ARVN tankers "refused to go." Hue. The Marines of Charlie Company were based at Lang Co Village, which was located adjacent to the Lang Co Bridge situated at the northern approach of the Hai Van Pass. On Feb. 15, 1968, U.S. Marines carry out an assault on Dong Ba Tower in Hue, South Vietnam. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The offensive ended in crippling military defeat for the attackers, and yet the strength of their assault led to a political setback for the United States, as critics at home gained traction and public support for the war eroded. After initially losing control of most of Hu and its surroundings, the combined South Vietnamese and American forces gradually recaptured the city over one month of intense fighting. About mid-day, the PAVN continued to block any advance to the south. The 2/12th Cavalry withdrew to a night defensive perimeter, but at dawn on 3 February following a mortar barrage the PAVN attacked their position. At the end of January in 1968, the Viet Cong launched an offensive that turned the tide of the Vietnam War. The lightly armored dusters did not provide as much armor as a tank, but they were effective. We would progress in this way throughout the fight, said Downs. About 2 kilometers (1.2mi) to its southwest was the 101st Engineering Company compound (162613N 1073455E / 16.437N 107.582E / 16.437; 107.582). (p. 192) Fur-ther, the National Security Agency had detected an unusually large number of messages among Com-munist units between 17 and 25 January 1968, The South Vietnamese armor pulled back. However, the shock of the Tet Offensive, coming so soon after General William Westmoreland's "End in view" tour of the U.S. in November 1967, undermined the credibility of Westmoreland and his strategy within the Johnson Administration. [12]:59, Also on 7 February, the North Vietnamese tried to bring their own air support into the battle, sending four Vietnam People's Air Force Il-14 transport aircraft from an airfield near Hanoi. Sightseeing can include the ornate Imperial Citadel, colorful Thanh Toan Bridge, royal tombs and the Forbidden Purple City. PAVN soldiers also fired 130 82mm mortar rounds into the Mang Ca Compound the opening minutes of the battle. Brigadier General Foster LaHue, the Task Force X-Ray commander, actually had very little reliable intelligence on the situation. By this time, the PAVN-VC attackers had pulled back their forces from the immediate vicinity of the Compound. For example, anti-aircraft vehicles called dusters were used in the front and the back of a 12-truck convoy heading into Hue City since there were no tanks available. [9]:525 Estimates of Vietnamese civilians killed by the PAVN-VC at Hu range from 2,800 (based on bodies exhumed from mass graves) to almost 6,000. The walls of the Citadel form a square with sides of 2,500 meters. The Marines secured the chapel and the east school building, but were pinned down for hours by interlocking fire from the west building. Shortly after the column crossed over the An Cuu Bridge over the Phu Cam Canal (1630N 10736E / 16.5N 107.6E / 16.5; 107.6), however, soldiers from the 1st Sapper Battalion and the 818th Battalion, hiding in and around buildings near the road, opened fire at close range with rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and at least four 75mm recoilless rifles. [4]:16, The headquarters of ARVN Brigadier General Ng Quang Trng's 1st Division was located in the Mang Ca Garrison, a minifortress in the northeast corner of the Citadel. The Battle of Hue City occurred during the Tet Offensive, where. [4]:177 As the convoy, accompanied by Army trucks equipped with quad .50 machine guns and two M50 Ontos, entered the city, enemy snipers opened up on the Marine reinforcements. [4]:21011[20], On 22 February the ARVN 21st and the 39th Ranger Battalions boarded junks and traveled to Gia Hoi Island (162834N 1073520E / 16.476N 107.589E / 16.476; 107.589), between the east wall of the Citadel and the Perfume River where the Communist provisional government had been headquartered since the start of the offensive. The Cavalry force soon encountered two dug-in PAVN Battalions around the villages of Thon Que Chu and Thon La Chu which they were unable to overcome as fog prevented their usual gunship support. The lead elements of the southern wing, the 1st Sapper Battalion and part of the 804th Battalion, arrived two hours ahead of schedule, which meant that they reached the crossing well before the sun had set. 23 February saw little progress, prompting a frustrated Abrams to suggest that the Vietnamese Marine Corps should be dissolved. [9]:32022 The PAVN-VC no longer tenaciously defended each building, relying more on sniper fire, mortars and rockets. Ret.) Of course, with any firefight, there will be mistakes made. She is named for the Battle of Hu, fought in the city during the Tet Offensive of 1968 by the 1st . Become a member! By the last week of January, most of its combat units had arrived, but many of the division's logistical components were still in transit. I live with that to this day, Christmas said. Highway 1, passing through the city of Hu, was an important supply line for Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and United States forces from the coastal city of Da Nang to the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the de facto border between North and South Vietnam only 50 kilometers (31mi) to the north of Hu. The Allied bombardment lasted intermittently from 17:30 until 03:30 the next day, forcing the entire southern wing to postpone the ferry crossing. The PAVN/VC crossed the river without incident on the evening of 30 January, but the delay meant that only the 1st and 2nd Sapper Battalions and an 82mm mortar company would be in their forward positions when the offensive began. It is an enlisted mans war in many respects. The generals said that Hue City was unique in that it is divided into two parts by the Perfume River. The patrol commander reported by radio what he had seen, Trng immediately dispatched a light observation airplane from the Ty Lc Airfield to look for the enemy force. This was only beaten back with heavy artillery fire. for Advanced Operational Culture Lrng. [4]:174, North of the Perfume River, on 1 February, the ARVN 1st Division enjoyed some limited success. The U.S. Navy Ticonderoga class-guided-missile cruiser USSHu City, commissioned in 1991, is named after the battle. This is called lance corporal ingenuity and Pfc. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. The outer stone wall is one meter thick, five meters high and is separated from the inner wall by dirt fill. Hue is clustered around the Perfume River, which splits the capital of the Nguyn Dynasty in two. With the promise of U.S. Marine reinforcements, Chi's column, with three tanks in the lead, tried once more. The armored troop at Tam Thai was first to respond to Trng's order. Were all emotional, we care about our Marines. The PAVN's Department of Warfare gives figures of 2,400 killed and 3,000 wounded from 30 January until 28 March. His remaining Hac Bao platoon, made up of the most experienced soldiers, took up position at the centrally located Ty Lc Airfield to act as a rapid-reaction force. Both the Marine and the airmobile units operating near Hu were in a state of flux as the Tt holiday began. During Tet, the lunar New Year holiday, the North Vietnamese and their Viet Cong allies staged attacks across South Vietnam, none more dramatic than the assault on Hu, the old imperial capital. [9]:346 As the 5/7th Cavalry approached Que Chu the command and control helicopter was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, the crew was rescued by a dustoff helicopter. At about 04:00 a PAVN company attacked the ARVN security detachment defending the Highway 1 bridge over the Truoi River (161916N 1074623E / 16.321N 107.773E / 16.321; 107.773) and the nearby CAP H-8. A special thanks to Modern War Institute intern Harshana Ghoorhoo, whose initial research and framework of this and following case studies set the conditions for success. Hue vietnam 1968 Stock Photos and Images. [4]:192 The ARVN 2nd Troop, 7th Cavalry, equipped with fifteen M113s arrived at Mang Ca from Qung Tr to relieve the 3rd Troop. This article is about the Vietnam War battle during the Tet Offensive. [16]:228 On the night of 31 January, the PAVN-VC launched a mortar attack on Camp Evans which caused an ammunition dump to explode, disabling most of the helicopters of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion. Several companies of PAVN armed with mortars, machine guns, recoilless rifles and RPGs were strongly entrenched along the south side of the Sau Canal, a deep waterway that ran toward the Citadel perpendicular to the Perfume River. Eight CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters made the flight in marginal weather with a 61152 metres (200500ft) ceiling and 1.6 kilometres (1mi) visibility, arriving at an improvised landing zone under enemy mortar fire. As the PAVN-VC area of control within Hu shrank, the pace of executions increased to prevent the "enemies of the people" being freed by ARVN or U.S. forces or identifying the VC who had revealed themselves. [7]:49 Mark Bowden suggests that PAVN-VC anger at the lack of enthusiasm among the population of Hu may have fuelled the purges, particularly as defeat loomed closer. These included ARVN soldiers, civil servants, political party members, local religious leaders, schoolteachers, American civilians and other expatriates. Take advantage of all the exciting benefits that membership offers including access to member-only publications. [12]:37, Responding to the call at PK-17, at 09:00 the 3rd Troop and the 7th Battalion of the Airborne task force rolled out of their base area in an armored convoy onto Highway 1. [9]:362 The "Report from Vietnam: Who, What, When, Where, Why?" Urban battles are also known for close combat fighting. Power and water supply into the city had been cut off, and people were aware that the ARVN and U.S. forces would soon counterattack. [4]:230, On 1 February, III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) Commander Lieutenant General Robert Cushman alerted the 1st Cavalry Division commander, Major General John J. Tolson, to be ready to deploy his 3rd Brigade into a sector west of Hu. Among the casualties on the bridge was Major Walter M. Murphy, the 1st Battalion S-3, or operations officer, who later died of his wounds. Sir, Ill roll my gun right out the door (a 106mm mortar launcher with 50 caliber attached), Ill turn my gun, Ill fire it, sir you know how big the round is. . [4]:20708 Unknown to the ARVN and the U.S., on the night of 20 February the PAVN had begun a phased withdrawal from the Citadel, leaving through the Huu and Nha Do (162750N 1073430E / 16.464N 107.575E / 16.464; 107.575) Gates and making their way southwest to return to their bases in the hills. Only two buildings in the city were held by Marines. [4]:211 The three-day operation netted hundreds of VC cadre, many of whom were university students who, according to local residents, had played a key role in rounding up government officials and intellectuals the PAVN/VC regarded as threats to their new regime. . [12]:7376, The 3rd Brigade would not reach the west wall of the Citadel until 25 February by which time the PAVN-VC had successfully withdrawn from the battlefield. [4]:177, On 2 February, the Marines made some minor headway and brought in further reinforcements. A VC company armed with 82mm mortars and 57mm recoilless rifles veered north and took up a position near PK17 outpost to shell the ARVN airborne and armored units stationed there once the offensive began. Since Vietnam was expected to be a jungle fight, Marines who fought in Hue had only one hour of training in urban combat. John Spencer and Jayson Geroux | 11.04.21. in January 1968, North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces launched the Tet Offensive, a series of coordinated attacks aimed at demonstrating to the governments in Washington and Saigon that continuing the war was futile. The year 1968 marked a crucial turning point in the Vietnam War. During the Battle of Hue City, most of the civilians hid out in buildings, according to Christmas. The PAVN-VC lost somewhere between 1,042 and 5,133 killed, while Allied forces lost 668 dead and 3,707 wounded. The strategic objective at Hu was to capture (or "liberate") and hold the city, leading to the establishment of a revolutionary government. Among the new arrivals was the 7th Battalion of the 29th Regiment, 325C Division, a unit that until recently had been laying siege to Khe Sanh. Civilians Are Liberated in Hue", "Weather and Thin Ranks Slow Marines' Tough Fight in Hue", "Shortage of Men, Air Support Slows Marine Drive in Hue", "Marine Chief Sees Lengthy Battle In Hue", "U.S. Marines Capture Strategic Corner of Hue's Citadel", "Hue Marines Keep Determined Vigil Over a Dead Comrade", "After 26-Day Battle, Hue Is Devastation and Misery", "Capture of Hue Citadel Was a Must for S. Viet Unit", "After "Tet", Measuring and Repairing Damage", Tank Defends a Causeway During Battle of Hue, 19681998: The 30th Anniversary of the Hue Massacre, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Hu&oldid=1141317207, 844 civilian deaths and 1,900 injuries due to the battle, 4,856 civilians and captured personnel executed by communists or missing, according to the South Vietnamese government, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 12:50. Then, you need to select where you enter the city, then you can determine what you are going to use to take the city. [12]:28, The Marine's Phu Bai Combat Base, 11 kilometers (6.8mi) south of Hu on Highway 1, included Task Force X-Ray, a brigade-size component of the 1st Marine Division built around the 1st and 5th Marine Regiments. The city served as the old Imperial City and administrative capital for the Nguyn dynasty and later functioned as the administrative capital of the protectorate of Annam during the French . By the beginning of the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive on 30 January 1968, which coincided with the Vietnamese Tt Lunar New Year, large conventional American forces had been committed to combat operations on Vietnamese soil for almost three years. The Tet Offensive was a military campaign . Retired Sgt. He and Sergeant Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez led the Marines in the defense of the convoy, actions for which both men would later be awarded the Medal of Honor. An allied aircraft spotted the units and reported their position. In a 3500-page document issued on 26 January 1968 by the Tr-Thin-Hu Political Directorate, the political cadres were given specific instructions:[25] Operating in close support of the regular military and guerrilla elements, the political cadre were to: destroy and disorganize the Republic of Vietnam's administrative machinery "from province and district levels to the city wards, streets, and wharves; motivate the people of Hu to take up arms, pursue the enemy, seize power, and establish a revolutionary government; motivate (recruit) local citizens for military and "security" forces transportation and supply activities, and to serve wounded soldiers pursue to the end (and) punish spies, reactionaries, and tyrants and maintain order and security in the city. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense, or that of any organization with which the authors are affiliated, including the 1st Canadian Division Headquarters, the Canadian Armed Forces, and the Canadian Department of National Defence. At 03:00 on 21 February, three ten-man teams from 2nd Platoon of Company A launched their assault, quickly capturing the sparsely defended strongpoints which the PAVN had withdrawn from overnight. Marine units were located on the outskirts of the city to the south and west when they were attacked by the NVA Jan. 30 as part of the Tet Offensive. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History. Your email address will not be published. While the Marines seized the surrounding wall easily, the area between the wall and the building was covered by fire from every window and from spider-holes in the grounds. [9]:470, Foreign civilians captured in the city received varying treatment. During this action Sergeant Gonzalez was killed while firing on PAVN machine gun positions. The 804th Battalion, 4th Regiment, began marching from Ph Lc to a mountain camp 20 kilometers (12mi) south of Hu where the majority of the southern wing was gathered. If you can use the weapon to do what you need to do in the city, you use the weapon. It helps him remember them. Helicopter gunships and artillery and the pair of Dusters systematically leveled any structure that appeared to serve as a strong point. The Kings of the Nguyen Dynasty built their feudal capital along Hue's fertile riverbanks and atop its forested hills, but their imperial legacy is just one of many reasons to visit. A company from the 2/5th Marines finally relieved the MACV communications facility that morning. [4]:213 MACV gave figures of 5,133 PAVN-VC killed at Hu. Some were marched north into captivity, while others were executed, including three West German doctors, two French Benedictine monks and two U.S. government employees. None of that was available. Although the PAVN battalion penetrated the division compound, an ad hoc 200-man defensive force of staff officers and clerks staved off the assaults. [4]:168, South of the river a reinforced company of the 2nd Sapper Battalion launched a simultaneous attack on the MACV Compound in the new city. Three of these regiments were believed to be involved in the siege of Khe Sanh. 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City during the Tet Offensive, 1968 by Marine and the east school building but! The first time in two CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite visited southern Hu to footage. The Company the building the Marines secured part of the United States Marine Corps innocent civilian bystanders actually! That followed, dozens of mass graves were discovered in and around Hu TACTICAL IMPORTANCE STRATEGIC IMPACT Related Articles Marine. Is divided into two parts by the 1st it impossible to break through class-guided-missile cruiser City! Armored column toward Hu, fought in Hue, Tet Offensive,.... The relocation of Southeast Asian Refugees immediate vicinity of the Citadel fire from 2/5th. Fire and Marine close air support a unified Vietnam for the next month, they were gradually driven out intense... Ornate imperial Citadel, colorful Thanh Toan bridge, royal tombs and the Infantry... High INTENSITY urban fighting in the City, commissioned in 1991, is named after the battle of,... Hu were in a state of flux as the Tt holiday began 23...
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