[9]:519. Their objective was to capture the Mang Ca Garrison. A 40-man assault team that was tasked with attacking Mang Ca through a sewer found the entrance blocked and moved around to assault the Huu Gate (162758N 1073405E / 16.466N 107.568E / 16.466; 107.568) at the southwest corner of the Citadel; they were engaged by an ARVN machine gun and lost 24 men before seizing their objective. Michael Bowden's new history Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam pulls off a rare feat: it takes a conflict of terrible scale and consequence, and allows us to see it. Cntr. ", Those identified by the PAVN-VC were initially marched out of the city for "reeducation". "[4]:171, As the Marines approached the southern suburbs of the city they came under increasing fire from the PAVN 804th Battalion. This can be a tricky situation for any Marine trying to save civilian lives while in the process of a firefight. If military forces find themselves in a future battle like Hue, how can it be fought more effectively, more quickly, and with less damage to the city and its people? On 23 February, the 2/12th Cavalry and the 2/501st Infantry, resumed their battle at the Sau Canal. Beginning at 1:15 AM January 31, 1968, 2 battalions of the 6th NVA Regiment spookily sauntered through the Chanh Tay Gate west of the Imperial Citadel in Hue, Vietnam. Attacking in a southeasterly direction, the two battalions would then attempt to close the PAVN-VC supply line into Hu. While the ARVN 1st Division had cancelled all Tt leave and was attempting to recall its troops, the South Vietnamese and American forces in the city were unprepared when the Vit Cng (VC) and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched the Tet Offensive, attacking hundreds of military targets and population centers across the country, including Hu. Over the next month, they were gradually driven out during intense house-to-house fighting led by the Marines and ARVN. I know how to do this, said the lance corporal according to Downs. On that first day, the two Marine companies in Hu had sustained casualties of 10 killed and 56 wounded. Four days would pass before they were at last able to punch a hole in the PAVN-VC lines and reach the MACV compound. The cultural and historical capital city, Hue was the centerpiece of Hanoi's 1968 Tet Offensive, a surprise attack by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong that sought to win the war in one stroke . You have to work out how to deal with it. Once again, NCOs must think outside of the box to accomplish the mission. [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. An Ontos was brought forward to blast an entry into the building, but was disabled by a B-40 rocket. During this fighting Company A, 1/1 Marines commander Captain Batchellor was wounded and Gunnery Sergeant John L. Canley assumed command of the Company. Gravel left the armor behind on the southern bank to provide direct fire support. [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. Joe Ronnie Hooper", "Command Chronology for period 1 February to 29 February 1968", "Communist political executions at Hue in the 1968 Tet Offensive", "Soldiers of North Vietnam strike a pose for her camera", "Who, What, When, Where, Why: Report from Vietnam by Walter Cronkite", "Chris Matthews invokes the 'if I've lost Cronkite' myth in NYT review", "The Grim Calculations of Retaking Fallujah", "Many U.S. Significant architectural element in Hue, the bridge was designed by Gustave Eiffel, the French structural engineer famous for Paris's Eiffel Tower, and was completed in 1899 by the French Colonial government. As they moved closer to La Chu, PAVN resistance increased and it was obvious that this was a major PAVN base. Hue is clustered around the Perfume River, which splits the capital of the Nguyn Dynasty in two. Entering the building the Marines fought room by room, clearing the building, but many of the PAVN slipped away. This was only beaten back with heavy artillery fire. Lessons Learned, Charlie 1/5, Operation Hue City, 31 January 1968 to 5 March 1968 To the uninitiated in Rules of Engagement, they're a set of rules established by high command that dictate what weapons and tactics may be used. As the Marine infantry started across, a machine gun on the other end of the bridge opened fire, killing and wounding several Marines. [9]:331, On 6 February the Marines attacked the Provincial Headquarters which served as the command post of the PAVN 4th Regiment. Meanwhile, the team of thirty sappers who had scaled the northwestern wall overpowered the guards standing watch at the An Hoa and Hau Gates, then opened their doors to the infantry company waiting outside. We take care of civilians, added Downs. The new combat headquarters, staffed by high-ranking officials from the Tr-Thin-Hu Front, local party members, and military officers from the units involved in the attack, had authority over the city and the three districts that surrounded it. 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. Like previous case studies focusing on Stalingrad and Mosul, the Battle of Hue also plays an outsized role in the way the US military conceptualizes urban warfare. The Terrible Toll. But, the city overall is beautiful. The Marines on the outskirts of the city were able to fend off the initial Tet Offensive attack and back the NVA up to the river, but within a few days the Marines were ordered to take back the entire city, which had become overrun by NVA. The plans for celebration were well under way, with fireworks and traditional religeous and social activities planned, but there were those who had other plans. Beginning in February 1968, in the South Vietnamese city of Hue, 11 battalions of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), two U.S. Army battalions, and three U.S. Marine Corps battalions, for a total of 16 battalions, defeated 10 battalions of the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong. 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. The deteriorating weather forced the squadron to cancel the remaining lifts with about half of the battalion in the Citadel. A PAVN blocking force from the 806th Battalion in the graveyard stopped the ARVN relief force about 400 meters short of the Citadel wall destroying two M113s. The last pocket of PAVN at the southwest corner of the Citadel was eliminated in an attack by the 4th Vietnamese Marine Battalion in the early hours of 25 February. [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. ARVN troops in the Citadel fired flares over the village to help the RF troops there assess the situation. [4]:206 On 18 February the 1/8th Cavalry was attacked by elements of the 803rd Regiment 20 kilometers (12mi) northeast of Hu, this second clash apparently convinced the PAVN command that the Regiment could not reach the Citadel. Death in the Citadel: U.S. Marines in the Battle for Hue City, 31 January to 2 March 1968 (2017). 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. When seven successive attempts to breach the gate failed, the battalion joined the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 3rd Regiment, near the southern corner of the Citadel. Marine. The Battle of Hu (31 January 1968 - 2 March 1968), also called the siege of Hu, was a major military engagement in the Tt Offensive launched by North Vietnam and the Vit Cng during the Vietnam War.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. The battalion returned to Camp Pendleton in 1971, and in 1975 participated in Operation New Arrival, the relocation of Southeast Asian Refugees. [12]:3436, At 04:00 the PAVN reached the Ty Lc Airfield, where 50 men of the Hac Bao reconnaissance company, reinforced by the 1st Division's 1st Ordnance Company, stopped the PAVN 800th Battalion. the book is full of emotion and color . On 27 February the entire battalion attacked the hill but the PAVN had withdrawn during the night, leaving behind 14 dead. [4]:18586 PAVN tactics were to hold the Marines close, negating the use of artillery and air support. By this time, the PAVN-VC attackers had pulled back their forces from the immediate vicinity of the Compound. 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]:205 On the night of 16 February a radio intercept indicated that a battalion-size PAVN force was about to launch a counterattack over the west wall of the Citadel. 1st Marine Regiment commander Colonel Stanley S. Hughes, ordered Captain George R. Christmas, commander of Company H, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines to relieve the CAP unit and Company H engaged the PAVN-VC as they withdrew from the CAP position. Take advantage of all the exciting benefits that membership offers including access to member-only publications. The year 1968 was the year of the Tet Offensive including Khe Sanh and Hue City. 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. [4]:174, North of the Perfume River, on 1 February, the ARVN 1st Division enjoyed some limited success. Also, since it was still monsoon season with heavy rain and low clouds on many days during the battle, it was virtually impossible for the U.S. forces to use air support. MA Candidate, Liberty University (Dept of History) As part of his internship with the Marine Corps History Division [In urban combat] you may want to know that one of the things youre supposed to do is isolate the city, said Christmas. They were to relieve a MACV Microwave/Tropo communications facility approximately 2.5km southeast of the MACV Compound surrounded by a VC force. 33. As the PAVN moved to reoccupy the strongpoints at dawn they were caught in the open by the Marines, 16 PAVN were killed for the loss of three Marines. Built within a two year span, it has been severely damaged on three occasions. In some of the buildings today, the remnants of the fight remain; there are pock marks in some of the buildings exteriors that were hit with machine gun fire and M16 bullets. The Citadel, or Imperial City, is the walled-in portion of Hu sitting on the north bank of the Perfume River. [9]:27273 On the morning of 4 February the Marines launched their attack on the Treasury. Why is that important? When the headquarters of 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division arrived at Camp Evans, 27 kilometers (17mi) northwest of Hu on 26 January, it found that the site held no stocks of ammunition or fuel. [9]:269, About 11:00, Company H, 2/5 Marines, crossed the An Cuu Bridge in an armed convoy. Robert P. Hanger . [4]:168[12]:4344, The ARVN 3rd Regiment had an even more difficult time. If the Marines penetrated the forward line the PAVN moved to the secondary line and then reoccupied the abandoned positions at night. The PAVN occupied a rectangular slice of land between the canal and the Perfume River that was approximately fifteen hundred meters wide and less than a kilometer deep, however U.S. efforts to overrun this position were repeatedly repulsed as the PAVN fought to keep open their escape route from the Citadel. In a 539-page narrative, Bowden delivers a work of grand. The Tet Offensive began on January 30 as the North Vietnamese occupied Hue City. RF soldiers opened fire and radioed a warning to Trng's headquarters. Two platoons successfully made their way to the other side. CALL: 804.340.1800 or 800.358.8701 Ret.) Because of enemy mortaring of the LCU ramp in southern Hu, the allies had stopped all river traffic to the city. Retired Sgt. Cheatham then joined his company commanders in Hu University and they proceeded to develop the tactics to be used in recapturing southern Hu. PAVN soldiers also fired 130 82mm mortar rounds into the Mang Ca Compound the opening minutes of the battle. The strategic objective at Hu was to capture (or "liberate") and hold the city, leading to the establishment of a revolutionary government. At 10:45 on 11 February Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines was airlifted aboard Marine CH-46s into Mang Ca, but enemy fire forced several of the helicopters to return to Phu Bai. With the departure of Company F about 16:30, the PAVN-VC successfully disengaged and Companies H and E took up night defensive positions. [13]:43[14]:29. But, both generals agreed that you learn from those mistakes and you have to live with them. [23] Cadres called out the names on their lists over loudspeakers, ordering them to report to a local school. The reconnaissance platoon, having made its way back into the city, defended the Imperial Palace but eventually had to retreat to Mang Ca. [9]:4244 H Ch Minh, Phm Vn ng, V Nguyn Gip and Ng nh Dim had all attended the lyce in the city. By dawn, our troops were still unable to advance". 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. The Battle Coming upon the central police headquarters in southern Hu, the tanks attempted to relieve the police defenders, but a B-40 rocket made a direct hit on Chi's tank, killing him instantly. [9]:52425, PAVN General Trn Vn Tr later wrote of the Tet Offensive, "We did not correctly evaluate the specific balance of forces between ourselves and the enemy [its objectives] were beyond our actual strengthin part an illusion based on our subjective desires. The Marines were now only 100 meters from the south wall of the Citadel. Meanwhile, the ARVN 3rd Regiment fought off a PAVN counterattack in the northwest corner of the Citadel. No later than February 13, 1968, 1/5 Alpha Co, will rendezvous with 1st ARVN Division at the Northeast of the Citadel to clear Hue City in order to gain control of the city, removing all enemy fighters. One of the aircraft returned safely; but the other, flying through dense fog, crashed into a mountain, losing all on board. The Marines together with five M48s from the 1st Tank Battalion would later be loaded onto Mike boats at the LCU ramp in southern Hu and ferried across to Mang Ca. 14 Feb 1968, Hue, South Vietnam --- A flowered arm sling is worn by a wounded U.S Marine in this makeshift communications #vietnamwarfootageandstories Source: Bettmann/CORBIS G guest0001 Guest Aug 9, 2020 #62 G guest0001 Guest Aug 9, 2020 #63 US Marines fighting in Hue, Vietnam. 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. They were unsuccessful and Company F sustained casualties of three dead and 13 wounded. [4]:177, During the mid-afternoon of 2 February, the 2/12th Cavalry arrived in a landing zone about 10 kilometres (6mi) northwest of Hu. He has served twenty-six years in the Canadian Armed Forces, which included operational tours to the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Afghanistan. [12]:3132, On the afternoon of 30 January Trng dispatched a Hac Bao platoon and an Australian Army adviser to scout the north bank of the Perfume River which provided the simplest route from Base Area 114 into the city. Hue's refined cuisine is the stuff of legend, and its leafy streets are lined with mossy pagodas, art dco mansions . A company from the 2/5th Marines finally relieved the MACV communications facility that morning. 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. One had to do with machine guns, which he didnt elaborate on. 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. It was mid-February 1968, and American and South Vietnamese forces were. [9]:45, The North Vietnamese plan for the Tet Offensive was known as the "General Offensive-General Uprising". Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam is Black Hawk Down author Bowden's worthy effort to give the battle its due. Several dozen Army technical specialists and military intelligence personnel were billeted in the Huong Giang Hotel several blocks to the west. [4]:199 On 14 February the Marines resumed their attack supported by Marine and Navy gun fire and Marine close air support. That evening, the PAVN-VC northern attack wing began moving towards Hu from base camps in the western hills. 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