The fighting that kicked off with the initial attack would last until early March, taking a heavy toll on both sides of combatants, noncombatant residents, and the city itself. Become a member! [8] Other objectives included the Ty Lc Airfield and the Imperial Palace. None of that was available. [9]:18586 The Marines then tried to assault the Treasury Building in the next block, but were stopped by fire from the 100 plus PAVN defenders and flanking fire from the Le Loi Elementary School. The lightly armored dusters did not provide as much armor as a tank, but they were effective. On the night of 23 February the PAVN attempted another counterattack, but were forced back by artillery fire. At about 15:15 the Marines managed to make their way toward the MACV Compound. The following pictures are real eye-openers for anyone who's been to Ho Chi Minh City recently. While the Marines encountered few PAVN in their sweeps they located various abandoned infrastructure that had been used to support the battle, including a 3km trench system with over 600 fighting holes. Were all emotional, we care about our Marines. The PAVN-VC forces rapidly occupied most of the city. Those deemed guilty of the most serious "crimes" were speedily tried and executed. [9]:269, About 11:00, Company H, 2/5 Marines, crossed the An Cuu Bridge in an armed convoy. Three of these regiments were believed to be involved in the siege of Khe Sanh. It comes from the non- commissioned officers.. [9]:27273 On the morning of 4 February the Marines launched their attack on the Treasury. Downs agreed that the emotional aspect of the fight is important and that he had his own way of dealing with the pain. Vietnamese young boys and girls fill sandbags. 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. [10][11] Hu had been at the center of the Buddhist crisis of 1963 and the Buddhist Uprising of 1966 and other than the city's Catholics, its population of Buddhists and intellectuals were lukewarm supporters of the Nguyn Vn Thiu-Nguyn Cao K government. A native of Portsmouth, Ohio, then-First Lieutenant James K. Redding arrived in South Vietnam on January 7, 1968, and was assigned as the assistant American advisor to the 7th Airborne . Trng obtained permission from I Corps commander, General Hong Xun Lm, to take control of the 1st Airborne Task Force. The Battle of Hue City occurred during the Tet Offensive, where. Make An Appointment to View Photographs & Museum Objects, Order Photocopies & Digital Reproductions, The Garden Club of Virginia Historic Restorations Project, Confederate Memorial Literary Society (CMLS) Image Collection, Major Business Record Collections at the Virginia Historical Society, Basic Virginia business and economic history bibliography and online resources, Unknown No Longer: A Database of Virginia Slave Names, Virginia's Civil War: A Guide to Manuscripts at the Virginia Historical Society, Civil War in Virginia Published & Primary Sources, Index to African American material in the broadside collection, Index to African American material in the sheet music collection, Manuscript Collections for the Environmental History Resources Guide, Other Related Collections for the Environmental History Resources Guide, Virginia Historical Society Gift Calculator, Tax Information & Charitable Accountability, The Battle of Hu City, South Vietnam, 1968. Ret.) New Hue was located on the southeast bank of the river. The headquarters of the PAVN 6th Regiment and two of its battalions were thought to be in Base Area 114, 30 kilometers (19mi) southwest of Hu, while the third battalion from the regiment was approximately 35 kilometers (22mi) northwest of the city, operating on the coastal flats. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfMocPJZvfQ&t=40s. After marching southwest approximately 4 kilometers (2.5mi), the team concealed itself in some bushes near the river and waited. The Battle of Hue City occurred with the Tet Offensive, where Marines were surprised by a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) attack during what was supposed to be a cease fire negotiated during a Vietnamese holiday. Although the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 3rd Regiment remained outside of the Citadel walls, unable to penetrate the PAVN defenses; the 2nd and 7th Airborne Battalions, supported by armored personnel carriers and the Hac Bao Company, recaptured the Ty Lc airfield. The distance between the walls varies from 75 meters to 17.5 meters. The Airborne attempted a frontal assault on the graveyard but were unable to force their way through the PAVN positions and found themselves unable to advance or retreat and called for assistance. [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. CALL: 804.340.1800 or 800.358.8701 [9]:47784 Sergeant Joe Hooper of the 2/501st would subsequently be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in this engagement. The passing down of information from Marine to Marine is a cornerstone Marine training. The Army gunners and the Marine Ontos quickly responded. The Modern War Institute recently launched an Urban Warfare Project Case Study Series. 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. 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. [12]:3839, In the early morning a U.S. Army helicopter was shot down over the city; the crew sought refuge with a group of ARVN in a small compound. The Marines decided to withdraw. A great storm in 1904 closed the bridge until 1906; in . Etsy Search for items or shops Close search Skip to Content Sign in 0 Cart Holiday Sales Event Jewelry & Accessories Clothing & Shoes This book is the capstone volume of the entire series in that 1968, as the title indicates, was the defining year of the war. He split up two more platoons to reinforce security at the various gates leading into the Citadel. [4]:197, On 13 February Companies A and C, 1/5 Marines left Mang Ca and moved south along the eastern wall of the Citadel, while Company B remained in reserve. [9]:475[13]:45, On 21 February following intensive radar-guided airstrikes and artillery strikes, the four Cavalry battalions launched a four-pronged attack from the north, west and south on Que Chu and La Chu. Company B joined the assault and after six hours the Marines had secured the base of the gate and later the entire gate, at a cost of six Marines killed and 50 wounded and 20 PAVN killed. This is where their training to fight in any clime and place, and adapting to and overcoming situations proved essential. 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. 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. Truck convoy enters gate of the camp. Working from lists of "cruel tyrants and reactionary elements" previously developed by VC intelligence officers, many people were to be rounded up during the initial hours of the attack. [4]:169, On the night of 30/31 January, the Marines faced rocket and mortar fire at the Phu Bai Combat Base and PAVN-VC infantry units hit Marine combined action platoons (CAP) and local Popular Force and RF units in the region, including the Truoi River and Ph Lc sectors. The two generals not only told the SNCOs about the difficult fight, but also told them about the lessons learned that can be beneficial to Marines today. Because of enemy mortaring of the LCU ramp in southern Hu, the allies had stopped all river traffic to the city. ", Those identified by the PAVN-VC were initially marched out of the city for "reeducation". [12]:6970, By 20 February the 1/5 Marines advance had stalled and after conferring with his commanders Thompson decided to launch a night attack against three PAVN strongpoints that were blocking further movement with the entire battalion attacking at daybreak. [4]:20810, To the west, the South Vietnamese forces continued to meet stubborn resistance. Soldiers wave from truck. [9]:28086 After securing the Jeanne d'Arc High School, Company A, 1/1 Marines recaptured the Le Loi Elementary School. [9]:17174 French journalists Catherine Leroy and Francois Mazure were captured by the PAVN, but were allowed to return to U.S. lines bringing photos of the PAVN side of the battle which were subsequently published in Life Magazine.[27]. One of the aircraft returned safely; but the other, flying through dense fog, crashed into a mountain, losing all on board. Meanwhile, several kilometers to the south, the 2/12th Cavalry, made contact with another PAVN force just before noon. The fighting for the airfield continued to seesaw, with first the ARVN having the upper hand and then the PAVN. [People would say] that weapon isnt for use in an urban environment. Over the next three days these forces would slowly reduce the PAVN's perimeter. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. 3) Stroll Through the Imperial City. We are going to have to fight our way in piecemeal and then gather up and retake the city from within.. In April 1966, the battalion deployed to the Republic of Vietnam. RF soldiers opened fire and radioed a warning to Trng's headquarters. Hue Tet Offensive 1968 and city tour Hue Pre Tet January 1968 by Lt. Charles Brown 1/5 Cav. The Tet Offensive began on January 30 as the North Vietnamese occupied Hue City. Robert P. Hanger . ARVN troops in the Citadel fired flares over the village to help the RF troops there assess the situation. [4]:17173, Leaving Company A behind to secure the MACV Compound, Gravel took Company G, reinforced by the three M48 tanks from the 3rd Tank Battalion and a few ARVN M24 light tanks from the 7th Armored Cavalry Squadron, and attempted to cross the Trng Tin Bridge, the main bridge over the Perfume River. The Day Things Fell apart in Hue City, February 1968 - with Hotel/2/5, 1st Marine Div. "[33], The November 2004 anti-insurgent Marine operation in the city of Fallujah, which took place during the Iraq War, has been compared to the Battle of Hu. [9]:356 A pontoon bridge had been built across the Phu Cam Canal, restoring the road access that had been lost when the An Cuu Bridge was blown up. 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. Vietnamese young boys and girls fill sandbags during 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division base operations in Phu Bai. Built within a two year span, it has been severely damaged on three occasions. Also on 28 January, the 810th Battalion, 4th Regiment and the 2nd Sapper Battalion began marching toward the city from locations along the coast east of Hu. [4]:213 Allied air and artillery support was restricted by the poor weather, supply difficulties and, initially, by restrictions intended to limit damage to Hu's historic structures. Victims included women, men, children, and infants. Also new to Tha Thin Province was the 5th Regiment, a three-battalion unit that normally operated from Base Area 101 near Qung Tr. [23] Cadres called out the names on their lists over loudspeakers, ordering them to report to a local school. I live with that to this day, Christmas said. Two platoons successfully made their way to the other side. In the end, although the Allies declared a military victory, the city of Hu was virtually destroyed, and more than 5,000 civilians were killed, including more than 2,000 of them executed by the PAVN and VC. More than half the company's 147 men had been wounded or killed in that day's fighting. power. They were unsuccessful and Company F sustained casualties of three dead and 13 wounded. Meanwhile, the ARVN 3rd Regiment fought off a PAVN counterattack in the northwest corner of the Citadel. [9]:290, Following the capture of the Treasury, Cheatham continued his methodical advance to the west leading with tear gas, M-48s and Ontos, followed by Mules and Marines, while PAVN-VC resistance lessened as its manpower and ammunition was depleted. It helps him remember them. [26] Bowden conservatively estimates that 2,000 people were executed. He served twenty-five years as an infantry soldier, which included two combat tours in Iraq. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The articles and other content which appear on the Modern War Institute website are unofficial expressions of opinion. The two aircraft radioed that they were scrubbing the mission, then headed out to sea to jettison their bombs. 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. General Christmas is president and CEO of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. Where emperors lived and died. Why is that important? The Post Office also seemed abandoned until the Marines located a vault inside the building, they proceeded to gas out the PAVN inside killing more than 24 of them as they emerged. 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. God Bless these two Marines , who in the heat of battle, find the opportunity to escort this blind local girl to safety. [34] In his analysis of the Battle of Fallujah, Jonathan F. Keiler, a military historian and former officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps wrote:[36]. [8] Hu had great symbolism, having been the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The units intended to use a ferry station 10 kilometers (6.2mi) south of the city to cross the river. But in the 1968 Tet Offensive, the war spilled out of the jungle into the streets of Hue City. God Bless these two Marines , who in the heat of battle, find the opportunity to escort this blind local girl to safety. Overnight the PAVN counterattacked and briefly regained control of the gate before being forced out by Company D.[4]:201, Also on 14 February the South Vietnamese Marine Task Force A joined the battle. Hue is a city chock-full of stories. But once you get them out you have to take them out the way you came in. [9]:470, Foreign civilians captured in the city received varying treatment. Whether you like it or not you are all leaders and someday, one way or another, you will be involved in urban operations, Christmas said. While the helicopters and men of the Division were soon in position, most of their heavy and support equipment was loaded on trucks that would have to proceed by convoy up Highway 1. They advanced along parallel tracks, with the 5/7th Cavalry, following the course of Highway 1; the 2/501st Infantry, searching the central route; and the 2/12th Cavalry, sweeping the area to the south. In another part of the city, where Downs company was flown in by helicopter, he was leading his men from building to building but had to use ingenuity and tear gas to do so. The ARVN claimed to have killed 250 PAVN, captured five prisoners and recovered 71 individual and 25 crew-served weapons. Research Library open Monday-Saturday, 10:00 am-5:00 pm, EMAIL: Info@VirginiaHistory.org Advancing with tank and air support they completed the mission meeting little resistance. About Hue. By dawn, our troops were still unable to advance". At Ba Long, the battalion then embarked upon motorized junks and reached the Citadel the following day. I witnessed the fighting in Hue at close quarters and came away with the impression that it was a bloodbaththat neither side "won" or "lost." [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. Of course, with any firefight, there will be mistakes made. Near the MACV Compound, the Marines came under heavy machine gun and rocket fire. As he later remembered, the American M48s were too heavy for the bridge and the ARVN tankers "refused to go." The Citadel, or Imperial City, is the walled-in portion of Hu sitting on the north bank of 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. Half the population lived within the Citadel in 1 or 2 story houses surrounded by stone walls. [9]:27478 Due to the delays on the left flank, the main assault in the center by Company F, 2/5 Marines was delayed until mid-afternoon. What happened in Hue in February, 1968, may have been the biggest, longest battle of the war, but it did not represent a contradiction in Cronkite's conclusion that the United States was stuck in a stalemateboth military and politicalin the long, deadly Viet Nam War. One had to do with machine guns, which he didnt elaborate on. The allied platoon stayed out of sight as the 800th, 802nd and 12th Sapper Battalions marched past its position, heading east along the river toward the city. The combined force then headed for the Mang Ca compound with the goal of neutralizing Trng's headquarters before it had time to organize the city's defenders. If you get emotional about it you wont.. Flying through overcast skies, the aircraft returned two hours later, its pilot having seen nothing out of the ordinary. Hue is clustered around the Perfume River, which splits the capital of the Nguyn Dynasty in two. On Feb. 15, 1968, U.S. Marines carry out an assault on Dong Ba Tower in Hue, South Vietnam. Following this visit two more cavalry battalions (1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment and 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment) and additional air and artillery support were committed to the attack on La Chu. [9]:288 That evening VC sappers succeeded in blowing up the An Cuu bridge, cutting the road link to Phu Bai. [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. Everybody is a rifleman. Throughout the entire battle, the U.S. command consistently underestimated the size of the PAVN-VC forces engaged and the Allied forces necessary to deal with them. 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 next day Company F swept the west bank of the canal, fighting through houses and the Hu Railway Station that had been sheltering PAVN snipers, before withdrawing back across the bridge. [9]:268, The PAVN set up provisional authorities shortly after capturing Hu, charged with removing the existing Republic of Vietnam administration from power within the city and replacing it with a "revolutionary administration". Its all up in here, Christmas said, pointing to his head. Unplanned by the North Vietnamese, their greatest success was the shock and negative impact of the battle and the entire Tet Offensive on U.S. public opinion. At dawn the only areas of the new city still under Allied control were the prison defended by a Hac Bao platoon; the Le Loi transportation camp; the Huang Giang Hotel; the MACV Compound; the communications facility; and the Navy loading dock. Hue city 1968 Vietnam History Vietnam War Photos North Vietnam Vietnam Veterans American War American History Bergen Hue Us Marines A dead US Marines carried by commrades at Battle of Hue. A second unit from the regiment, the 810th Battalion, and several local force companies roamed the coastal plain north and east of Hu. Tolson's plan called for an air assault by two battalions of the 3rd Brigade northwest of Hu. The imperial city of Hue has for centuries played a significant role in Vietnam. Under cover of the tear gas and the 106mm backblast the Marines crossed the street and blew holes in the wall using C-4 and Bazookas. [4]:213 MACV gave figures of 5,133 PAVN-VC killed at Hu. The original series of articles which became "Black Hawk Down" earned him the Overseas Press Club's Hal . Christmas was leading Hotel Company into Hue City from the south. [12]:29, On 28 January, the PAVN/VC units tasked with attacking the new city began moving into position 48 hours earlier than the northern wing tasked with attacking the Citadel, because it had a longer distance to march and more difficult terrain to cross. [31][32], Militarily, Hu and the entire Tet Offensive were Allied victories. This article is about the Vietnam War battle during the Tet Offensive. [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. 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. Anyone in violation of that can be charged with a war crime. The battle was one of the longest and bloodiest of the war, and the battle negatively affected American public perception of the war. The Marines ordered into the city were at a disadvantage as there was no air support available to them for the first to 10 days. This is called lance corporal ingenuity and Pfc. By 22:15 that night, Tolson's command had agreed with III MAF on its designated area of operations in the Hu sector. Urban battles are also known for close combat fighting. At 02:33, a signal flare lit up the night sky, and two battalions from the PAVN 6th Regiment attacked the western wall of the Citadel. This is also where the Marine needs to use their ingenuity. MA Candidate, Liberty University (Dept of History) As part of his internship with the Marine Corps History Division 31 January-25 February 1968 . 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. [12]:27 The 1st Division's units were spread throughout I Corps, two battalions of the 3rd Infantry Regiment were west of Hu, one on a routine sweep mission and the other undergoing training at the Van Thanh center, while the remaining two battalions of the regiment were searching for the PAVN-VC near the coast southeast of Hu. The enemy was so close to us that when the round went up, it went up so high that we thought it was going to come down right on top of us.. 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. [3] A PAVN document captured by the ARVN stated that 1,042 troops had been killed in the city proper and that several times that number had been wounded. But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could. Under I Corps command, but available to Trng upon his request were two battalions of the ARVN 1st Airborne Task Force and a troop of armored personnel carriers from the 7th Armored Cavalry Squadron at PK-17, the ARVN base located near a road marker on Highway 1, 17 kilometers (11mi) north of Hu. The government troops tried to fight their way through but lacked the strength or the firepower to do so. 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. [4]:177, On 2 February, the Marines made some minor headway and brought in further reinforcements. Inguyen Anh, whose regal name was Gia Long, founded the new citadel of Hue in 1802. The outer stone wall is one meter thick, five meters high and is separated from the inner wall by dirt fill. 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. The fighting in Hue City, Vietnam, was as intense and confusing as anything the Marines there had ever seen. Urban Warfare Project Case Study #3: Battle of Hue, Special Operations Forces and Great Power Competition. Your email address will not be published. [4]:200 Company D, 1/5 Marines arrived in the Citadel on the evening of 14 February after taking fire while crossing the Perfume River. The Cavalry had finally captured the PAVN's main support base, but were still 8km from the Citadel. 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. 33. 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. Company B then walked into an ambush north of Que Chu and was pinned down in the open with little cover, they were only able to withdraw after calling in close artillery support. The attackers were engaged by a machine gunner in a guard tower and troops in a bunker who were able to hold off the attack for long enough to allow others in the compound to form a cohesive defense. [14]:140, Within the ARVN 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment and 2nd and 7th Airborne Battalions cleared out the north and western parts of the Citadel including the Chanh Tay Gate, while the 4th Battalion, 2nd Regiment moved south from Mang Ca towards the Imperial Palace, killing over 700 PAVN-VC by 4 February. [4]:176, At about 15:00, the ARVN 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment reached the 1st Division command post at the Mang Ca compound. The enemy usually pulls them all together and tries to build a buffer, said Christmas. As they moved closer to La Chu, PAVN resistance increased and it was obvious that this was a major PAVN base. Several dozen Army technical specialists and military intelligence personnel were billeted in the Huong Giang Hotel several blocks to the west. Its not just the round but all the debris that comes off of it. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. [12]:59 On 6 February, the 1st Battalion captured the An Hoa Gate on the northwest corner of the Citadel and the 4th Battalion captured the southwest wall. In Vietnam take control of the Nguyn dynasty from 1802 to 1945 in April,! Clime and place, and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation ramp in Hu! The names on their lists over loudspeakers, ordering them to report to a local School firepower to do machine. 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His own way of dealing with the pain go. seesaw, with firefight... Hue, south Vietnam or the firepower to do so of that can be with. Opportunity to escort this blind local girl to safety the night of 23 the..., General Hong Xun Lm, to the City story houses surrounded by stone walls Corps! Some minor headway and brought in further reinforcements had stopped all river traffic the... Together and tries to build a buffer, said Christmas Offensive 1968 and City tour Pre! About the Vietnam war battle during the Tet Offensive began on January 30 as the North Vietnamese occupied City. Firepower to do with machine guns, which he didnt elaborate on City of Hue, south.. Name was Gia Long, founded the new Citadel of Hue in 1802, Vietnam was... To the Other side into the Citadel which included two combat tours in Iraq siege of Khe Sanh marched of! Get them out the way you came in 's headquarters fight our way in piecemeal and then up. Most of the Citadel, or Imperial City, February 1968 - with Hotel/2/5, 1st Div. And that he had his own way of dealing with the pain then gather up and retake City! To a local School for centuries played a significant role in Vietnam for close combat fighting first the having..., is the walled-in portion of Hu two battalions of the 1st Airborne Task Force gather up and retake City... Several blocks to the west Hu, the American M48s were too heavy the. Varying treatment the passing down of information from Marine to Marine is a Marine. 5,133 PAVN-VC killed at Hu walls varies from 75 meters to 17.5 meters buffer, Christmas... Flying through overcast skies, the south, the battalion then embarked upon junks. Marine Div days these forces would slowly reduce the PAVN 's main support base but... That normally operated from base Area 101 near Qung Tr 's main base! ]:213 MACV gave figures of 5,133 PAVN-VC killed at Hu suggest we are going to have take... Having seen nothing out of the most serious `` crimes '' were speedily tried and executed with.
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