The company spent the better part of the afternoon trying to reach the isolated communications site. If you get emotional about it you wont.. Its all up in here, Christmas said, pointing to his head. "[4]:171, As the Marines approached the southern suburbs of the city they came under increasing fire from the PAVN 804th Battalion. The imperial city of Hue has for centuries played a significant role in Vietnam. 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. [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. [4]:168, Three USMC battalions were protecting Phu Bai Combat Base, Highway 1 and all western approaches to Hu. 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. [9]:27273 On the morning of 4 February the Marines launched their attack on the Treasury. Marine Corps Base Quantico. 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. We walked them down the streets until they were out of the line of fire. 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. [9]:343, On 8 February 5/7th Cavalry began moving southwest from PK-17 towards La Chu while 2/12th Cavalry were ordered to retrace their route to form the southern pincer for an attack on the PAVN stronghold. 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. Lying on a plain backed by foothills of the Annamese Cordillera (Chane Annamitique) and situated 5 miles (8 km) from the South China Sea coast, Hue is traversed by the broad, shallow Huong River (Hue River, or Perfume River ). The Hu City Sapper Unit and the 12th Sapper Battalion were also located in Base Area 114. You have to deal with it. Losses continued to mount throughout the day from mortar and small arms fire and that night the Battalion commander decided to breakout from the encirclement by a night march to an ARVN position on Nha Nanh hill (162735N 1073022E / 16.4598N 107.506E / 16.4598; 107.506) from where they could be resupplied and the casualties medevaced. While PAVN-VC defeat was inevitable in the face of U.S. firepower, the failure to sever the PAVN-VC supply lines and isolate the battlefield meant that the battle lasted longer and was more costly to the ARVN and U.S. than was necessary. Vietnamese young boys and girls fill sandbags during 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division base operations in Phu Bai. 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. Built within a two year span, it has been severely damaged on three occasions. A short time later, their transmissions went dead and they were never heard from again. The armored troop at Tam Thai was first to respond to Trng's order. Rather, the Modern War Institute provides a forum for professionals to share opinions and cultivate ideas. [4]:171, Up to this point the fighting for Hu had been entirely a South Vietnamese affair. Seeing an opportunity to trap the PAVN-VC, Lieutenant Colonel Ernie Cheatham reinforced Company H with his Command Group and Company F.[4]:170 With his other companies in blocking positions, Cheatham hoped to pin the PAVN-VC against the Truoi River. 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. In preparation for this, MACV was in the middle of Operation Checkers: moving the 1st Marine Division to Qung Tr Province in order to support Khe Sanh and defeat any other PAVN attack across the DMZ. Attacking in a southeasterly direction, the two battalions would then attempt to close the PAVN-VC supply line into Hu. Advancing with tank and air support they completed the mission meeting little resistance. [9]:470, Foreign civilians captured in the city received varying treatment. A company from the 2/5th Marines finally relieved the MACV communications facility that morning. The Treasury building was hit by M-48 and 106mm fire and tear gas, while a M274 Mule-mounted 106mm recoilless rifle engaged the machine gun in the Le Loi Elementary School. [12]:3233, On the night of 30 January it started to rain; from 2 February onwards this rain, low cloud and foggy weather (known locally as the crachin) would last through much of the battle and severely hamper Allied air and artillery support. CALL: 804.340.1800 or 800.358.8701 Trng called back most of the Hac Bao Company from the airfield to bolster the headquarters' defenses, which kept division headquarters secure. A Mule was brought forward to blow a hole in the building and the Marines advanced under cover of tear gas. The government troops tried to fight their way through but lacked the strength or the firepower to do so. 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. RF soldiers opened fire and radioed a warning to Trng's headquarters. ), participated in the battle for Hu as a company commander and will present a first-hand account of the conflict. [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. [12]:45 On 5 February Trng exchanged the Airborne with the 4th Battalion, which had become stalled. We would progress in this way throughout the fight, said Downs. The human and material resources of the entire kingdom, which extended from the Chinese border to the Gulf of Siam, were rounded up for . 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 . Theyll pull their heads and you can run the whole company across the street if you want. Thats exactly what Downs decided to do, and it worked. 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. [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. VIETNAM Hue is home to a plethora of intricate imperial structures, such as the Meridian Gate Matthew Pike Writer 26 October 2021 View From 1802 to 1945, Hue was the capital of Vietnam and home to the Nguyen dynasty. This article is about the Vietnam War battle during the Tet Offensive. Throughout the afternoon of January 30, 1968, the last day of the Vietnamese Year of the Monkey had seen crowds of people flocking to the Imperial City of Hue for the festivities. [4]:167 At 04:40 sappers captured the Huu Gate and the command group of the PAVN 6th Regiment entered the Citadel. But if you can do that you will make the right decision. Supplies would remain tight for the next week as the Division's helicopters tried to build up a reserve of materiel. They may be right, that Hanoi's winter-spring offensive has been forced by the Communist realization that they could not win the longer war of attrition, and that the Communists hope that any success in the offensive will improve their position for eventual negotiations For it seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate. Near the MACV Compound, the Marines came under heavy machine gun and rocket fire. [9]:51920, The battle was an ARVN-U.S. victory in only the narrowest sense in that they had evicted the PAVN-VC from the city at heavy cost, but failed to annihilate them. The following pictures are real eye-openers for anyone who's been to Ho Chi Minh City recently. Hue. Hue was a major part of North Vietnam's Tet Offensive, and even. Etsy Search for items or shops Close search Skip to Content Sign in 0 Cart Holiday Sales Event Jewelry & Accessories Clothing & Shoes [9]:288 That evening VC sappers succeeded in blowing up the An Cuu bridge, cutting the road link to Phu Bai. Several local force companies operated in the districts surrounding Hu. On the night of 23 February the PAVN attempted another counterattack, but were forced back by artillery fire. 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. 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 Marines eventually broke into the west building and cleared it room by room. (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 815th Battalion had been delayed because South Vietnamese paramilitaries had ambushed the battalion at a river crossing three kilometers south of the city. [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]. 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. The lightly armored dusters did not provide as much armor as a tank, but they were effective. 12 February - 5 March 1968 - Operation "HUE CITY." Citadel Fortress of Hue. Richmond,Virginia23220, Galleries, Store, & Caf daily 10:00 am-5:00 pm [9]:331, On 6 February the Marines attacked the Provincial Headquarters which served as the command post of the PAVN 4th Regiment. 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 reconnaissance platoon, having made its way back into the city, defended the Imperial Palace but eventually had to retreat to Mang Ca. Major Jayson Geroux is an infantry officer with The Royal Canadian Regiment and currently with 1st Canadian Infantry Division Headquarters. Upon their flashlight signals, the 800th Battalion and several teams from the 12th Sapper Battalion rushed through the gate and headed northwest towards Ty Lc Airfield. . 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. Marine. Inguyen Anh, whose regal name was Gia Long, founded the new citadel of Hue in 1802. God Bless these two Marines , who in the heat of battle, find the opportunity to escort this blind local girl to safety. The Battle of Hue City, Vietnam has come to be regarded as one of the most infamous urban battles in Marine Corps history. After the launch of the Tet Offensive campaign on January 30, 1968, in South Vietnam, a series of battles were fought between the southern Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the Northern People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). As one of the CBS News correspondents who covered the Battle of Hue in 1968, I see no contradiction between what Cronkite said about the battle while he was in Viet Nam and what he said in his acclaimed documentary on CBS News some weeks later. Country Maps. [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. [5][6][21], 844 civilians were killed and 1,900 wounded during the battle. 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. 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. Both battles also had insurgents and other forces utilizing snipers, significantly increasing the combat potential of the combatants, while the Marines also constituted the advanced fighting elements of the US forces deployed in both Hu and Fallujah. Downs said that Hue City has been rebuilt since the battle; however, there are still reminders of the fight that occurred there. Its alive and well today and is in response to your leadership, said Downs to the SNCOs gathered in the lecture hall. [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. One of their battalion commanders, (then) Major Robert Thompson became a close friend during and after the war. With the building secured the Marines then methodically cleared out the spider-holes, shooting their occupants. He went on to say that what is important is that each Marine stay above the emotion of the fight. "[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. The Marines reported heavy casualties in street fighting in the ancient capital city of Vietnam. [34][35] Both battles were fought in close quarters in an urban setting where the enemy ensconced itself in the midst of civilians. 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. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion. [4]:17778 That night the PAVN 815th Battalion overran the ARVN defenders at the Thua Thien Prison releasing the 2,500 prisoners, including 350 VC who were soon armed with captured ARVN weapons and joined the fighting. delivered a Banner Lecture entitled The Battle of Hu City, South Vietnam, 1968.. 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. The PAVN's Department of Warfare gives figures of 2,400 killed and 3,000 wounded from 30 January until 28 March. In the early morning of 31 January, after the rocket bombardment of the airfield and the initial attack on the Truoi River Bridge, Task Force X-Ray received reports of strikes all along Highway 1 between the Hi Vn Pass and Hu. [14]:81 On 5 February the Marines recaptured the Hu Central Hospital complex (162747N 1073513E / 16.463N 107.587E / 16.463; 107.587), rescuing Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Khoa (the Mayor of Hu and Thua Thien Province chief), who had been hiding in the grounds. [4]:208 Company L, 3/5 Marines was then tasked with clearing the area to the Thuong Tu Gate and out to the Trng Tin Bridge. There were also many obstacles to navigate including moats and walls. 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. Company H withdrew so that air strikes could be launched and these knocked out mortar and machine gun positions killing 20 PAVN; however, one bomb fell short killing four Marines. U.S. 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division base camp operations in Phu Bai near Hue, Vietnam. Nguyen Hue is now a walking street, where thousands of people get together every night for selfies and snacks. On Jan. 31, 1968, communist forces had taken control of Hue, the third largest city in South Vietnam. 2 kilometers (1.2mi) to the northwest, an engineer unit moved within sight of its target, the An Lo Bridge that spanned the Bo River, as it did, the 806th Battalion, one company from the 800th Battalion and a sapper platoon of forty men, all from the 6th Regiment, quietly occupied a forward staging area in a graveyard 2 kilometers (1.2mi) northwest of the Citadel. 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. 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]:16667 At 05:00 a reinforced company from the 1st Sapper Battalion Each building on the fighting lines was defended by snipers and machine guns, while spider holes were dug in gardens and streets, creating cross-fire between all buildings and streets. They were unsuccessful and Company F sustained casualties of three dead and 13 wounded. 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. These included ARVN soldiers, civil servants, political party members, local religious leaders, schoolteachers, American civilians and other expatriates. Tolson's plan called for an air assault by two battalions of the 3rd Brigade northwest of Hu. 31 January-25 February 1968 . 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