Meanwhile, 4km to the west of the city the PAVN 416th Battalion, 5th Regiment, as well as a local force company and a recoilless rifle company, swarmed into the villages of Thon Que Chu and Thon La Chu (162852N 1073014E / 16.481N 107.504E / 16.481; 107.504). In the battle for the tower, six men died and 50 were wounded. This and subsequent optimistic reports were soon contradicted by press reports as journalists made their way into the city and reported on the extent of PAVN-VC control and the bitter house-to-house fighting that was underway. Two of the aircraft carrying explosives, antitank ammunition and field telephone cables managed to find an opening in the cloud layer about 10 kilometers (6.2mi) north of Hu. [9]:23943, Many of the Marines of Task Force X-Ray had little or no urban combat experience and the U.S. troops were not trained for urban close-quarters combat, so this battle was especially tough for them. Nguyen Hue is now a walking street, where thousands of people get together every night for selfies and snacks. [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. Other advisers were in the countryside accompanying ARVN units. With darkness approaching the attack was postponed until the next morning. [9]:370, On 11 February Company H, 2/5 Marines secured a bridge over the Phu Cam Canal (162725N 1073441E / 16.457N 107.578E / 16.457; 107.578) and the block on the opposite side of the canal. On 24 February, the 5/7th Cavalry, rejoined its detached company and the armored cavalry platoon from the 3/5th Cavalry, near the western corner of the Citadel. They tried again five days later, but once again, bad weather prevented them from locating Mang Ca. ARVN troops in the Citadel fired flares over the village to help the RF troops there assess the situation. PAVN troops also seized the Tu Dam Pagoda, just south of the canal, which they soon converted to the main command post for the southern wing. But if you can do that you will make the right decision. Redding's experience in Hue began soon after the city fell. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History. Marine Corps Base Quantico. [14]:99101 On 13 February Companies F and H crossed the bridge again with the aim of securing the entire area. Another mistake was that he didnt move his snipers around and the NVA found the snipers and fired many RPGs at them. The attack resumed the following morning and the ridge was secured with 20 PAVN and two Marines killed. [4]:164 On learning of the cancellation of the ceasefire, Trng ordered his headquarters staff to remain at the Mang Ca compound that night, he sent three platoons from the Hac Bao Reconnaissance Company to guard the provincial headquarters, the power station and the prison in the new city. Three of these regiments were believed to be involved in the siege of Khe Sanh. [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. Gravel launched a two-company assault supported by tanks towards the Provincial Headquarters and Thua Thien Prison, seven blocks west of the MACV Compound where the ARVN were believed to still be holding out. They were to relieve a MACV Microwave/Tropo communications facility approximately 2.5km southeast of the MACV Compound surrounded by a VC force. [4]:168[12]:44, South of the city, on 31 January Lieutenant Colonel Phan Hu Ch, the commander of the ARVN 7th Armored Cavalry Squadron, attempted to break the PAVN-VC stranglehold. I know how to do this, said the lance corporal according to Downs. We had 30 personal decorations awarded to the company and of the 30, 27 were enlisted with 24 being corporals and below, Downs said. Meanwhile, several kilometers to the south, the 2/12th Cavalry, made contact with another PAVN force just before noon. After the Vietnam War, Hue's unique history fell to ruin as the imperial era wasn't viewed favourably by the communist authorities. This is also where the Marine needs to use their ingenuity. [9]:28086 After securing the Jeanne d'Arc High School, Company A, 1/1 Marines recaptured the Le Loi Elementary School. During the next five years the battalion participated in combat operations in Hue city, Que Son, Phu Bai, Dong Ha and Phu Loc. At Ba Long, the battalion then embarked upon motorized junks and reached the Citadel the following day. [31][32], Militarily, Hu and the entire Tet Offensive were Allied victories. [15][9]:12728, The embattled Trng called in reinforcements ordering all four battalions of the 3rd Regiment in the countryside to return to the Citadel, he also instructed two armored units, the 3rd Troop, 7th Cavalry, stationed at PK17, and the tank-equipped 1st Troop, 7th Cavalry, at the Tam Thai camp southeast of new city to proceed to Mang Ca. In one instance, Downs says there was a machine gun directly down a street that his Marines needed to cross to advance their attack. 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. The Best Things To Do In Hue, Vietnam. But, also like Stalingrad and Mosul, Hue was also a fundamentally unique battle in certain key ways, and the case study sheds light on the unique lessons that can be derived from it. February 1968. You have to work out how to deal with it. Once again, NCOs must think outside of the box to accomplish the mission. It helps him remember them. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. Richmond,Virginia23220, Galleries, Store, & Caf daily 10:00 am-5:00 pm 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. Hue is a city chock-full of stories. [12]:45 On 5 February Trng exchanged the Airborne with the 4th Battalion, which had become stalled. The 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry was to arrive in the landing zone first, followed by the 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry to be inserted near PK-17. Much the same can be said of Fallujah's defenders. Its not just the round but all the debris that comes off of it. [People would say] that weapon isnt for use in an urban environment. Where emperors lived and died. The city had a population of 140,000 before the battle. The year 1968 was the year of the Tet Offensive including Khe Sanh and Hue City. Death in the Citadel: U.S. Marines in the Battle for Hue City, 31 January to 2 March 1968 (2017). Four days would pass before they were at last able to punch a hole in the PAVN-VC lines and reach the MACV compound. At the end of January in 1968, the Viet Cong launched an offensive that turned the tide of the Vietnam War. They turned left and immediately came under automatic weapons and recoilless rifle fire from the Citadel wall. The walls of the Citadel form a square with sides of 2,500 meters. [4]:216 Until the last week of the battle, the ARVN, U.S. Marines and 1st Cavalry each fought separate, largely uncoordinated battles without a unified command structure, no overall strategy and competing demands for logistics, air and artillery support. The supporting fire continued throughout the day, but the PAVN did not abandon their positions. CALL: 804.340.1800 or 800.358.8701 Supplies would remain tight for the next week as the Division's helicopters tried to build up a reserve of materiel. 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. The third installment aims to help answer those questions by examining the Battle of Hue. News of the cancelled cease-fire never reached the MACV Compound. On the off chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemy's intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations. 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. The Battle On 24 February 2/5 Marines launched an operation to the southwest of Hu to relieve the ARVN 101st Engineering Company compound which had been under siege by the PAVN since the start of the battle. [9]:18586 Initially forces were identified as coming from the PAVN 4th, 5th and 6th Regiments. Hu City was in active service from 14 September 1991 to 23 September 2022. [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. As the Marines approached the base at 07:00 they were met by PAVN mortar and machine-gun fire; artillery fire was called in on the PAVN positions and the Marines entered the base at 08:50. Bowden has also written for Talk, Men's Journal, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone and Playboy, among others. The 806th Battalion, which was dug into a cemetery along Highway 1 near the western corner of the Citadel, dispatched a group of soldiers to capture the An Hoa Bridge, driving off the RF detachment guarding the bridge and opening a line of communication with the other PAVN-VC in the Citadel. Because of enemy mortaring of the LCU ramp in southern Hu, the allies had stopped all river traffic to the city. The enemy was 35 meters away and we were launching RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) at each other, said Christmas. Also new to Tha Thin Province was the 5th Regiment, a three-battalion unit that normally operated from Base Area 101 near Qung Tr. If the Marines penetrated the forward line the PAVN moved to the secondary line and then reoccupied the abandoned positions at night. On 23 February, the 2/12th Cavalry and the 2/501st Infantry, resumed their battle at the Sau Canal. On 27 February the entire battalion attacked the hill but the PAVN had withdrawn during the night, leaving behind 14 dead. Unable to enter the Citadel, the two battalions established their night positions outside the southeast wall of the Citadel. In one village, the troops dismounted and cleared the houses on either side of the main street before proceeding. On 16 February two companies from the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, fought elements of the 803rd Regiment, 324B Division, about 20 kilometers (12mi) northeast of Hu, killing 29 PAVN before they broke contact the following day. 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