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. The ARVN 3rd Regiment launched a night attack along the southern wall of the Citadel. On the morning of 25 February 1968 Nguyen heard screaming coming from the far side of her village of Ha My - not far from the now-popular tourist town of Hoi An - and saw smoke filling the sky . [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. To date it is the only U.S. Navy ship named after a battle in the Vietnam War.[37]. Near the MACV Compound, the Marines came under heavy machine gun and rocket fire. 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. See my book, "The Cat from Hue: a Vietnam War Story." 1) Walk Through the Imperial Citadel (Kinh Thanh) 2) Visit the Forbidden Purple City. 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. Itinerary. [4]:204, Despite their reducing hold on the city the PAVN seemed determined to prolong the battle for the Citadel. [12]:38, Just before dawn the 804th Battalion reached the eastern outskirts of the new city, three hours behind schedule. 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. He led the Marine push to capture the Citadel on the north side of the Hue river. With the number of wounded rising, the Marines commandeered some abandoned Vietnamese civilian vehicles and used them as makeshift ambulances to carry out the wounded. MACV's focus was on the Battle of Khe Sanh, where a PAVN assault was believed to be imminent. [9]:269, About 11:00, Company H, 2/5 Marines, crossed the An Cuu Bridge in an armed convoy. At about 15:15 the Marines managed to make their way toward the MACV Compound. With the city finally in sight, the three companies that made up the 804th Battalion headed off in different directions. for Advanced Operational Culture Lrng. A Leaders Guide to Conducting Research Staff Rides, The Overlooked Irregular Warfare Expert the Pentagon Should Study Today, MWI Podcast: When Cities Become Battlefields, Frank Sobchak Joins MWI as Chair of Irregular Warfare Studies, Announcing the Modern War Institutes 202223 Senior and Research Fellows, Call for Submissions: Civil-Military Relations and Modern War, Call for Applications: MWIs 202223 Fellows Program. On the 7th the 3rd Regiment, which had been futilely trying to break into the southeast corner of the Citadel, was moved by Mike boats to Mang Ca to reinforce his units inside the Citadel. 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. 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. 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. ), participated in the battle for Hu as a company commander and will present a first-hand account of the conflict. 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. Greenway, a photographer embedded with the Marines . [21][4]:216[22], The PAVN-VC were generally greeted with little enthusiasm by the population of Hu. [4]:168[12]:4344, The ARVN 3rd Regiment had an even more difficult time. The PAVN-VC lost somewhere between 1,042 and 5,133 killed, while Allied forces lost 668 dead and 3,707 wounded. God Bless these two Marines , who in the heat of battle, find the opportunity to escort this blind local girl to safety. [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. 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. With the building secured the Marines then methodically cleared out the spider-holes, shooting their occupants. There were also many obstacles to navigate including moats and walls. 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. After a few minutes, the RF soldiers stopped shooting, and some began to wonder whether they had seen enemy troops or had been firing at shadows. We walked them down the streets until they were out of the line of fire. The base remained under fire from PAVN positions in a Buddhist temple to the south and from a ridgeline to the west and at 07:00 on 25 February Companies F and G began to attack the ridgeline, but were met by intense mortar fire. [4]:17374 This was easier said than done as the PAVN-VC were well dug-in and firing from virtually every building in the Citadel. 358 Battle Of Hue Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 358 Battle Of Hue Premium High Res Photos Browse 358 battle of hue stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. But in the 1968 Tet Offensive, the war spilled out of the jungle into the streets of Hue City. Everybody will fight. Cntr. Meanwhile, the 416th Battalion began fortifying the twin villages with spider holes, trenches and camouflaged fighting positions. Hue City Vietnam - Etsy Check out our hue city vietnam selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. [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. 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. Meanwhile, two kilometers to the northwest, the remainder of the 5/7th Cavalry, resumed its advance toward Thon An. 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. Vietnamese young boys and girls fill sandbags. [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. 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. [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. [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. 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. The Tet Offensive was a military campaign . [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. [9]:361, On 7 February the PAVN twice ambushed a 25 vehicle supply convoy supported by two Ontos going along Route 547 (162602N 1073549E / 16.434N 107.597E / 16.434; 107.597) from Phu Bai to the 11th Marines Firebase Rockcrusher (162335N 1073408E / 16.393N 107.569E / 16.393; 107.569) which provided artillery support to Allied forces fighting in and around Hu. 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. 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. The city had a population of 140,000 before the battle. To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. [28][9]:50405, After watching Cronkite's editorial report, President Lyndon Johnson is purported to have said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America. 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. 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. This is called lance corporal ingenuity and Pfc. The 4th Battalion ran into a blocking force from the 2nd Sapper Battalion and a company from the 810th Battalion. Unable to enter the Citadel, the two battalions established their night positions outside the southeast wall of the Citadel. 5/7th Cavalry would be stalled north of La Chu for 2 weeks, probing but failing to penetrate the PAVN defenses. A forward fighting line was maintained directly opposite the Marines with a secondary line two blocks back. They were unsuccessful and Company F sustained casualties of three dead and 13 wounded. [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. Brigadier General Foster LaHue, the Task Force X-Ray commander, actually had very little reliable intelligence on the situation. The fighting in Hue City, Vietnam, was as intense and confusing as anything the Marines there had ever seen. Several local force companies operated in the districts surrounding Hu. Later that day, U.S. Marine helicopters from HMM-165 brought part of the ARVN 4th Battalion, 2nd Regiment from ng H Combat Base into the Citadel. The Terrible Toll. The initial assault was on the left flank by Company A, 1/1 Marines which was tasked with securing a Catholic chapel and the Jeanne d'Arc High School (162754N 1073528E / 16.465N 107.591E / 16.465; 107.591). Part One is entirely about the Battle of Hue. 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. 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. 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. Lt. Gen. G. R. (Ron) Christmas, USMC (Ret. 12 February - 5 March 1968 - Operation "HUE CITY." Citadel Fortress of Hue. 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. Connecting the Citadel and new city were the Trng Tin Bridge (162805N 1073520E / 16.468N 107.589E / 16.468; 107.589), which carried Highway 1, and further west the Bach Ho rail bridge. [4]:192 The ARVN 2nd Troop, 7th Cavalry, equipped with fifteen M113s arrived at Mang Ca from Qung Tr to relieve the 3rd Troop. The enemy force, the forty sappers and an infantry company from the 800th Battalion that had been waiting in the graveyard northwest of An Hoa, did not return fire but crept away before they could be illuminated by the descending flares. On 31 January 1968, the Marines of 1/5 were spread out over a large area of I Corps. Sightseeing can include the ornate Imperial Citadel, colorful Thanh Toan Bridge, royal tombs and the Forbidden Purple City. Due to the Tt holidays, large numbers of ARVN forces were on leave and the city was poorly defended. [4]:167 Meanwhile, the PAVN 802nd Battalion moved north of Ty Lc to attack Mang Ca. The company also helped a group of sappers seize the Treasury Building (162754N 1073524E / 16.465N 107.590E / 16.465; 107.590), the post office and a radio station a few blocks to the north. The units intended to use a ferry station 10 kilometers (6.2mi) south of the city to cross the river. In February 1968, in the South Vietnamese city of Hu, 11 battalions of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), four U. S. Armybattalions, and three understrength U. S. Marine Corps battalions, for a total of . [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. 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. [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. We had 30 personal decorations awarded to the company and of the 30, 27 were enlisted with 24 being corporals and below, Downs said. The Citadel, or Imperial City, is the walled-in portion of Hu sitting on the north bank of the Perfume River. 604 Hue 1968 Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 604 Hue 1968 Premium High Res Photos Browse 604 hue 1968 stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Tolson's plan called for an air assault by two battalions of the 3rd Brigade northwest of Hu. 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. He previously served as a fellow with the chief of staff of the Armys Strategic Studies Group. 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. [9]:519. Soldiers look on. One of the offensives chief targets was the city of Hue. [4]:176, At about 15:00, the ARVN 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment reached the 1st Division command post at the Mang Ca compound. US Marines spent nearly a month fighting a brutal urban battle to retake the city which was 80% destroyed by the battle's end, according to H.D.S. The outer stone wall is one meter thick, five meters high and is separated from the inner wall by dirt fill. During the months and years that followed, dozens of mass graves were discovered in and around Hu. On Feb. 15, 1968, U.S. Marines carry out an assault on Dong Ba Tower in Hue, South Vietnam. The reconnaissance platoon, having made its way back into the city, defended the Imperial Palace but eventually had to retreat to Mang Ca. On that first day, the two Marine companies in Hu had sustained casualties of 10 killed and 56 wounded. [4]:174, North of the Perfume River, on 1 February, the ARVN 1st Division enjoyed some limited success. In this Feb. 1968 photo, a unit of the 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment U.S. Marines, rests alongside a battered wall of Hue's imperial palace after a battle for the Citadel during the Tet Offensive. 2/5 Marines killed 18 PAVN or VC and captured one, at a cost of three Marines killed and 13 wounded. The year 1968 marked a crucial turning point in the Vietnam War. 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. Artillery shells began raining down near the ferry landing and fighter-bombers soon joined the attack, which killed at least 12 PAVN-VC and scattered the rest. Only two buildings in the city were held by Marines. [9]:45, The North Vietnamese plan for the Tet Offensive was known as the "General Offensive-General Uprising". 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 Marine convoy stopped several times to eliminate resistance in heavy house-to-house fighting before proceeding again. One of my more memorable experiences during the monthlong battle for Hue City, February 1968, was when my assistant machine-gunner, Marcus, and I were ordered to stay behind on the enemy's side of . This pictorial is a testament to their will and their sacrifice. [4]:20405 On 17 February the Vietnamese Marines and ARVN 3rd Regiment resumed their attacks south, while the Hac Bao Company was moved to support the right flank of the 1/5 Marines. This was an operational area that actually required two complete regiments to secure. power. 3 kilometers (1.9mi) southwest of the Citadel, on the north bank of the Perfume River, was the Van Thanh divisional training center and a two-gun detachment of 105mm howitzers. These ambushes killed 20 Marines and wounded 39. On 15 February Company D led the renewed attack against the Dong Ba Gate with Company C defending its flank. [12]:37 At 08:00, PAVN troops raised a liberation flag over the Citadel flag tower. Entering the building the Marines fought room by room, clearing the building, but many of the PAVN slipped away. Owned and operated by the 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. Maj. John Canley's actions during the battle of Hue City, Vietnam, in 1968 have him one step away from receiving the nation's highest award for combat valor, the Medal of Honor. [4]:213 MACV gave figures of 5,133 PAVN-VC killed at Hu. But once you get them out you have to take them out the way you came in. [9]:18586 Initially forces were identified as coming from the PAVN 4th, 5th and 6th Regiments. 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. PAVN soldiers also fired 130 82mm mortar rounds into the Mang Ca Compound the opening minutes of the battle. Loyde Yates, Hue City, Feb 1968. 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. This is also where the Marine needs to use their ingenuity. [9]:268, Back at Phu Bai, Cheatham was reviewing Marine urban fighting doctrine which recommended staying off the streets and moving forward by blasting through walls and buildings. It was mid-February 1968, and American and South Vietnamese forces were. 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. [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. [9]:288 That evening VC sappers succeeded in blowing up the An Cuu bridge, cutting the road link to Phu Bai. He has served twenty-six years in the Canadian Armed Forces, which included operational tours to the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Afghanistan. Hue vietnam 1968 Stock Photos and Images. At 05:00 on 24 February they raised the South Vietnamese flag on the Citadel flag tower and proceeded to secure the southern wall by 10:25. 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. 7) Walk Around the Thai Hoa Palace. Of course, with any firefight, there will be mistakes made. Its pretty easy to get emotional, but what leaders get paid for is to stand above the emotion. Etsy Search for items or shops Close search Skip to Content Sign in 0 Cart Holiday Sales Event Jewelry & Accessories Clothing & Shoes Captain Gordon Batcheller later recalled that "we were rousted up about 04:00 on the 31st and launched south on trucks to rendezvous with and reinforce ARVN forces about a map sheet and a half south of Phu Bai." 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. The walls of the Citadel form a square with sides of 2,500 meters. On 27 February the entire battalion attacked the hill but the PAVN had withdrawn during the night, leaving behind 14 dead. 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. [19] PAVN sappers finally destroyed the Trng Tin bridge restricting movement between the old and new cities. The Marines reported heavy casualties in street fighting in the ancient capital city of Vietnam. 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. As the Marines advanced into the open countryside towards the T m Pagoda they located fresh PAVN graves and then were hit by a barrage of mortar fire, forcing them to withdraw. If the Marines penetrated the forward line the PAVN moved to the secondary line and then reoccupied the abandoned positions at night. 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. But if you can do that you will make the right decision. 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. ", Those identified by the PAVN-VC were initially marched out of the city for "reeducation". and, more recently, The Finish: "The Killing of Osama bin Laden", and Hue 1968: A Turning point of the American war in Vietnam. A U.S. Army UH-1 Huey piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Frederick Ferguson landed in the compound and rescued the crew under fire. Approximately 10.5 miles north of the city in Thua Thien Province, the ARVN 1st Airborne Task . At Thon La Chu a South Vietnamese official who was a VC agent had earlier used aid money to build a three-story concrete and steel bomb shelter for local villagers and the command group of the Hu City Front used this as its headquarters. The change is incredible, and yet you can still make out familiar sights. Although the South Vietnamese 9th Airborne Battalion was caught up in the battle for Qung Tr, the 2nd and 7th Airborne Battalions were available at PK17. The Marines secured the chapel and the east school building, but were pinned down for hours by interlocking fire from the west building. I live with that to this day, Christmas said. . The battle was one of the longest and bloodiest of the war, and the battle negatively affected American public perception of the war. [9]:5960 While some senior PAVN leaders were skeptical about the plan, believing that the population was unlikely to rise up and that they could only hold out against the ARVN and U.S. forces for a few days before they would be forced to withdraw, they followed their orders. [8] Hu had great symbolism, having been the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The U.S. Navy Ticonderoga class-guided-missile cruiser USSHu City, commissioned in 1991, is named after the battle. [12]:69, On 16 February the 1/5 Marines advanced approximately 140 meters for a cost of seven Marines killed and 47 wounded and 63 PAVN killed. The Battle of Hue began early on January 31, 1968 and lasted until the first days of March, when US troops retook the city. 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 Marines were now only 100 meters from the south wall of the Citadel. On the night of 23 February the PAVN attempted another counterattack, but were forced back by artillery fire. The toughest fight of the day centered on a pagoda that contained a PAVN battalion headquarters. The Battle of Hue City occurred during the Tet Offensive, where. Vietnam (Physiography) 2001 (1.6MB) and pdf format (1.9MB) Vietnam (Political) 2001 (208K) and pdf format (214K) Vietnam (Political) 1992 (189K) and pdf format (202K) Vietnam (Shaded Relief) 2001 (258K) and pdf format (261K) [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. 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. Little reliable intelligence on the situation battle was one of the city of Vietnam the.:168 [ 12 ]:37 at 08:00, PAVN troops raised a liberation over! Marines of 1/5 were spread out over a large area of I Corps force companies operated in the in! Pavn-Vc lines and reach the MACV Compound, the Task force X-Ray,... 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