The Battle of Hue: February 1, 1968 — I Like to Hear Myself Talk History

Under Siege

***An Alpha/1/1 Marine examines a bullet hole in his helmet from an NVA sniper***
*US National Archives*

The second day of the Battle for Hue began in with the Americans still confined to the MACV compound, as well as the ARVN isolated to Mang Ca in the Citadel. The extent of what had happened in the city was still not fully understood by the American or South Vietnamese leadership, and as the grey overcast skies were interspersed with cold drizzle the outlook for the city looked little better than the dismal weather.

The Citadel

As the morning arrived, General Truong at Mang Ca was further reinforced, as elements of the 1st ARVN Division that had been stationed outside the city manage to break through the NVA perimeter and join the divisional command staff at the headquarters at 0800. The forces that arrived in Mang Ca were the 1st Battalion, ARVN 3rd Regiment. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions remained in much the same way they were yesterday: surrounded and trapped against the citadel wall. The 4th Battalion was likewise surrounded further from the citadel. Additional reinforcements are also arriving, as helicopters airlift the paratroopers of the 1st ARVN Airborne Task Force into the citadel. General Truong does not attempt any counterattacks today, instead electing to consolidate his position as reinforcements are brought into his compound. Orders did arrive from Task Force X-Ray commander General LaHue at Phu Bai, ordering the ARVN forces to begin sweeping the Citadel to clear it of NVA forces, but Truong’s forces remained unable to do more than maintain their own perimeter for the time being.

***Members of a US Marine recon unit near Doc Lap Park***
*Original Color*

The Triangle

In the Triangle, the ARVN were still holding out at the prison, and orders were issued from Task Force X-Ray in Phu Bai for the Marines at MACV to move to relieve them as soon as possible. Despite only being about a kilometer from the American compound, the experiences on the streets the previous evening resulted in some trepidation about the attack. The Marines were right to be concerned: despite the beliefs of the staff officers at Phu Bai and in Saigon, the Marines in Hue were outnumbered by a ten to one margin.

Compounding the problem was the general lack of training or experience in urban combat. While the Marines were in general seasoned veterans of the jungle combat that had until now characterized the war in Vietnam, the US Marine Corps had not engaged in a major urban battle since Seoul in the Korean War. Training had emphasized fighting in jungle environments as well, with only a cursory course in street fighting. For the most part the Marines would have to learn the methods of urban battle as they progressed in the cramped streets of Hue.

Captain Chuck Meadows’ Golf/2/5 was detailed the mission to relieve the prison, and jumped off at 0700 with two Pattons in support, heading down Highway 1 and planning to turn down Tran Cao Van Street to push deeper into the Triangle. The fighting is brutal as soon as the Marines turn onto Tran Cao Van, out of sight of the MACV. The M48 leading the assault quickly took a hit from an RPG fired from the chapel of the Joan of Arc School complex, and the steeple with the offending NVA was quickly brought down by fire. As the fighting drags on for hours to advance, civilians begin to swarm out of the buildings and run for the MACV compound, and the Army soldiers from MACV aiding the Marines are sent to escort them back to the safety of the compound.

Hours later the fighting continued, and Golf/2/5’s 3rd Platoon was ordered to escort a convoy of trucks back to Phu Bai with the dead and wounded, and return with supplies and reinforcements. Lt. Bill Rogers is ordered to join it, and personally explain to the officers at Phu Bai the situation in the city, as it is obvious that they are unaware of the extent of the enemy presence. The trucks, escorted by the two army quad .50s, are further ordered to proceed at top speed, abandoning any vehicle that is disabled and ramming any enemy roadblocks they may encounter en route. The convoy would lose one truck to an RPG near the Phu Cam Canal, but the majority would arrive at Phu Bai without incident, and Lt. Rogers gives his report, leading General LaHue to begin the preparations for a large battle for the city.

In response to Lt. Rogers’ report, Task Force X-Ray promptly set about redeploying its forces to Hue. To the south Foxtrot/2/5 had been in the process of cornering and annihilating a major NVA force near the bridge they were assigned to guard, and its commanding officer, Captain Mike Downs, is incredulous that his unit has been ordered to disengage when on the brink of total victory. Nevertheless, his Marines begin the move to Phu Bai, and from their begin to be airlifted into the landing zone at Doc Lap Park to join the street battle. They are also joined by two 81mm mortars and two 106mm recoilless rifles, weapons that will prove valuable in the streets.

***Marines cautiously walk down a war torn street***
*US National Archives, Film Still, Original Color*

Back on the streets, the Marines had be the afternoon only managed to push a block down from MACV against heavy NVA resistance. Finally acknowledging that reaching the prison was impossible, orders were instead given to push for a US Air Force communications post in a hostel only three blocks down the street. Thus the fighting continued, even as elements of Foxtrot/2/5 were rushed in to reinforce the attack. These reinforcements shared the same fate as the Golf/2/5 Marines fighting on Tran Cao Van Street all day, as they were cut to ribbons by the barrage of NVA fire. Eventually, two M48s had to be ordered up to cover the evacuation of casualties from the streets, with the wounded being loaded onto the read decks of the tanks. An RPG hit one of them, sending the wounded flying off the vehicle. One man was presumed dead but awoke from the shock, and one Marine, Pvt. Roberto de la Riva-Vara, was presumed dead as he lay in the street. The NVA fire denied every attempt to retrieve the body, and when they attempt to retreive the corpse with cover from a tank he is revealed to be alive, but shot in the legs. Unable to move, he resorted to playing dead until he could be rescued.

The attack had once again failed, and a steady stream of casualties were being loaded today onto Sea Knights for evacuation to Phu Bai at the Doc Lap LZ. In order to allow transfer of casualties from the MACV dispensary a tank was ordered to drive directly through the buildings between the park and compound, bulldozing a corridor relatively safe from sniper fire. Further reinforcements were also incoming, as HQ Company, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines (HQ/2/5) and Hotel/2/5 were ordered to disengage south of Phu Bai for redeployment into the city.

As the day draws to a close, the Marines of Foxtrot/2/5 are again ordered to attack toward the prison, this time pushing down Le Loi Street, which ran parallel to the Perfume River. Two Pattons were detailed to them for this, but again requests for fire support were denied. In response to this order Captain Downs and another officer take to the radio to explain the futility of such an attempt to their superiors at Phu Bai, and the orders are rescinded. Foxtrot/2/5 is ordered to stand down to prepare for the attack in the morning. In addition, at Phu Bai General LaHue orders Col. Stanley Hughes to set out for Hue in the morning, to take direct command of the Marines there, in part due to issues working with Army Col. Adkisson at the MACV compound.

Meanwhile, to the north, the US Army’s 1st Air Cavalry Division, based at Camp Evans on Highway 1, received its own orders regarding developments in Hue. The divisonal commander, General Jack Tolson, was ordered by MACV in Saigon to send a unit south to cut off the NVA from reinforcing the city, a task the general delegated to Lt. Colonel Dick Sweet and his 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment (2/12Cav). They were to set out tomorrow.

February 1, 1968

Under Siege

The Citadel

The Triangle

February 2, 1968

January 31, 1968

I Like to Hear Myself Talk History