THE BATTLE FOR THE HUE CITADEL, DURING THE 1968 TET OFFENSIVE, WAS ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL IN MARINE CORPS HISTORY. PRIMARILY FOR IT'S SETTING IN THE ANCIENT IMPERIAL CITY, SURROUNDED BY HIGH WALLS COMPLETE WITH MOAT.
COMBAT IN URBAN AREAS IS THE MOST DIFFICULT OF ALL TYPES OF WARFARE AND THE CONDITIONS AT THE BATTLE FOR THE CITADEL DOUBLY COMPLICATED THE TASK. FIRST AND FOREMOST THE BATTLE AREA WAS NEVER ISOLATED, THIS IS THE PRIMARY PREREQUISITE FOR COMBAT IN URBAN AREAS, AS A RESULT WE WERE ESSENTIALLY SURROUNDED. THE NVA WAS FREE TO REINFORCE AND RESUPPLY AT WILL. THAT PLUS THE MONSOON RAINS AND LOW CLOUD COVER GREATLY REDUCED AIR SUPPORT. THE NAVY WAS ALSO RELUCTANT TO SEND LCUS UP THE PERFUME RIVER TO SUPPORT US. CONSEQUENTLY, WE WERE PERIODICALLY SHORT OF FOOD AND AMMUNITION AND THE ABILITY TO EVACUATE DEAD AND WOUNDED. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAD NO CLOSE SUPPORT ARTILLERY. NEITHER WERE WE EVER RESUPPLIED WITH HAND GRENADES AND NO FLAME THROWERS WERE AVAILABLE--BOTH EXTREMELY USEFUL IN HOUSE TO HOUSE FIGHTING.
THE BATTLE AREA ITSELF WAS TO THE ADVANTAGE OF THE NVA DEFENDERS. ONE LEVEL MASONRY HOUSES AND FENCES AND HEAVY VEGETATION PROVIDED EXCELLENT COVER. AND CONCEALMENT, MAKING IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SPOT WHERE ENEMY FIRE WAS COMING FROM. THE COMBAT WAS CLOSE, PERSONAL, VIOLENT AND ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING. DEATH LURKED BEHIND EVERY CORNER OR FENCE, FROM EVERY ROOM, TREE AND BUSH.
FIFTEEN MINUTES AFTER CROSSING THE LINE OF DEPARTURE FOR OUR INITIAL ATTACK, ALPHA COMPANY WAS HIT HARD IN THE VICINITY OF THE DONG BA GATE/TOWER. EVERY OFFICER AND STAFF NCO WAS KILLED OR WOUNDED PLUS A GOOD NUMBER OF OTHER MARINES. THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY WAS SPENT IN DISENGAGING, COLLECTING OUR CASUALTIES AND WITHDRAWING ALPHA COMPANY TO BATTALION RESERVE. BRAVO AND CHARLIE COMPANY WERE DEPLOYED TO CONTINUE THE ATTACK THE NEXT DAY. I REQUESTED THAT DELTA COMPANY BE DETACHED FROM 2/5 AND SENT TO ME ASAP. I ALSO INFORMED GENERAL TROUNG THAT HIS RULES OF ENGAGEMENT WERE BS AND THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO CONTINUE UNTIL THEY THEY WERE RELAXED. HE AGREED, EXCEPT THAT WE COULD NOT FIRE HEAVY ARTY INSIDE THE INTER PALACE WALL.
THE SECOND DAY, THE ATTACK WAS CONTINUED WITH LITTLE SUCCESS. AGAIN WE HAD DIFFICULTY WITH THE DONG BA TOWER.
DELTA COMPANY ARRIVED THE NEXT DAY AND I GAVE THEM THE ZONE OF ACTION NEXT TO THE EAST WALL WITH THE MISSION OF SECURING THE DONG BA TOWER. DELTA ACCOMPLISHED IT WITH ONE HELL OF A BATTLE THAT RAGED THROUGH THE DAY AND NIGHT. THAT GAVE US THE IMPETUS NEEDED TO MOVE. DELTA COMPANY'S ASSAULT ON THE TOWER WAS ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT. IT WILL JOIN OTHER GREAT SMALL UNIT ASSAULTS IN MARINE CORPS HISTORY.
THERE AFTER OUR MOVEMENT WAS INCH BY INCH, YARD BY YARD, HOUSE BY HOUSE. ONE CORRESPONDENT WITH US WROTE THAT WE SUFFERED A CASUALTY FOR EVERY YARD THAT WE TOOK. THERE WAS SOME TRUTH TO THAT. TWICE THE ATTACK WAS STOPPED BECAUSE WE RAN OUT OF 90,106 AND 81 MM AMMO. THREE OR FOUR DAYS WE WERE WITHOUT FOOD AND FRESH WATER. RESUPPLY AND EVACUATION OF OUR DEAD AND WOUNDED WAS A CHRONIC PROBLEM THROUGH-OUT.
IN SPITE OF THE DIFFICULTIES WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE WITHIN A COUPLE HUNDRED METERS OF THE SOUTHERN WALL WHEN OUT ATTACK CAME TO A GRINDING HALT. ONE PARTICULAR BUILDING WAS GIVING US FITS. IT WAS THE ONLY MULTI STORY STRUCTURE IN THE CITADEL. LATER WE WERE TO LEARN THAT IT WAS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE NVA FORCE COMMANDER.`AT THAT POINT I GAVE THE COMPANY COMMANDERS AN ATTACK ORDER FOR THE NEXT MORNING. WHEN I HAD FINISHED CAPTAIN HARRINGTON SAID, " WE WILL DO OUR BEST MAJOR BUT IF WE GO WE WILL NOT HAVE ANYTHING LEFT AT DAY'S END. THE OTHER COMPANY COMMANDERS HARDILY AGREED. THEY WERE RIGHT. WE WERE DOWN TO THE REMNANTS. PLATOON LOOKED LIKE SQUADS, COMPANIES LOOKED LIKE PLATOONS, COMPANIES HAD ONLY ONE OR TWO OFFICERS OR STAFF NCOS.
AT THAT POINT THE ONLY THING I COULD THINK OF TO DO WAS TO CONDUCT A NIGHT ATTACK, I CALLED ON ALPHA COMPANY TO DO THE JOB. THEY HAD BEEN IN RESERVE SINCE TAKING SO MANY CASUALTIES THE FIRST DAY AND WAS IN RELATIVELY GOOD SHAPE, THE PLAN WAS TO MOVE IN QUIETLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AND CATCH THE NVA BY SURPRISE. THIS THEY DID. THEY WERE ABLE CATCH THE NVA GUARDS SLEEPING AND DISPOSED OF THEM WITHOUT A SOUND. AT FIRST LIGHT THE NVA STARTED TO MOVE BACK INTO THEIR POSITIONS. ALPHA COMPANY WAS READY FOR THEM--THEY HAD A DUCK SHOOT, THROWING THE NVA IN A STATE OF GREAT DISARRAY. I HAD ASK OUR OTHER COMPANIES TO MONITOR ALPHA'S TACTICAL NET. SO WHEN THEY HEARD ALPHA'S SUCCESS THEY CONTINUED THE ATTACK IMMEDIATELY AND DROVE DOWN WITHIN ASSAULT POSITION OF OUR FINAL OBJECTIVE OF SECURING THE SOUTHERN WALL, THE FLAG TOWER AND GATE.
AT THAT POINT BRAVO COMPANY WAS RELIEVED AND SENT BACK TO PHU BAI AND WAS REPLACED BY LIMA COMPANY, 5TH MARINES. LIMA CAME UP FROM THE DANANG AREA WHERE THEY HAD SEEN LIMITED ACTION. THEY WERE AT FULL STRENGTH AND READY TO GO. THEY WERE GIVEN THE TASK OF TAKING THE TOWER AND GATE. LIMA COMPANY'S ASSAULT WAS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD, THE SKY'S OPENED UP AND WE WERE ABLE TO RUN NAPALM AIR STRIKES ON THE TOWER. LIMA TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT ASSAULTING ACROSS AN OPEN AREA TO TAKE THE TOWER. THE REMAINDER OF THE BATTALION WAS ABLE TO TAKE THEIR PORTION OF THE WALL WITH EASE.
I WAS ORDERED TO ALLOW THE ARVN TO TAKE THE INNER PALACE AND LOWER THE COMMUNIST FLAG FROM THE TOWER AND HOISTING THE VIETNAM FLAG. REMNANTS OF THE BLACK PANTHER COMPANY AND 2ND BN, 3RD ARVN REGIMENT WERE GIVEN THE HONORS. THESE UNITS HAD BEEN WITH US FROM THE BEGINNING AND WERE USED FOR REAR AREA SECURITY AND CONTROLLING HUNDREDS OF REFUGEES WAITING TO RECLAIM THEIR HOMES. BUT BY THAT TIME THERE WAS NO RESISTANCE--THE BATTLE WAS OVER.
WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE HOW COURAGEOUS OUR MARINES WERE DURING THIS BATTLE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE OF DELTA COMPANY.WHO LED ALL THE WAY. DELTA COMPANY WAS MY MAIN FORCE IN THE CITADEL, AS WELL AS FOR MY SEVEN MONTHS AS BATTALION COMMANDER OF 1/5. MARINES OF 1/5 CAN TAKE PRIDE IN THAT YOU WON ONE OF THE GREAT BATTLES IN MARINE CORPS HISTORY,
I AM SO PROUD OF YOU AND CONSIDER MYSELF FORTUNATE AND HONORED TO HAVE SERVED WITH YOU.
SEMPER FI FOREVER-- Col BOB THOMPSON
