Battle of Hue of the 10 Recapture emperor’s palace
to 09 Marines the rescue
ARVN Black Panther rangers clear the Imperial Palace of communist troops. On 24 February, the rangers replace the Viet Cong flag that has flown at the main gate for 25 days with the South Vietnamese flag.
The 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, arrives in the citadel on 11 February to clear the eastern half of the sprawling fortress. One of the most daunting tasks they face is clearing the enemy from the archway tower in the north-eastern wall.
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in 08Fighting the citadel
US ARVN Army
ARVN Forces 11 Battalions US Forces 3 Marine Battalions + 3 US Army Battalions
Elite South Vietnamese troops go toe-to-toe with the North Vietnamese regulars inside the citadel in early February. When the South Vietnamese capture the northwest wall of the citadel on 4 February, the North Vietnamese launch a successful counterattack.
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Brigadier General Foster C LaHue, USMC LEADER
The assistant commander of the 1st Marine Division. Strengths Pressed the attack despite stifling rules of engagement. Weakness Underestimated the enemy threat and fed reinforcements piecemeal.
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US Marines
key unit
The US Marines were entrusted with helping defend against communist insurgency. Strengths The elite Marines excelled at offensive operations. Weakness Hampered by rules of engagement that initially prohibited artillery and air support in an effort to spare civilians.
counterattack 06Marine in south Hue
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M48A3 Patton Tank Air Cavalry blocking attack
Soldiers of the 3rd Brigade of the US Army’s 1st Air Cavalry Division land west of Hue on 3 February with orders to cut the communist supply line to depots running west from Hue to the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They become entangled in heavy combat with entrenched communist forces.
KEY WEAPON
Spearheaded attacks through the city protecting infantry squads. Strengths Capable of knocking out strongpoints with its 90mm cannon. Weakness Unable to operate on some narrow streets inside the citadel and vulnerable to RPGs.
© Alamy, Getty Images, Nicholas Forder
A force of 1,000 US Marines fights block by block to clear the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong from the south side of the city. The Marines are supported by M48 tanks, trucks armed with quad .50 machine guns and a low-silhouette tracked vehicle called an Ontos with a turret supporting two arms, each of which holds three recoilless rifles. Although the Marines clear Hue’s south side of large-scale communist forces by 10 February, they continue to conduct sweeps against snipers.
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