Battlefield: Vietnam (Part6/12) - The TET Offensive: The Battle For Hue City (8) – Chiến Trường: Việt Nam (P6/12) - Cuộc Tấn Công Tết Mậu Thân: Trận Chiến Kinh Thành Huế (8)
CHIẾN TRANH VIỆT NAM: MẬU THÂN 1968: Battlefield: Vietnam (Part6/12) - The TET Offensive: Battlefield: Vietnam (Part6/12) - The TET Offensive: The Battle For Hue City (8) – Chiến Trường: Việt Nam (P6/12) - Cuộc Tấn Công Tết Mậu Thân: Trận Chiến Kinh Thành Huế (8)
From 45:54 Tet Offensive
42:47 When the Viet Cong High command ordered its guerrilla units to withdraw from the cities, it made one clear exception. The City of Hue was not to be abandoned. Although South Vietnamese Army and American forces had launched a determined counter assault Hue was too valuable a prize to lose. [Music]
43:16 By the fourth day of the Hue battle a thousand more South Vietnamese Army troops had been airlifted to the City. The Americans had been reinforced by 1200 Marines. [Music]
43:33 Fierce assaults had been launched on the gates of the Citadel and into the streets of the Southern City. By now the 12,000 NVA and NLF troops in and adjacent to Hue had fortified almost every city block. The attackers were forced to advance down narrow streets and through Gardens fighting their way from house to house. around every corner were strong points bristling with heavy weapons.
44:10 Any house or wall could conceal a heavily armed NVA assault group. At the start of the battle in the hope of saving the Imperial City from complete destruction. The South Vietnamese had insisted that the Americans not use artillery or aircraft to destroy enemy fortifications.
44:49 After 5 days of Fierce and bloody fighting most restrictions were lifted. Bombers and artillery support were called in to hit NVA strong points. Most devastating of all. The guns of American warships joined the battle. Directed by Marine spotters. The ships fired thousands of shells into the city from 14 miles away.
45:30 Meanwhile, in spite of frantic American efforts U.S reinforcements west of the city were still struggling to reach the Battle Zone. [Music]
45:53 When the Tet Offensive had begun, it had caught the American 1st Air Cavalry Division in the middle of its redeployment from further South [Music]
46:06 The division was split with its Headquarters and 3rd Brigade at Camp Evans and its main logistical base at Phu Bai [Music]
46:19 When the North Vietnamese had begun their attack on Hue. They had cut Highway 1 the vital Road link between the Air Cavalry fighting units. And its stocks of fuel and ammunition. [Music]
46:38 Meanwhile the NVA had a clear supply line running from the A Sao Valley into Hue, and a ring of anti-aircraft defenses around the City. [Music]
46:54 The air Cavalry could send only a single Battalion to advance on Hue. It was dispatched without artillery support and with air cover impossible because of bad weather. The Battalion was cut off and only just escaped
annihilation. It would take nearly 3 weeks for the first Cavalry division to assemble the men fuel and ammunition, it needed to start cutting the North Vietnamese Army's supply lines into Hue.[Music]
47:31 By the 12th day of the Battle for Hue City South Vietnamese units had reoccupied parts of the Citadel. The Americans had almost cleared the City South of the river and had been reinforced by 500 more Marines. The North Vietnamese still had open supply lines to the West and were able to launch aggressive counter attacks. But with the Marines now pressing into the old city, the NVA position was deteriorating fast.
48:30 To help defend the Citadel the Truong Tien Bridge across the Perfumed River had been blown up by a Viet Kong demolition team. Supplies and reinforcements for the South Vietnamese Army and the US Marines fighting inside the Citadel had to be sent by landing craft. It was a hazardous journey. The boats had to skirt an enemy held area and sail under the guns of NVA troops.
49:06 During the following week as the Americans and the South Vietnamese blasted their way deeper into the city. The sheer weight of Firepower began to tell on the NVA. Their Commander asked for permission to pull out. But he was told he had to fight on. The battle continued through to the night of February 23rd, with days and nights of savage fighting. Before the NVA were finally driven from their last red out in the Citadel Imperial Palace.
49:58 And the Stars and Stripes was raised above it. Retaking Hue cost nearly 400 South Vietnamese Army and more than 140 US Marines lives. 5,000 and NVA and Viet Cong died in the city and a further 3,000 in the adjacent fighting. 5,800 civilians were caught in the crossfire or killed by NVA forces in the first days of the occupation. American firepower, bombs and artillery had reduced 80% of the city to rubble. [Music]
