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A review by mburnamfink
Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam by Mark Bowden
5.0
It's almost exactly 50 years from the Tet Offensive, one of the most decisive and misunderstood campaigns in history. Tet was based on delusion on both sides. The Communist leadership believed that the people of South Vietnam were primed to join a general offensive and overthrow the puppet government. General Westmoreland and MACV were sure that the Communists were on the ropes, and that the key battle was at the remote firebase of Khe Sanh. On the Vietnamese New Year, Jan 30 1968, VC units backed by NVA regulars launched attacks across South Vietnam, showing that the Communists were capable of massive organized operations with exceptional operational security. Most of these assaults were repelled, but the city of Hue fell to the Communist, with small pockets of resistance around the MACV compound in the south of the city, and the ARVN headquarters in the northern parts of the 19th century citadel.
What followed could only be described as a fiasco on the American side. Marine companies were fed into the city piecemeal, and told to expect only light resistance. What they found were Communists fighters dug in, with ample supplies and reinforcements, willing to contest every block and building. Bad weather and restrictive rules of engagement prevent the Marines from using their artillery and air support at first, though by the end of the battle shells were falling freely, wrecking 80% of the city. The Marines hadn't done any urban combat since Seoul in 1950, but they relearned fast. M48 Patton tanks become mobile bunkers. The Ontos tank destroyer, armed with six 106mm recoilless rifles, would scoot out, demolish a building with a salvo, an retreat. Marines learned to 'walk through walls', avoiding doors and intersections by blasting holes in the buildings. Over 24 grueling days, they forced the Communist forces to retreat.
Both sides claimed victory, but the surest losers were the civilians of Hue. The Communists wasted no time setting up revolutionary tribunals and executing "enemies of the people". The Americans and South Vietnamese had no formal policies of execution, but their lavish use of firepower did not discriminate between fighting positions and refugees sheltering in bunkers. Suspicious GIs shot first and asked questions never, gunning down people searching for food or trying to cross the lines. Thousands of civilians were murdered by their supposed "liberators". Westmoreland's reputation, tarnished by Tet, was done in by the Battle of Hue and the Siege of Khe Sanh.
Bowden is a talented author, and he makes the action come alive again, putting you there with the Marines and the Vietnamese. This is the authoritative account of the Battle of Hue, and a required part of any Vietnam War book collection.
What followed could only be described as a fiasco on the American side. Marine companies were fed into the city piecemeal, and told to expect only light resistance. What they found were Communists fighters dug in, with ample supplies and reinforcements, willing to contest every block and building. Bad weather and restrictive rules of engagement prevent the Marines from using their artillery and air support at first, though by the end of the battle shells were falling freely, wrecking 80% of the city. The Marines hadn't done any urban combat since Seoul in 1950, but they relearned fast. M48 Patton tanks become mobile bunkers. The Ontos tank destroyer, armed with six 106mm recoilless rifles, would scoot out, demolish a building with a salvo, an retreat. Marines learned to 'walk through walls', avoiding doors and intersections by blasting holes in the buildings. Over 24 grueling days, they forced the Communist forces to retreat.
Both sides claimed victory, but the surest losers were the civilians of Hue. The Communists wasted no time setting up revolutionary tribunals and executing "enemies of the people". The Americans and South Vietnamese had no formal policies of execution, but their lavish use of firepower did not discriminate between fighting positions and refugees sheltering in bunkers. Suspicious GIs shot first and asked questions never, gunning down people searching for food or trying to cross the lines. Thousands of civilians were murdered by their supposed "liberators". Westmoreland's reputation, tarnished by Tet, was done in by the Battle of Hue and the Siege of Khe Sanh.
Bowden is a talented author, and he makes the action come alive again, putting you there with the Marines and the Vietnamese. This is the authoritative account of the Battle of Hue, and a required part of any Vietnam War book collection.