Battle of Huế

Part of the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War

U.S. Marines fighting in Huế

Date

January 30 – March 3, 1968

Location

16°28′30.9″N 107°34′33.6″E / 16.475250°N 107.576000°ECoordinates: 16°28′30.9″N 107°34′33.6″E / 16.475250°N 107.576000°E
Huế, South Vietnam

Result

Tactical US & South Vietnamese military victory;
Vietcong and North Vietnamese political and propaganda victory

Massacre perpetrated by Vietcong and the NVA resulted in thousands of civilians killed
Sustained damage to the Hue city and ancient imperial city of Hue

Belligerents

Commanders and leaders

Strength

11 ARVN battalions
2 U.S. Army battalions
3 U.S Marine Corps battalions
US Air Force support

10 PAVN and NLF battalions

Casualties and losses

From 30/1 until 28/2
ARVN:
452 killed
2,123 wounded
U.S.:
216 killed
1,584 wounded
Total:
668 killed
3,707 wounded

PAVN figures:
Source 1: About 2,400 killed and 3,000 wounded (from 30/1 until 28/3)
Source 2: 1,042 killed (from 30/1 until 2/3). A PAVN document allegedly captured by the ARVN stated that 1,042 troops had been killed in the city proper and that several times that number had been wounded.
MACV figures:
8,113 killed (including 5,133 killed at Huế)
98 captured

844 civilian deaths and 1,900 injuries due to accident of battle, 4,856 civilians and captured personnel executed by communists or missing according to the South Vietnamese government

Tactical US & South Vietnamese military victory;
Vietcong and North Vietnamese political and propaganda victory

The Battle of Huế (also called the Siege of Huế), was one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the Vietnam War. In February 1968, in the South Vietnamese city of Huế, 11 battalions of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), two U.S. Army battalions, and three understrength U.S. Marine Corps battalions, for a total of 16 battalions, defeated 10 battalions of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN or NVA) and the Viet Cong (VC).

With the beginning of the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive on January 30, 1968, the Vietnamese lunar New Year (Vietnamese: Tết Nguyên Đán), large conventional American forces had been committed to combat upon Vietnamese soil for almost three years. Passing through the city of Huế, Highway 1 was an important supply line for ARVN, US, and Allied Forces from the coastal city of Đà Nẵng to the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It also provided access to the Perfume River (Vietnamese: Sông Hương or Hương Giang) at the point where the river ran through Huế, dividing the city into northern and southern parts. Huế was also a base for United States Navy supply boats.

Considering its logistical value and its proximity to the DMZ (only 50 kilometres (31 mi)), Huế should have been well-defended, fortified, and prepared for any communist attack. However, the city had few fortifications and was poorly defended.

While the ARVN 1st Division had cancelled all Tet leave and was attempting to recall its troops, the South Vietnamese and U.S. forces in the city were unprepared when the Viet Cong and the PAVN launched the Tet Offensive, attacking hundreds of military targets and population centers across the country, including Huế.

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Wikipedia