The Battle of Hue: Rare Footage of Vietnam's Bloodiest Urban Battle | Documentary

Описание: The Battle of Hue: Rare Footage of Vietnam's Bloodiest Urban Battle | Documentary

Discover the Battle of Hue, the month-long urban warfare nightmare from January 31 to March 3, 1968, that became the bloodiest and longest single battle of the Tet Offensive, where American Marines and South Vietnamese forces fought building-by-building to retake Vietnam's ancient imperial capital from an estimated 10,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops who had captured the city. Hue was Vietnam's cultural and historical heart—a city of temples, palaces, and universities that both sides considered sacred. When communist forces seized Hue on the first day of Tet, they intended to hold it permanently, establishing a "people's government" and executing thousands of civilians they deemed enemies of the revolution.
For 26 days, Marines and ARVN forces fought the most sustained urban combat American forces had experienced since World War II. The battle was brutal house-to-house fighting where every room could hide enemy soldiers, where snipers controlled streets forcing movement through walls blasted with explosives, and where artillery and air support were limited because both sides wanted to preserve the historic city. Marines advanced meter by meter through the Citadel—Hue's ancient fortress—fighting in conditions that negated American firepower advantages and favored defenders who knew every building and alley. Tank support was limited by narrow streets, helicopter evacuation was nearly impossible under constant fire, and resupply required convoys fighting through ambushes to reach besieged units.
The casualties reflected the battle's intensity: approximately 216 Marines killed and 1,364 wounded, 384 ARVN soldiers killed and 1,800+ wounded, while North Vietnamese and Viet Cong losses exceeded 5,000 killed with thousands more wounded. Civilian casualties approached 6,000 including over 2,800 executed by communist forces during their occupation—teachers, government workers, priests, and anyone associated with South Vietnam's government buried in mass graves discovered after the battle. The fight for Hue destroyed much of the ancient city that both sides claimed to be preserving, proved urban warfare negated American technological advantages, and showed that communist forces would accept catastrophic casualties to achieve political objectives. This is Vietnam's bloodiest urban battle where 26 days of house-to-house fighting killed thousands and destroyed a city both sides considered sacred.

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