A Trip to HUE, and the Citadel...
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We departed Hoi An after a really nice breakfast outside by the pool.
John had a wonderful pineapple pancake. We stopped for a moment on
Huan Bhi beach where the Marines first landed in 1965. It is a
beautiful spot, with Hai Vin Mountain to the north half hidden by the
clouds. Monkey Mountain across the pay rises to the East, and Da Nang,
with its Marble Mountains are to the South. Heading north, we climbed
into the clouds, for which this mountain is named. Deserted bunkers
from two wars still keep a vacant-eyed watch over this critical pass,
a main supply line from the port of Da Nang to the DMZ, just north of
Hue. Hoses gushing water snake down the side of the mountain to the
curving road for bus and truck drivers to fill their water drums on
their cabs for cooling engines on this climb. The view was very nice
until we disappeared into the cloud. It is amazing how it builds up on
the north side and cascades over the south face of the mountain. It is
almost violent looking. It disappears when it reaches the elevation
where the atmosphere rises above the dew point.
Leaving this once heavily-fortified mountain, we descended into a
completely different weather system. Indeed, this mountain used to
divide the Viet people of the North from the Cham people in the South.
After a stop at beautiful Loc Vinh Beach and passing through the old
Phu Bai air base, we entered Hue to visit its famed Citadel. Hue and
the Citadel were built by Emperor Gai Long, the first king of the
Nguyen Dynasty, during what is considered the golden age of VietNam.
The Citadel was built protected by walls, rivers, and moats and
contained the Imperial City, or seat of government, and the Forbidden
Purple City, patterned after its counterpart in Peking. During Tet, or
the heavily-celebrated Chinese New Year, in 1968, during a truce, VC
and NVA units bypassed Khe Sanh combat base, where Westmoreland
expected an attack, and walked into Hue, easily defeating the
remaining ARVN garrison. Immediately cadre went from house to house,
rounding up civilians thought to have collaborated with the
government. They worked from a long list compiled over several months,
and so far, mass graves have been excavated containing over 3,000
murdered civilians. For 25 days, the VC flag flew over the Citadel,
while ARVN troops tried unsuccessfully to dislodge them. No other
place was held more that a few days, so this highly symbolic city
could not be allowed to remain in VC hands any longer. The government
asked the US to retake the Citadel. This was done, but at the cost of
much of the Citadel itself. The old city lay in ruins with over 10,000
dead by the time US forces pulled down the flag.
Visiting the site leaves the impression that US forces actually did
try to preserve the buildings. There are lots of impact scars of small
arms and mortars, but little evidence of heavy weapons strikes. Many
buildings of the Imperial City were repaired, but the Forbidden Purple
City was destroyed. Following the visit, we climbed the outer
fortifications along the river. Hundreds of children were playing
soccer below.
On the way out, we stopped by the Military Museum, to find it no more
than a park of rusting US and NVA weapons. The US weapons included
some very familiar pieces, however. As we approached the park, I said
to no one in particular, "Well, well, what have we here?" Our guide,
quite seriously, said, "These are US cannons," thereby revealing his
knowledge level of things military. There were an M-114 Armored
Personal Carrier and an M-41 Light Tank. More interestingly, there
were a 155mm and the remains of a 105mm Howitzer, the two most used
artillery pieces from my fire base long ago. Even more interesting was
a 175mm Self-Propelled Gun, of which we had several. It has a 34 ft
gun tube and fires a 157 lb projectile up to 36 miles. Also there was
a M-88 Tank Recovery Vehicle. Our unit had one, commanded by Lt.
Grooms. It is a 1,000 horsepower monster weighing 113,000 lbs, used to
drag in damaged tanks. Finally, most interesting of all, there was a
"Duster." This was a patched together weapon dreamed up at Tooele
Depot in Utah, where I had been stationed in 1965. It was a
moth-balled M-41 Light Tank chassis with a twin 40mm Navy Deck Mount
(anti-aircraft guns) replacing the normal gun turret.
Six of these were assembled at Tooele before I left that post in the
Great Salt Lake Desert. Lt. Stalls and I tested the first two of them
at Dugway Proving Ground. That was when we fired the guns all day,
every 5th round going at an abandoned Henry J. automobile at a range
of about 3 miles or so. (At least I hope it was abandoned. Wouldn't it
be something if someone was just taking a nap?) The last round of the
day finally went right through the side of the driver's door, and a
great cheer went up from the previously disgusted technicians. The six
were sent over to VietNam as one battery and were to be employed in
convoy escort, running with the trucks to break up ambushes. The idea
was that these two automatic firing guns would level the jungle
alongside the road. I was told later that they were completely
unreliable (they were built for the Korean war) and slow on the best
of days. After running with a few convoys and having to be towed in
each time, they were parked on a perimeter somewhere and the guns
used. I heard that they never assembled any more. If that is true, I
have seen this unit before. It might be one of the two I actually
fired that day in the Utah desert.