The Siege at Hue

by George W. Smith

Overview

Charged with monitoring the huge civilian press corps that descended on Hue during the Vietnam War’s Tet offensive, US Army Captain George W. Smith witnessed firsthand a vicious twenty-five day battle. Smith recounts in harrowing detail the separate, poorly coordinated wars that were fought in the retaking of the Hue. Notably, he documents the little-known contributions of the South Vietnamese forces, who prevented the Citadel portion of the city from being overrun, and who then assisted the US Marine Corps in evicting the North Vietnamese Army. He also tells of the social and political upheaval in the city, reporting the execution of nearly 3,000 civilians by the NVA and the Vietcong. The tenacity of the NVA forces in Hue earned the respect of the troops on the field and triggered a sequence of attitudinal changes in the United States. It was those changes, Smith suggests, that eventually led to the US abandonment of the war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781955055017
Publisher:	Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/17/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

George W. Smith (1940-2017), a veteran of the Vietnam War, was a sports writer at the Hartford Courant for twenty-five years, until his retirement in 1995. He is author of Carlson's Raid: The Daring Assault on Makin (a Military History Book-of-the-Month Club selection) and Do-or-Die Men: The 1st Marine Raider Battalion at Guadalcanal.

Editorial Reviews

The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong surprise attack on the South Vietnamese city of Hue played a pivotal role in the Tet Offensive of 1968. The city of 140,000 was lightly held by a token South Vietnamese force at the time of the stunning assault. The street fighting was as savage as any in war, and the NVA/VC managed to hold out for 25 days. By the end, a total of 1500 Americans, 2200 South Vietnamese, and 5100 NVA/VC combatants had been killed or wounded. More than 3000 civilians had lost their lives, a high percentage of them murdered by Communist killer teams. Smith was present as a U.S. Marine officer and provides a sense of intimate knowledge as he outlines the desperate nature of the urban combat. His inclusion of South Vietnamese units and the description of the role they played stands out in the reporting of the war. Missing from his chronicle, though, is any treatment of strategic Communist goals, analysis of their forces, or discussion of the reasons behind the uncoordinated Allied attacks. Still, the dramatic presentation of the siege makes the book worthy of Vietnam War collections in academic and public libraries.--John R. Vallely, Siena Coll. Lib., Loudonville, NY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Now a writer for the Associated Press, in 1968 Smith was a US captain monitoring the civilian press corp during the 25-day campaign for the city, which was part of the Tet Offensive that proved a watershed in US public opinion. He describes chaos and uncoordinated campaigns among US and South Vietnamese troops, South Vietnamese troops holding the Citadel part of the city, social and political upheaval, executions of nearly 3,000 civilian, and other events and conditions. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

A riveting, first-person account of the pivotal 25-day 1968 Battle of Hue.

The VVA Veteran

Smith has put together a harrowing eyewitness account of the largest single engagement of the Vietnam War.... [It is] a disturbing and informative book that would be a welcome addition to any military library.

Chris Patsilelis

Military history buffs will have a heyday with this account of the longest continuous battle in the Vietnam War.... Smith, who was stationed in Hue during the battle, provides an intensely realistic description of the horror of warfare and hand-to-hand combat.

Today's Librarian