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Among the Ashes of Emperors: Operation Hue City—January 1968

  • William A. Taylor
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Abstract

Operation Hue City marked a line of departure for the US Marine Corps in the Vietnam War. It was the first, largest, and costliest urban operation that Marines had waged since the urban operation in Seoul during the Korean War. The fighting in Hue dramatically differed from previous engagements that Marines had fought in Vietnam. Failure to respond to intelligence reports of heightened communist activity left US personnel largely unprepared for the onslaught. Marine units, however, quickly adapted to the situation and learned many useful lessons about effective urban operations. Operation Hue City proved militarily successful but politically damaging to American involvement in the Vietnam War. The initial fissures in America’s commitment to Vietnam emerged from among the ashes of emperors during Operation Hue City.

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Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2020

Authors and Affiliations

  • William A. Taylor
    • 1
  1. 1.Angelo State UniversitySan AngeloUSA

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