Thua Thien-Hue Province

General Truong had a sense of unease as the Tet holiday began on 29 January. Although his intelligence staff did not think the enemy had the capability or the intention of launching a major attack against Hue, the general was painfully aware of the city’s vulnerabilities. His division was tough and battle tested but stretched uncomfortably thin throughout I Corps. Two battalions of the 3d Infantry Regiment were west of Hue, one on a routine sweep mission and the other undergoing training at the Van Thanh Division School, while the remaining two battalions of the regiment were searching for the enemy near the coast southeast of Hue. The 1st1st Regiment was stationed at Quang Tri City fifty kilometers to the northwest, and the 2d Regiment was another twelve kilometers…

The 3d Marine Division was in the process of shifting north from Quang Nam and Thua Thien Provinces to Quang Tri Province. At the same time, the 1st Marine Division was redistributing its forces in the corridor between Phu Bai and Da Nang. This overall redeployment of the Marine forces was about three-quarters completed when the North Vietnamese offensive began. Task Force X-Ray, under the command of Brigadier General Foster “Frosty” C. LaHue did not assume responsibility for the Phu Bai…