The 50th anniversary of the Tet 1968 Offensive has generated renewed interest among historians, gamers and veterans in the Battle of Hue, the bloodiest single engagement of the Vietnam War.  A common challenge for all who seek to expand the understand of this epic struggle has been the same as that facing the Marines attempting to drive the Communist forces from the city of Hue in 1968: the lack of accurate maps.

The large scale map linked from the image above has been available in recent years from the library of the University of Texas and has been a valuable asset to those studying this battle.  It has, however, caused frustration among users due to the lack of an available index for its numerically coded features.

Through the independent efforts of Katherine Strickland, Maps Coordinator for the PCL Map Collection at the University of Texas, and Dr. Erik Villard of the U. S. Army Center for Military History, an index is now being made available.   Interestingly, it was on the reverse (verso) of the map but never widely published as such.

There is a significant caveat that must be applied when using this index.  There are chronological disconnects in the information provided.  A note in the lower left corner of the map sheet tells the story:
What this seems to be saying is that the location of physical and cultural features (planimetric detail) is accurate through 1968, but the labeling of these objects may be c 1964.   Historians and veterans of Hue may notice that #110 in the index is labeled:

Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG) (Morin Hotel)

MAAG Vietnam was superceded by MACV in 1964, and while the coordinates given coincide with the Morin Hotel, there is no #110 on the map.

Numerous other locations have vague identifications (i.e., military area, military camp) that beg for greater clarity, and there are many other locations of significance that deserve to be identified.  A dynamic supplemental index will be required in the quest for full geographic clarity of the Battle of Hue.

That said, the existing index to the 1968 map is a significant addition to the body of knowledge on the Battle of Hue.  The link below will take you to that document.

Hue Map

Hue Map Index
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