Storming the City: U.S. Military Performance in Urban Warfare from World War II to Vietnam by Wahlman Alec

Author:Wahlman, Alec
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
Published: 2015-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

The primary means of communication within the Battalion was radio and proved to be very reliable. The Battalion Command Post was constantly very close to the attacking companies hence utilization of messengers to augment the radio, particularly for administrative traffic, was utilized and found to be expedient. Internal wire was utilized to a limited degree as the tactical situation allowed.101

Thompson's 1/5 also reported communications with higher headquarters as good at all times, though a “crowded” fire support net “presented difficulties.”102 While the Command Group for 2/5 displaced nine times in February, its Radio Section and Wire section became adept at quickly setting of communications in a new location. Radio whip antennas proved critical in the urban environment, often making the difference between effective communications, and no communications, with the interference sometimes encountered from buildings.103 The tall whip antennae were not without their drawbacks, as they made the radiomen easy to spot, giving them a casualty rate similar to point men and platoon commanders.104

At the smaller unit level communications were more difficult. The standard issue Marine infantry PRC-25 platoon radio, which weighed about twenty-five pounds, worked well for contact with the company level and support radio nets. Some tank crews in Vietnam carried PRC-25s as well, to communicate with the infantry, and apparently at least some of the tanks at Hue were so equipped. While the M-48 tanks had rear fender-mounted telephones, some infantry officers preferred to call them via radio, even though it was less reliable, as the tanks were sometimes too swept by fire for the phones to be safely used. The infantry squads usually had one PRC-6 radio, but this overgrown walkie-talkie was “completely useless” indoors, unable to penetrate structure walls, according to one platoon leader in the Citadel. The Marines adapted to this problem by switching to runners for cross-squad communication.105

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