1968 Viet Cong Manuscript Map of a Battle at Phước Lâm, Vietnam

This is a Vietnam War Era Viet Cong manuscript map illustrating the defense of Phước Lâm, a commune in Long An province.

A Viet Cong Map

This map was drawn and annotated in Vietnamese by a Viet Cong soldier. Blue marks identify the landing zones of American aircraft (almost certainly helicopters - one is drawn and circled) and the attempted encirclement by American infantry. Firefights are noted (particularly a heavy firefight around 2 a.m.), and some of the text recounts the Vietnamese withdrawal the following morning, somehow escaping being surrounded. An illustration of what must be a second helicopter landing zone appears in the lower right. Red positions represent the Vietnamese units on both sides of the stream running through the battle area. Text in the box on the upper right lists the battle results, including 90 enemy killed or injured, 3 downed aircraft, and one captured AR15. The Vietnamese tally their losses as 7 dead and 1 injured and the loss of some weaponry, including 6 AKs.

Provenance: Major General Ira A. Hunt

This archive was part of the papers of Major General Ira Augustus Hunt Jr. (1924 - 2022), an American Army officer, historian, and author. During the Battle of South Saigon, Hunt was Chief of Staff of the participating 9th Infantry Division and as Commanding Officer of its 1st Brigade. After the war, Hunt was an Investigating Officer for the U.S. v. Henderson court-martial. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Hunt entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1945, when he became a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. He was sent overseas, where he served in several post-war engineer assignments in Europe. A distinguished military and academic career followed, including multiple prestigious degrees and service in Korea. During the Vietnam War (1955 - 1975), he served as Chief of Staff of the 9th Infantry Division and as Commanding Officer of its 1st Brigade. After Vietnam, he was made Assistant Commandant of the Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, then Deputy Chief of Staff for Training and Schools at Headquarters TRADOC, Fort Monroe, Virginia. He retired in 1978, after which he wrote three books: The 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam: Unparalleled and Unequaled, Losing Vietnam: How America Abandoned Southeast Asia, and My Lai Cover-Up: Deceit and Incompetence.