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

This is a one-of-a-kind Viet Cong manuscript map of a Vietnam War battle near Phước Túy, a coastal southeast of Saigon. Part of General Ira Hunt's personal papers, this document represents a rare look at the Vietnam War from the Viet Cong perspective.

A Closer Look

Its title roughly translates to 'Battle Against Battalion 250 September 10, 1968'. Six helicopters are drawn around the battlefield, delivering troops. We have been unable to trace the battle and have not been able to satisfactorily pinpoint the 250th Battalion. (The only 250th Battalions we have been able to find records for were field artillery battalions and likely would not have been engaging Viet Cong fighters in this manner.) The difficulty in finding records for this unit suggests that the 250th Battalion was part of the Army of South Vietnam composed of South Vietnamese soldiers. Statistics in the bottom right tally Viet Cong successes: 54 enemy soldiers killed and 6 wounded, 1 AH-1 Cobra helicopter disabled, and 1 OH-6 reconnaissance helicopter destroyed. They also note their losses (Viet Cong losses): 9 killed, 8 injured, and 1 captured. That the map is composed in pen and the two English translations are done in pencil suggests that this document was captured from the Viet Cong after the battle, or perhaps drawn by the captured Viet Cong soldier. Unfortunately, other than the knowledge that this map was part of Major General Ira Hunt's papers, we have no clear understanding of where it came from or how it came to be in his possession. We have also been unable to find any mention in the historical record of this battle.

Provenance: Major General Ira A. Hunt

This incredible document was part of the papers of Major General Ira Augustus Hunt Jr. (1924 - 2022), an American Army officer, historian, and author. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Hunt entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1945, at which point 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, as well as service in Korea. Pertinent to the current map, 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. Hunt was the Investigating Officer for the 1971 U.S. v. Henderson court-martial. 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.