Page 111 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

within the population, especially in populous areas such as Binh Dong,
Phu Tho, and Go Yap. On the following day they initiated I8 incidents,
especially in outlying areas bordering on the Fifth, Sixth and Eighth
Precincts and Zone rrArr. Most signif icant of these actions are the
f o11owing.

In zone rrDrr the enerny assaulted the Tran Van Chau
Police Station and the headquarters of the Eighth Precinct, The Viet-
namese policernen were forced to leave the pollce station but were
able to return the following rnorning. An estirnated 200 insurgents
also rnade their pressure felt in such areas as Road 46, Truong Cong
Dinh Street, Road 39, and the Phu Larn area. A ranger unit operating
in this part of the city sprang rnany successful arnbushes against the
intruders. The Rangers lost in one of these arnbushes, at the corner of
Tan Da and Binh Dong Streets, six of their cornrades. By early after-
noon once rnore a fire broke out,destroying quite a few houses in the
rectangle delineated by Tran Hoang Quan, Minh Mang and Tran Nhan
Ton Streets.

In zone rrCrr enemy troops tried to block the 1l4th Air-
borne Cornpany at the corner of Tong Doc Phuong and Khong-Tu
Streets when this unit was dispatched to reinforce the rrDrr Cornrnand.
But the rnost rernarkable of all battles recorded that day was the one
that took place at the Xorn Moi area of Go Vap district where an ele-
rnent of the Third Airborne Task Force opposed a Cornrnunist battalion
less than a rnile northeast of Co Loa Camp.

At the start of the battle an arrnored elernent dispatched
to the Lang Son and Xorn Dua wards was attacked by withering fire
frorn rnachineguns and B.40 individual rocket launchers This fire
resulted in the destruction of an arrnored vehicle and darnage to an
M. 41 tank. At that point helicopter gunships were brought in resulting
in rhe upturn in the rnorale of friendly troops and a sentirnent of despe-
ration on the part of the enemy who irnrnediately hoisted a white
flag.
South Vietnarnese troops irornediately stopped all offen-
sive actions, getting ready to welcorne their stray brothers. But the
Viet Cong did it sirnply as a tactic to escape the noose around
their neck which was sirnply too tight to break away. A total of 120
Viet Cong were killed and 35 of their weapons captured while the
governrnent troops recorded 16 dead and 42 wounded. On the following
day, the airborne troopers continued to rneet with strong Cornmunist

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