Page 118 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968
P. 118

Hoa Hao Street and Nguyen Tri  Phuong Boulevard the enerny hit the
         police station with rnachinegun fire  and B.40 rocket€. But they could
         not over corne the withering fire  directed at thern frorn a rnultistoried
         building occupied by police nearby,
                         Stopped in this direction,the insurgents  sent 8.40 rockets
         in another direction, darnaging part of the Minh Mang Prirnary School
         and setting fire  to an Arrny vehicle. This was to draw in thelr direc-
         tion at least 100 grenades of the M.79 type, Meanwhile  Viet Cong
         troope frorn srnall alleys behind the police station rallied for  a force-
        ful attack on the target but this too failed. In the course of this battle
         the Rangers captured elght AK.47,  one 8.40 rocket launcher, two
         pistots rnade in Cornrnunist Chi.na, and killed 15 enerny soldiere'
                         A few hours following this battle,an elernent of the Viet
         Cong 101st Regirnent - which is part of the CT.7 Division - tried to
         penetrate Xorn Moi after being dislodged frorn the area by airborne
         troop6  on 6 February. The infiltrators  irnrnediately began a ground
         assault  orr Depot 53I and the fuel storage area called Carnp 30. Thie
         was to result in 20 governrnent troops wounded, the destruction  of two
         towers, and the explosion of sorne 2,000 rounds  of 105rnrn cannon
         arnrnunition.  V. C, losses were 16 killed and nlne weapons captured.

                         During the sarne night enerny troops also harassed  guards
         at the Radio Station and resisted,  often briefly,  Allied patrols in the
         areas of Phu Dinh, Hau Giang, Road 46 and Tran Hoang Quan Street

                         The following two days enen'ry activity drastically
         decreased  in all above rnentioned areas as the cornrnanding  elernent
         of Battalion Binh Tan Six and the lOlst Regirnent recorded paralyzing
         losses. Within the city of Saigon itself only scattered action was
         reported,ThiB  action was initiated by especially arrned propaganda
         tearns left behind by the enerny in such areas as Tran Hoang Quan'
         Minh Phung, Trieu  Da, Tran Nhan Ton.

                         The enerny situation was recorded as follows : the Binh
         Tan Sixth. Battalion had cornpletely withdrawn frorn the city,  enerny
         elernents  operating in Xorn Moi had crossed the srnall river  of Ben
         Cat to seek refuge in An Phu Dong, Battalion  Di  An Three had left
         Binh Dong {or a Jurther area, Battalion Thu Duc Four had chosen
         dorni.cile in Long Truong sorne five rniles Southeast  of Thu-Duc,
         Battalion Nha Be Five had retired to Long Dien, Battalion 508 had
         rnade its way to Da Phuoc some f our rnile s southwest of the Seventh
         Precinct, and Battalions 267 and 269 lnad sought survival by rnaking



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