Page 118 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968
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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 Battalion had cornpletely withdrawn frorn the city, enerny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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