Page 132 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

the transrnission station frorn headquarters.
The Viet Cong were less successful in their attack on
Independence Palace which they tried to infiltrate frorn the back gate,
In this short affair the enerny was able to fire only two 8,40 rockets
into a sentry post before the defenders reacted s tr ongly,killing four
Cornrnunists, capturing two, and con{iscating five AK,47 autornatic
ri{les as welL as a truckful of explosive.
The rerna,.ning enelny troops withdrew to a five-storied
building on Nguyen Du Street and frorn there directed their fire on
the presidential rnansion. It took two days to reduce the C ornrnunist
threat.

At Fleadquarters

One of the first targets selected by the Viet Cong was
Gate Nurnber Five of the South Vietnarnese Arrny general headquar-
ters. Gate Five is used exclusively by high ranking officiers quartered
in the cornpound. At two AM that rnorning it had just been opened for
the car of an unidentified general, It was at this tirne the enerny tried
to a6sault to gate.

The Cornrnunist troops carne frorn Truong Quoc Dung
Street on a bus which stopped just outside the gate. Irnn-rediately the
attackers spread out and assaulted their target. Later reports were
to indicate that sorne o{ the attackers had arrived on the scere be{ore
and taken refuge in the area of Long-Hoa Pagoda,
When the assault carne about,those rernaining behind and
on the bus tried their best to protect the attacking trooPs. Thanks to
the speedy reaction of the {ive rnilitary policernen standing guard
there - especially Corporal Thao who irnrnediately fired his subrna-
chinegun at the assailants - the Viet Cong failed to break in.

At that rnornent an Arnerican patrol jeep arrived on the
scene and seeing what was happening - irnrnediately fired upon the
soldiers in civilian clothes,killing three of the Viet Cong' The Corn-
rnunists at Long Hoa Pagoda reacted at once by killing or wounding
all the Arnericans. The Cornrnunists again tried to assault the gate
frorn where Corporal Thao continued his gallant resistance.
Thao was helped by a group of Arnerican sentries stand-

1ng guard at the residence of a U.S. general in the vicinity' Witness-
ing what was taking place,they directed their {ire at the Cornrnunists,

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