Page 144 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

'rBy then with only a wall separating the two opposing sidgs
the group ol governrnent tanks pounded the Viet Cong line so vigo-
rously that tbe Cornrnunists died by the dozens. By 1420 hours, jets and
helicopter gunships also joined in the battle. It was two hours since the
battle began and turned the area into an exploding inferno.
rrTroops on both sides were interrningled in a free for all
that grew in intensity with each passing rninute, One of the helicopters
was hit as it tried to support the ground troops rnore effectively, An
irnrnediate order was issued to prevent the enerny frorn approachingthe
downed aircraft.
I'By 1600 hours the fight grew into a hand-to-hand af{air,

with troops on both sides trying to dislodge the others frorn tornb a{ter
tornb. Two hours later as night was appr oaching, anothe r g r oup of plane s
arrived to pound the target while the Rangers consolidated their posi-
tions for the night. The dayrs fighting had resulted in ZI1 Viet Cong
dead,arnong whorn at least 20 were worrren,
"The fqllowing rnorning (21 Feb) the Rangers receivedthe
order to pin the enerny down and let jets and artillery finish thejob. Af-
ter an intense pounding of the Cornrnunist positj.ons,the Rangers again
were on the rnove but it took thern over an hour to cross 300 yards of
spinach field before assaulting the buildings close to the enerny 1ines.
rrFrorn these buildings they had to use M.7Z rockets and
S?rnrn recoiless rifles to breakthrough and engage the enerny, By rnid-
rnorning jets and artillery again were called in,creating a battle scene
better than the best war rnowies and prornpting the incorrigible Viet-
namese civilians to clirnb the roofs of their houses and watch the fight
frorn there.

"Frorn these positions rnany civilians told the Rangers
where the retreating enemy troops had gone. And so, after a two-hour
air raid, practically all the Rangers o{ the 33rd Ranger Battalion
were in positions frorn which they could attack the enerny troops who
had dug thernselves in at the cernetery. Here and there newly dug tornbs
could be seen witl-r their contents of AK.47 r i'fle s scattered about.
rrAspirant Thach could be seen on a burnt out M. lI3,

whose half burnt body still showed the man in a firing position. Ne),tto
Thach was Vo Dinh Chi,the driver. Both had rnade the suprerne sacri-
fice after running over rnany enerny positions arrned with the deadlyB.
40 individual rocket launcher s.

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