Page 162 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

stopped by Marines as they reached the Bang Ky Bridge, the scene of
sorne intense fighting which lasted for two days.

On 5 June as the Tap Thanh front battle ended fighting
rnoved to the Cay Queo area insurgents keeping as close as possible
to governrnent troop6 in the rectangle rnade by Ngo Tung Chau, Hoang
Hoa Tharn, Le Quang Dinh, a-nd an unnarned street. Meanwhile, sorne
of the intruders also tried to sneak through Xorn Thorn to hit at various
targets near the Joint General StaJf Cornpound. On this front heavy
casualties {orced the enerny to withdraw on the eleventh day of June.

As fighting died down in Cay Queo fighting irnrnediately
rnoved on to Cay Thi where it becarne very intense. After exactly one
week of bitter fighting the intruders did their best to get away but they
were to find the undertaking irnpossible, Survivors of the Quyet Thang
(Deterrnined to \{in) Regirnent surrendered en rr}asse on l8 June 1958.

In surnrnary the Quyet Thang Regirnent was sornething of
the past following the surrender of 152 rnernbers of its First and
Second Battalions. In the words of one of the prisoners, Senior
Captain Phan Van Xuong, I'The Quyet Thang Regirnent had 400 rnen
when the fighting began but as of the a{ternoon o{ 17 June had only ZZ9
rnen left, of which lZ0 were wounded to various degreesrt.
The regirnental cornrnander,a rnan by the narne of Ba
Vinh,died in the first rninute s of the battle. He was replaced by tire
political cornrnissar Hai Phai. Yet according to Captain Xuong, "if
one adds up those who had died and those who surrendered, the
rernaining strength of the Quyet Thang Regirnent can be estirnated at
Z0 stray or rnissing troops.
The Dong Nai Regirnent also recorded heavy losses in
the course of the early fighting especially ln the area of Cay Queo.
More particularly an elernent of this unit dispatched to Gia Dinh as
reinforcernent recorded incornparably heavy losses by an airborne
force in An Phu Dong. The rernaining 250 troops of the Dong Nai
Regirnent had no other alternative but to withdraw to Binh My about
sir rniles Northwest of Tan t'yen District Town.
In Cholon the Viet Cong Second Military Sub- Region
dispatched two battalions (einh Tan Six and 308) to populated areas
south of the China town. When they withdrew to their Ba Vu secret
zone for recuperation only about 100 succeeded in arriving at their
de s tination.

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