Page 174 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

@). The ninh Loi Bridge Battle
started at 0400 hours in the rnorning of 5 May when an estirnated. two
cornpanies of Viet Cong Troops attacked the Marine positions. The
assailants were repulsed following two hours of intense fighting.

Major Nguyen Xuan Phuc who had cornrnanded the Sixth
Marine Battalion Ior only two days told the press that the cornrnunists
had brought with thern an irnportant quantity o{ explosives with the
evident intention of blowing up this all irnportant bridge. They faited
to cornpJ.ete their rnission but instead Lost 42 of their corrrrades to go-
vernrnent soldiers who also took l7 cornrnunist weapons and confiscated.
200 kilos of TNT.

The Second Cornpany of the Second Marine Battalion was
the governrnent unit rnost involved in the fighting here. According to
Captaih Nguyen Van Tong the cornpany cornrnander, his troops had been
ful1y prepared to counterattack the enerny since they had had one hour
to prepare thernselves for the task. When the intruders arrived the
Vietnarnese Leathernecks were ready for just such an eventuality.
Without the factor of surprise; the Viet Cong were quickly defeated.

The gas derpot o{ Binh Loi was set afire sending into the
sky a big colurnn of srnoke visible for rnany rniles.

@(5-Z Uay). During this
battle the enerny troops penetrated the area along sorne of the rnany
alleys leading to Le Van Duyet Boulevard and {rorn there entered the
French cernetery. They were sighted by policernen standing guard at
a police station nearby.

A {ew rninutes later explosions could be heard which
were carried by enerny soldiers trying to cut through the defense
perirneter of the Tan Son Nhut airbase. They failed in this atternpt ag
it had becorne quite light when they started. Not only were they unable
to rnake a breach in the belt of barbed wire around the all irnportant
installation, but they were stuck in an open area and had to occupy
sorne of the building nearby in an elfort to resist the advancing govern-
rnent troops,

C ount e rattacking in this area were the airbase defense
forces under the cornrnand of Colonel Luu Kirn Cuong Cornrnander of
the 33rd Air trVing and concurrently cornrnander of the Tan Son Nhut
Special Zone. Colonel Cuong was hit by enerny fire and died at about
0930 hours. Before he died his troops had been able to cornpletely
isolate the enerny.

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