Page 179 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

The fight irnrnediately began with Viet Cong shooting {rorn
high buildings preventing a speedy advance of the governrnent soldier
While the fight expanded and grew rnore intense the local population did
their best to leave the battle zone.
The 3 5th Ranger Battalion, reinforced by a M. 4l tank
squadron, irnrnediately started to fire 76rnm cannons at Viet Cong posi'
tions on Minh Phung Street which ground forces tried to assault in the
following rninutes. Strong enerny resistance was to bring about an
intervention of helicopter gunships that by rnid-afternoon were joined
by four skyraiders, but the enerny continued to resist' Two anti-air-
cxaft batteries rnade the task of allied Pilots rnuch rnore difficult.
Again a fire started spreading frorn Minh Phung Street
which firernen faiLed to put out because of the enernyrs devastating fire-
power that did not even spare the red-helmeted troops. lVhole sections
in the area were thus destroyed.

In the evening enerrlv trooPs returned to Governrnent con-
trolled areas. Sorne of thern even went so far as to corne to the houses
o{ civil servants and rnilitary personnel and asked to see the occupants'
Apparently they were helped by inforrners since they often knew the
residents by narrre. And in rnore than one case' the governrnent ernPlo-
yees were rnurdered before they even knew who their uninvited visitors

were.
By 0200 hours of 8 May enerny troops-again penetrated
the Binh Tien Bridge area causing the 3 5th Ranger Battal'ion to be
irnrnediately dispatched there as reinforcernents' A fierce clash irn-
rnediately developed that resulted in the intervention of three gunships
discharging their rockets on VC positions in the glaring afternoon
sunshine.
On Luc Tinh and Phu Tho Boulevards a group o{ uS tanks
in conjunctior' with the Rangers were advancing towards the targets on
a VC body littered path. Still, the enerny trooPs resisted by concentra-
ting their firepower on the advancing troops' Firemen carne oehind
the soldiers but they again were unable to put out the rnany fires that
had been started in this area.
On two four-storied buildings on Minh Phung Boulevard'
enerny antiaircraft and other big guns were located, frorn where the
insurgents tried to stoP the allied advance. A 75mrn recoiless rifle

was also there to stop the rnoving tanks'

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