Page 180 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

At rnidnight a platoon of Rangers assaulted one of the VC
.:ccupied buildings by clirnbing up the gutters. This surprise attack
rnade governrnent soldiers the rnasters of a few neighboring houses on
the le{t side of Minh Phung Boulevard.

Irnrnediately after discovering the VC rnachinegun positl.on,
the Rangers o{ the Fourth Cornpany pushed in frorn two directions one
of which was intended to deceive enerrly gunners. The Viet Cong fe1l for
the deception and directed their fire in one direction leaving Ranger
elernents practically {ree access to their target. A nurnber of well-
directed M. 79 grenades irnrnediately silenced the two rnachineguns but
the 75rnrn cannon site was stil] untouched.

Fighti.ng continued fiercely all day. The {ollowing day
governrnent troops cut the area into many srnaller sections to facilitate
the elirnination of the cornrnunist intruders and the reduction of their
resistance points. While the Rangers had the houses on the right side
under control, the cornrnunists kept to the buildings on the le{t side. A
seesaw battle ensued with enerny and friendly troops trying to get con-
trol over each inch of land.
Frorn a high building, a witness reported three anti-air-
craft rnachineguns and many other weapons lying near charred Viet
Cong bodies. Not far frorn there was an enerny occupied building which
ground assaults had failed to secure. Air strikes again were called in.
The battle grew rrrore intense with governrnent troops and enerrry soI-
diers fighting for each house and running after one another in the street.
According to the cornrnander of the 38th Ranger Battalion,
the Viet Cong had dug holes in walls separating the civilian houses so
that they could rnove around unobserved, Many bunkers were also rnade
to help protect thern frorn aerial attacks. Frorn occupied buildings they
practically isolated by their intense fire a group o{ governrnent soldiers
assaulting the house that harbored the 7 5rnrn gun. The governrnent
troops carried the day and captured the house. In this attack the govern-
rnent troops killed six cornrnunists and recorded ten wounded.
As the day rnoved on the fighting grew even rnore intense
with the enerny trying to block all the alleys in the area with intense
firepower. The situation grew hotter with each passing rninute and the
Rangers finally were only able to rnove frorrr one house to the next by
digging their way around.
Governrnent troops also carne across irnrnense difficulties
trying to evacuate the 75rnrn cannon they had just captured. A GMC was

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