Page 181 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

brought over but one o{ its tires was flat. Another cornrrrunist crew
served weapon also lay in the waY.
Frorn a rnultistoried building the Viet Cong continued
their fire. A tank was called in that blew up the house in a rnatter of a
second sending pieces and bits of Viet Cong flesh all around- But when
sorrre governrnent soldiers tried to go in for the scattered weapons
enerny fire quickly drove thern off. Finally, in order to get the 7 5rnrn
gun four of the strongest soldiers were dispatched while a1l the fire-
power that could be rnustered was called onto the suspected Viet Cong
positions.

The Minh Phung front by that tirne had grown into a sea
of fire frorn which enerny soldiers could not get away. But knowing
they were now trapped, the cornrnunists resisted with the furor of rnen
knowing they were to die. While airplanes and artillery continued their
pounding of the target area, governrnent soldiers rnoved i.n three
colurnns against the intruders. The Minh Phung front was pronounced
secure at Z03O hours o{ 10 May.
Following the battle it was deterrnined that the Viet Cong
su{fered at least 30 dead in this area although real cornrnunist casual-
ties rnay be rnuch higher. Sorne were taken prisoners who declared
they had belonged to the Z67th battalion.
In this last decisive battle Governrnent Rangers captured
one 7 5rnrn recoiless rifle, two East Gerrnan rnachineguns , two Chi.nese
subrnachine grtn s, two anti-aircraft guns, one B,41 and one B. 40 rocket
launchers, one AK.47 autornatic rifle, lZ AK. 50 rifles, and a large
quantity of arnrnunition, Most interesting was the capture of a flag
with the following words inscribed on it, 'rlVe are deterrnined to defeat
the Arnerican Piratesr r.

The Minh Phung front had just been terrninated when the
38th Ranger Battalion was rnoved to Binh Thoi. The troops arrived
there by I600 hours and irnrnediately were inforrned by the people
that the insurgents had arrived at the Phu Tho Hoa cernetery.
The Rangers irnrnediately pushed on in two colurnns with
the First Cornpany trying to overtake the enerny frorn a southern direc-
tion while the Second Cornpany assaulting the enerny in a frontal attack'
Intense enerny fire prevented the Second Cornpany frorn rnarching in
and the second colurnn of Ranger was also blocked in its infiltration

atternpt.

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