Page 188 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

fired" a srnoke screen close to the enerny defensive line to cover the
final assault wave. The final assault was driven back although enerny
corpses were seen piled up on the edges of fox holes and trench s1its,
At night, our troops kept on tightening the encircling ring.
Arrned AC 47ts continued strafing and the artillery pounded the enerny
positions regularly.

On May I lth by noon the battle actually carrre to an end,
The total results showed that the Airborne units had killed 3Z VC,
captured 9 and taken 2l crew served and 96 individual weapons. The
5th Airborne Battalion lost 50 killed, I80 wounded and 1 rnissing in
action. After I4 years o{ activation it was the first tirne the 5th Air-
borne Battalion had encountered a deserved foe narnely, the 1Oth VC
Regirnent which was considered as rrhors de cornbatrr in their atternpt
to penetrate into the Capital.

The battle of Y bridge
(F rorn May 9th to May I2th,l!58)

A rather large enerny force had infiltrated into the south-
ern area of Saigon and threatened Y-Bridge area to include Pharn The
Hien, Au Duong Lan: Streets and the area of Khanh Hoi at the other end
of Tan T huan Bridge.

On the rnorning May 9th when the enerny rnade their appea-
rance in the above areas, refugees frorn Khanh Hoi and the other end
of Y-Bridge fled in throngs into the City, On Wednesday May 9th, US
tanks rnowed to take positions at both ends of Tan Thuan Bridge. The
road going down to Phu Xuan and Nha Be rras still open to traffic, US
tanks were also 6cattered in the Cau Hang area where rnany clashes
took place on Wednesday starting rnany fires. On Ton That Thuyet
Street along the canal the Marines of lhe Ist Marine Battalion held
sentry post6 along the Etreet and aleo in the surrounding areas.
The situation on the other side of Y-Bridge (8th erecinct)
by 1600 hours suddenly becarne critical. It appeared that the advance
elernents o{ the Znd Phu Loi Battalion and the 5th Nha Be Battalion had
infiltrated into the densely populated areas. They intended to crosg
Y-Bridge. A violent engagernent occurred at the {oot of Y-Bridge
because it wae the first tirne US forces participated in the fightlng.
With air support the US tanks followed by US infantryrnen crossed the
bridge at nightfall on May 9th. The VC had previouely seized the hutg
close to the pier of the bridge to use as a foothold to crogs the bridge.

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