Page 201 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

6th Marine Battalion cornrnanded by Major Nguyen Xuan Phuc were

assigned rnissions as follows :
- I C ornpany of lst Marine Battalion to search Lo Voi
aT ea.
- l Cornpany of the Marine Battalion positioned at Cay
Thi Road Junction along Phan Van Tri Street.
- I C ornpany of the Marine Battalion to block Bang Ky
Bridge thereby cutting off all contact between two
enerny forces.
- Another C ornpany of the Marine Battalion to search
the roadsides of Nguyen Van Hoc Street.
- The 6th Marine Battalion to block to the southeast of
Binh Loi Bridge.
- Gia Dinh Police Field Force to block all avenues of
approach into the city Streets.
The population in Gia Dinh had learned experiences frorn
the previous VC attacks so everybody got ready to evacuate as soon
as the presence of the enerny was announced,
On May 29th isolated hidden enerny trooPs were still in
action. The situation that appeared to cakn down suddenly becarne
critical again.

On the night of May 30th and early on the rnorning of
May 31st the enerny sent rnore troops frorn Rach Ong Nen area by
crossing the railroad to get close to Bang Ky Bridge. It was estirnated
that 2 enerny battalions had succeeded in rnaking the Penetration.
Subsequently, the tactical situation on the following day deteriorated.

When the Marines rnoved back to the railroad for an
attack on the {lank of the enerny force cornrnunist sappers had des-
troyed the fuel pipeline to the west of Go Vap. They then ignited the
broken line in order to spread panic arnong the population and to
cower the rnovernent of rnore troops into Bang Ky area.

Later during the night the Marines repelled a heavy
enerny attack against their defensive 1ine. The VC regirnental com-
rnander whose narne was Ba Vinh was killed in this action' On our
side only one Marine outpost was overrun but was quickly recaptured.
The 6 defenders of this outpost were wounded,

When our troops conducted an operation behind the Duc
Larn sawrnill a violent clash broke out. The enerny fought frorn hastily

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