Page 203 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

prepared positions. At 0745 hours gunships conducted a strike. Rockets
were launched onto the targets while M.79 grenades .l;ere detonating
regularly as the bdats of a drurn.

The battlefield was not far frorn Bang Ky Bridge where
two tanks were pointing their guns toward the battle area along with
a srnall rifle unit. At 0945 hours a helicopter was shot down by enerny
ground fire in Dong Ong Co, The aircraft and its crew rnernber s were
quickly re scued,
At 1050 hours the enemy wa6 driven out of the sawrnill,
The fighting then spread to the leather tanning plant and the fertilizer
factory in the vicinity of Binh Loi Bridge.

The Marines set up a bridgehead in a house close to the
fertilizer factory. This outpost encountered very strong enerny pres-
sure but was ordered to hold ground at any cost. Our forces were
divided into rnany colurnns to attack frorn diJferent diregtions. Close
air support aircra-ft {lew over the objective and dropped heavy bornbs
shaking the entire area of Gia I-tinh,

Anothex enelny group intensified therr activities in a
quarter of Nguyen Van Thanh Street 50Orn frorn Binh Hoa Road Inter-
section. Long Van and Tap Thanh Pagodas were situated in this area
where there was also access routcs to Dong Ong Co, Cau Son and
Hang Xanh Streets. It was reported frorn prisoner of war sources
that the enerny had infiltrated ttrrough Rach Ong Nen across the rail-
road into Gia Dinh during the early days of the battle.
At 1000 hours the 5th Airborne Battalion under the corn-
rnlnd of Major Vy carne to rein{orce in two colurnns.

On June lst the battle at Bang Ky Bridge spread over 3
areaa:

- Dong Nhi Harnlet (40Orn frorn Bang Ky tsridge)
- Garbage Service area (in vicinity of Cay Thi Road
Junction).
- Trung Nhat Harnlet (East of POL, Arnrnunition Depots
ln Lro V apJ
On the night of June Ist the enerny continued to expand
rnainly into the Garbage Service area in 6pite of 400 rounds of artil-
lery fired into the area.

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