Page 295 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

By increasing their pressures on Khe Sanh val1ey, the
enerny troops were apparently trying to divert part of the friendly for-
ces frorn Quang Tri city. Their Khe Sanh carnpaign started sorne ten
days before T et.

Frorn Da Nang, I Corps Cornrnander Gen. Hoang Xuan
Larn flew to the threatened city and ordered it placed in a state of
ernergency. A11 security and arrned services as well. as civil services
were placed on a 100 per cent standby alert. He predicted that the
city would have to rneet a stiff challenge frorn the enerny forces"
Martial 1aw was proclairned at the sarne tirne.
In the neighboring sub-seutors, all the cornbat elements
were called in to defend their headquarters and to stand ready to res-
cue the cify. In Trieu Phong district, a Rural Developroent task force
was positioned at Bich Khe harnlet to block the enernyrs infiltration
route to the district town,

Weapons were taken out of warehouses and distributed
to civil servants and cadrernen. On Jan 28, the curfew, irnposed
frorn 2100h. through 0500h, was rigidly observed by the entire people.
LTC.Nguyen Arn was apparently satisfied with the counter-offensive
preparations and confident in the defense arrangernents rnade. He
toured several rnilitary instal.lations including the aewly built Ai Tu
airfield, defended by a cornbined Arnerican Air Force and Engineer
unit.
By and large, the Quang Tri city people led an austere
life. The cityrs only cinerna was also its rnain public rneeting placei
It only showed old, obsolesccnt cheap filrns. Only a few shops with
rnodest shelves ser.ved the entire c ornrnunity, Local people as well
as occasional visitors regarded Quang Tri city as divorced frorn the
central governrnent of Sa.igon,
On the fet Dayrs afternoon the weeklong Tet truce
was cancelled all over the First Corps area. The Quang Tri people
could see even rnore clearly the signs of a rnajor ene14y ground
offensive on their city. Enerny elernents began to appear in the Hai
Lang, Trieu Phong, Tri Buu and La Vang areas, sending thousands
of local people panicking toward the city. A few farnilies living near
the cityts rnilitary installations and rnain thoroughfares rnoved to
other areas inside the city.
For defense and c ounte r attack the friendly lorce s

were posi.tioned as folLows :
- The lst In-fantry Regirnent, led by Lt Co1 Nguyen Huu Hanh, was

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