Page 303 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

Quang Tin

The eneny unleashed his of{ensive on Tarn Ky city,
provincial capital of Quang Tin, around 0400h.on the second day of
Tet or Jan 3).. He began the attack by firing rnortars, recoilless can-
nons and rockets at all rnajor adrninistrative and rnilitary services
and headquarters in the city. Thenhe f ollowed it up with sirnultaneous
ground assaults on the provinciai adrninistrative office, the sector
c ornrnand headquarters, the 6th Regirnent C ornrnand headquarters,
the ZZnd Artitlery Battalion cornrnand headquarters and the No 6 rail-
road level cros sing,

Major enerny assaults were on the 6th Regiment corn-
rnand and 2Znd Artillery Battalion cornpounds. After four hurnan wave
assaults, the enemy broke through tw'o of the cornpounds defense
lines, but was thrown back by the battalionrs cannons firing straight at
hirn. Around daybreak elernents of the 6th Regiment launcheci a two
pronged counterattack which send the enerny fleeing in disorder. A
group of 38 enerny raised their hands and surrendered to the regirnerltal
troops. This was the largest single group of enerny soldiers to have
ever surrendered in the IZth Tactical Area. Most of these captives
were natives of north Vietnaln and NVA soldiers.

The province adrninistrative office and sector cornmand
headquarters were attacked frorn two sides, east and north, On the
north side, the enerny was checked and then pinneC down by heavy
fire power frorn the defenders. The enerny force which storrned from
the eastern side, succeeCed in breaking through the ouieirnost
defense line, but that was about all. Shortly before daybreak, arrned
helicopters and arrnored vehicles carne and forced ttre enerny to with-
draw and leave behind hundreds of bodies and 3I wounded who were
c aptur e d.
Sweep operations against enerny rernnants were con-
ducted throughout the second ciay of Tet, By nightfall, the city was
c alrrr again and alrnost back to norrnal.

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