Page 316 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

pad burned.. The result of the B.52 strike was ascertained by a ground
gearch party scouring the area the following day. Froro that day on
and {or several fotlowing rnonths, there was no further enerny rocket-
ing s against the city.
There was no denying that rnost o{ the enerny rocket
artacks scored direct hits on the cityrs rnaior installations. Not a
single installation was left untouched. A11 were darnaged rnore or less,
a few destroyed. Soon aftex the enemy stoPPed his rocketing carnpaign,
friendly troops started repairing the rnajor installations. During the
carnpaign, soldi.erst farnilies evacuated their dependentsr carnps and
rnoved to live ternPorarily in civilian residential sections and suburbs.
As a rnatter of {act, the c arnPaign took only a few rnilitary or rnilitary

dependent c asualtj.e 6.
Right in the wake of the enernyts ground offensive on
the city, the local garrisons strengthened their defense Positions
with new fixtures, ranging frorn barbed wire, rnine-studded defense
perj.rneters arould carnPs to new, rnore solid defense bunkers and
trenches. The pror/ince adrninistration headquarterB was arnong the
rno6t carefully defended structures. On the other hand, the people
also built their own defense with new barbed wire gates and fences
along lanes and alleys, popular selJ defense units with newly supplied
weapons, checkpoints and last but not least, sandbagged shelters in
their horne s and gardens.
The people had buitt their own shelters before the
assault, when the Dakto battle reached its height a few weeks before
Tet. This precautionary rneasure paid off handsornely, as prowed by
the very low rate of civilian casual-ties suJ{ered during the five-day
Konturn offensive and counter-offensive. Only twelve civilians were
killed.

Besides the Konturn offenslwe' the enerny attacked two
RF outposts at Trung Nghia and Hilf 7f6, each rnanned by one RF
c ompany which becarne understrength and also unprepared for
effective defense because of the Tet holiday. The two companies
suJfered a cornbined total of 31 kitled and 34 wounded. The Trung
Nghia ouipost was recaPtured soon after it was overrun' while the
Hill 7I5 outpost destroyeC by the enerny during his occupation, did
not get back into cornrnission unti.l two rnonths later and then only
ajte r rnuch:'econstruction work.
Konturn peopLe warrnly welcorned the governrnent trooPs

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