Page 330 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

At all rnilitary camps the enerny was checked by {ierce,
stubborn counter fire frorn the defenders. At the sector cornrnand
cornpound 18 enerny bodies and six weapons were left behind. The
enerny {ai1ed to storm the radio station which he later chose to sur-
round. AI1 of the enerny assaults were thrown back by soldiers of the
514th Transportation Cornpany. The Artilleryrnen also stood their
ground at tirnes firing their howitzers alrnost level and at point blank
range,

The enerny, however, succeeded in breaking into the
province adrninistrative headquarters, the treasury office, the 3rd
financial adrninistration office and the rnarket place police station.
Four policernen were killed and five wounded.
The Cornrnander o{ the 23rd In{antry Division irnrnediately
launched a counter-offensive. The c ount e rattacking forces consisted of
the 8th Arrnor Squadron, the 45th Infantry Regirnent with the Second
and the Third Battalions and the 45th Recon Cornpany, the latter was
operating on the cityrs outskirts. The 4i3th,409th,and Z3rd Reconnais-
sance Cornpanies, the 70Znd RF Cornpany, and the 23rd Ranger Corn-
pany were brought in frorn the country to aid in the rescue of the
ernbattled city.

The counter -offensive started around 0200 hours, about
half an hour after the enerny unleashed his infantry assaults. The 8th
Arrnor Squadron spearheaded the action.

One of the 8th Arrnor M41 tanks took a direct rocket hit
and was stopped. The tank caught fire in the entrance to its base carnp.
This did not discourage the other tanks which storrned their way out
firing all of their guns at enerny positions. They were under orders to
relieve enerrry pressures {rorn all ernbattled or besieged rnilitary and
adrninistrative cornpounds, to guard all strategic points, and to
prevent the enerny frorn spreading to other areas.

When the arrnor colurnn reached the treasury office an
arrnored personnel carrier (AeC) took a direct hit frorn an enerny 840
rocket and began burning. This loss did not deter the colurnn frorn
rnoving further and carrying out its assignrnents. Mornents later two
rrrore arrrrored vehicles, one tank and one APC, took other direct hits
and burst into flarnes.

The 8th Arrnor Squadron achieved all of its objectives
around daybreak, though it had lost four of its vehicles. This was

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