Page 332 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

strategic points in the city. They braced thernselves for another day
of fighting. The enerny apparently tired after a day of heavy fighting,
also settled for a status quo during the night and confined his actions
to harassing shellings only. The sector corrrrnand coupound was his
{avorite taTget tlrat night. Not one infantry action was recorded frorn
the enerny s ide,

At sunrise t]r'e Zf45 Battalion supported by the 3/8 APC
Squadron launched an attack on the enerny held treasury building;. This
attack was conducted frorrt two sides. On one side were the arrnored
units and on the other tle 3/45 Battalion, just called in as reinforce-
rnents. The solidly entrenched enerny held out ferociously. Until 1400
hours the best that friendry forces involved could do was to isolate the
enerny frorn the rernairder of his forces.

The infantry reinforced APC unit storrned into the nearby
coffee tree garden killing eight enerny and seizing two weapons, The
3/+5 nattahon on the other flank having returned. from Buon-Kao
farnlet attacked the Lasan hiII killing 3Z enerny and seizing nine weapons.
This unit suffered 19 kil1ed and 29 wounded in a very diI{icult uphil1
fight.

The enerny staged a daring diversionary counterattack
on the nearby MACV cornpound and Irnperial Palace as the govern-
rnent forces were trying to close in on the enerny positions inside the
co{fee tree garclen, The APC unit and t:he Z/45 Battalion had to call
off their siege against the treasury house in order to pursue the
assailants in this area, which had previously been eafe. Their action
cost the enerny ten killed, two captured and four weapons.

The Znd and 3rd Battalion of 45th assaulted the enerny
positions inside the provincial adrninistration cornpound and accoun-
ted for another 3Z enerny killed, seven captured and l8 weapons
seized. The 702nd RF Cornpany was then assigned to guard the corn-
pound after it was freed frorn enerny occupation around I900 hours.

As the se two unit6 pur sued the enerny at the MACV com-
pound, the Irnperial Palace and the provincial adrninistration head-
quarters,other governrnent troops rnoved into the co{fee garden to
cornplete the assault against the enerny holed up inside. Included
arnong these troops were the 45th Regirnent Headquarter, the 45th
Reconnaissance cornpany and the 889th RF Cornpany. By this tirne the
wearied enerny could only provide weak resistance. When the srnoke
cleared over the courtyard of the building thirty enerny bodies were

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