Page 341 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

Not all these ground assaults were of rnajor dirnensions.
Only a few installations were hit with a rnassive enerrly onslaught. The
other attacks were just scattered diversionary actions. The enernyrs
rnajor assaults were directed at the Znd Division Cornrnand headquarters,
the Provincial Adrnlnistration Office, the city jail, the 4th Regirnent
Cornrnand cornpound and the rnilitia training center, Apparently the
enerny thought he could take over the entire city by just taking over or
paralyzing these s ensitive points.
The total enerny force involved in the offensive was
estirnated at about two regirnents. Spearheading the action was the
401st Regirnent which included the 406th, 407th and 409th Regular
battalions. Additionally there were the I07th, 81st, 38th, 48th and
83 lst Regional Guerrilla Battalions reinforced by the 506-4' and 5068
Sapper Cornpanies and the 571st Engineer and HZO Transportation
Cornpanies. In the light of this rnassive assault force sorne people
thought that the enerny rnight take over the city easily. There were
rnany problerns and shortcornings within enerny ranks which explain
one of the worst enerny defeats in the war in this area.
The enerny had been bitterly de{eated in his regirnental
size assaults on sorrle district towns of Quang Ngai and Quang Tin
provinces in the rnonths preceding the Tet offensive. Attacks on the
districts such as Hau Duc, Ly Tin a.nd especially Nghia l{anh caused
heavy casualties and equiprnent losses. The ensuing ground operations
by Vietnarnese and allied forces were even costlier'for the enerny and
his bases. They were costly to the extent that his ranks were disrup-
ted in rnany areas andthat his rnorale dropped rapidly. The enernyrs
Fifth N{ilitary Zone Cornrnand had to send two additional battalions,
the 407th sapper frorn Konturn and the 409th frorn Quang-Narn, to
reinforce the thinning ranks o{ Quang Ngairs {ighting force, Captured
enerny docurnents showed that the enerny {ailed to set up any under-
ground espionage cel1s inside Quang Ngai city, loca1 guerrillasl
rnorale was corrrparatiwely poor, and his 4 rnonth old 40Ist Sapper
Regirnent was still inexperienced, untested and virtually ineffective.
Other enerny docurnentg indicated that the enerny 5th Military Zone
Cornrnand was dissatisfied with the Quang Ngai cornrnandrs perfor-
rnance and even accused the latter of ower estirnating the adversaryrs
strength and rnorale. The Zone Cornrnand ordered the provincers
Cornrnunist force to carry out a three point of{ensive pian in order to
boost the rnorale of the Quang Ngai guerrilla and rnain force Cornrnu -
nist units. The so called plan clairned that during 1967 the Zonets
units killed 20,000 enerny (Vietnarnese and allied) troops; downed

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