Page 346 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

{ire, The fire was so big that alJ. the enerny positions were illurninated,
and fav:red the transportation rnenrs delivery of accurate gunfire.
Twenty eight enerny bodies were counted at this place alone. Four
other enerny were killed trying to knock out a bunker with a rnachine-
gun. The rnachinegunner, Nguyen Can, was killed by this group, The
assistant, Le Van Quoc, rnachinegunner swiftly took over the gun and
fired at the four now only ten rneters away frorn the bunker. He failed
to kill thern. In an apparent fit of anger Cuoc got out of his bunker and
hurled a hand grenade at the four but was shot by the enerny and seri-
ously wounded in the head. He was rnedically evacuated around day-
break to a US 7th Fleet hospital ship. He returned to duty one rnonth
later. His sku1l had been partly torn away by enerny bullets but his
head was patched with a piece of his thigh skin.
In this battle around the 4th Regirnent cornrnand corn-
pound. Regirnent Cornrnander Lt. Col Nguyen Van Larn was alao
wounded by enerny M79 grenade shrapnel as he was jurnpi.ng frorn
bunker to bunker to urge his rnen to fight harder against the enerny.
Hit in both legs and lightly wounded in his stornach Lt, Co1. Larn
continued to cornrnand his troops till 1000h. at which tirne he was
rnedically evacuated by an Arnerican rrrercy chopper to a US 7th Fleet
hospital ship. He returned to duty after two rnonths treatrnent, His
courage boosted the rnorale of the out gunned defenders and prevented
the enerny frorn capturing the regirnental base,
Sorne 100 enerrry were killed in this battle including a
deputy battalion cornrnander and one cornpany cornrnander. Five
enerrly were captured along with 3I weapons which included I5 crew
served weapons. The enerny also 1o6t a nurnber of rnines and a tele-
phone. Thirteen friendly troops were killed, 44 wounded, nine indivi-
dual weapons and one binocular destroyed.
The enerny rnoved frorn the south and east toward the
2nd Infantry Division's base inside the citadel. He succeeded in break-
ing through two outer defense lines but c,rly five enernF rnanaged to
get into the citadel after blasting an arrrror personnel carrier blocking
the gate. The carrierrs driver rnanaged to get out of his burning
vehicle but was intercepted by an enerny with a knife. The two enga-
ged in a deadly hand-to-hand fight which resulted in both falling into
the fire and burning to death. The other five enerny were killed rninu -
tes a{ter they got inside the citadel.

Meanwhile, t:ne 3 4 Battalion l ed by Captain Nguyen
f
Binh Thuan and supported by the 1/4 APC Squadron counterattacked

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