Page 400 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

enemy passed 8o brie{Iy that he failed to uncover the weapon rack and
the officers hiding inside the structure. He continued to rnove toward
the nearby Anh Dao Hotel where he rnet sorne resistance {rorn friendly
soldiers who were positioned in the rnultistoried MACY of{ice in the
Nga Bay area. A CIDG cornpany was called in to relieve enerrly presure
frorn this business section which includes Gia Long, Ly Thuong Kiet
and Nguyen Du Streets. By 1115 hours the enerny withdrew to the Con
Co slurn area which was strafed by {ighter planes around 1600h. A fire
broke out. The area was not secured until Feb 4 or two days later.
While fightlng raged in the Nga Bay and Con po areas civilians rnoved
by the thousandg to other beachside areas' rrrany of thern rented {ishing
boats to go to Hon Lao islet.
The third enerny colurnn rnoved to assault the cityrs
rector cornplex which vtas the headquarters ol the 44 th Special Zone.
This colurnn was estirnated at cornpany strength and included 57 and
? 5rnrn recoilless rifles. These weapons opened fire {rorn the area
between the Dinh Cong Trang and Cao Thanh carnps. These two carnps
were defended by elernents of the 4418t RF Cornpany who were rnostly
rick, physically unfit combat soldiers plus one PF rnilitia platoon and
one ordnance platoon, The enerny fired their B40 rockets. However
rnany of the enerny were cut down right at the beginning of the battle by
a rnachinegun crew. Flares favored the outnurnbered defenders and the
accuracy of their gun fire. By daybreak the C. O' , Capt Nguyen Huu
Chi, Ied a relief squad to the area and found several enerny bodies and
two recoilless riflee. Enerny snipers shot hirn down and hit Sgt Le Van
Gia who walked right behind hirn' The captaln died shortly after the
carnp de{endels recovered his body and carrieC it into the carnp' It
was 0615 h. Feb 3.

The fourth enerny colurnn, estirnated at about one platoon,
first appeared around 1100 h. Feb 2. It had apparently rnoved frorn the
Long Hai pagoda area in Duc Long harnlet. It was thrown back by a
blocking force.
ThiB critical sj.tuation continued throughout tlLe night of
Fcb 2 before the relief force frorn the Z3rd Tactical Zone frorn Ninh
Thuan entered the picture on the following rnorning. The 4th APC
Squrdron rurnbled up Highway I and reached the Trinh Tuong C arnp
rapidly, rcaring the enerny away. The 3rd In-fantry Battalion soldiers,
lupported by the APCIt, followed up with a systernatic 6weep of the
adjoining populated areas. The APC Oq.radron rnoved down Luong
Ngoc Quyen and Hai Thuong continuing the advance along the road.
They reached the etadiurn oppoeite the carnp around 0900 hours

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