Page 413 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

Long failed rniserably. The second colurnn attacked the l27th RF
Cornpany positioned in a cernetery in the Y gate area on its flank frorn
the direction of Kirn Hai harnlet. The enerny was outrnaneuvered by the
Luong Son CIDG Cornpany and an armor platoon. These friendly
elernents cornered the enerny within the beachside harnlet. The enerny
was backed against the sea with no apparent route of escape. He had to
fight a desperate battle {rorn his sandy foxholes and trenches. Two RF
recon pl.atoons, 1ed by Lt Lu Tay Tuu, were rushed into the area the
following rnorning to surround the enerny even rrlore tightly before
closing in for a decigiwe battle. Hand grenades were the key weapons
used in this battle by the troops seeking to destroy the enerny in his
trenches and foxholes, These two recon platoons accounted for 27
enerny killed and 28 weapons seized, while suffering two killed and
seven wounded. The house-to-house fighting left the harnlet a sharnbles.
The Buddha statue, behind which the troops forrned {or their assault.
iost its head. Throughout the {ighting no air support was provided friendly
troops in the area.

Enerny gunners slarnrned nine rounds of 8Zrnrn rnortar on
the Phan Thiet airfield cornplex while the fighting raged in this area.
Six rounds hit the Arrny arnrnunition depot destroying sorne 300 tons
of assorted arnrnunition. The arnrnunition continued to explode for
seweral hours, until about 080Oh.the following day. Explodi.ng artillery
arnrnunition causeC light darnage to the Arnerican canlp inside the
air{ield. It also burned down the Air Vietnarn lounge and destroyed a
nurnber of vehicles, radio equiprnent and weapons.
The {ire also rnarked the end o{ the enernyrs third attack
on Phan Thiet. This attack cost friendly forces nine killed, 65 wounded.
Lost were : Z carbines, 300 tons of arnrno, two crew served weapons,
3 radios, 3 vehi.cles and one water tank trailer. The enerny suffered
138 killed, 10 captured, including the underground adrninistratiwe
chief o{ Phan Thiet, 43 of their weapons were seized l2 of which were
crew - s erved.
The enernyrs fourth attack on Phan Thiet consisted only
of an assault on the Phu Long Special Zone where he had suffered
heavily frorn his third attack only tlro weeks earlier. The fourth
attack took place around 0l00h.Mar 12. The enerny drove the troops out
of the Phu Long Special Zone cornpound sornetirne before daybreak
killing five defenders and wounding 45.

-415_