Page 422 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

as sault against the headquarters.
The next day, the 8th day of the Lunar Year, govern-
rnent troops reoccupied the Pasteur lnstitute and the Du Sinh Hill.
This and its suri:ounding lii11s were recaPtured after a day-Iong
battle rnarked by intensi.ve air intervention. The eneroy left 4 bodies
behind the church and 5 others on the Du Sinh Hill along with sorne
individual weapons. The Du Sinh Hill sustained the rnost extensive
darnage caused by the fighting as compared with other areas in the
c ity,

Meanwhile, another governrnent force corrrposed of
elernents of the 23rd Ranger BattaLion on their way to clear the kilo-
rneter 4 area was stopped by heavy enerny fire near the Church of
Our Lady.

On the 9th day of the Lunar Year, the 304th RF Corn-
pany frorn Don Duong district and the 308th RF Cornpany frorn Duc
Trong district were rnoved into the city to replace the battle weary
302nd and 406th RF cornpanies. The two newly arrived c orrrpanie s were
assigned search-and-destroy rnissions in the Du Sinh Hill area.
On the IIth day new reinforcerrrents reached the city.
They included the llth Ranger Battalion and the Cornrnand of the 2nd
Ranger Group. Governrnent troops then launched their attack against
the last enerny position in the city: the Ma Thanh area and the city
cernetery, Dalat was finall.y cleared of a1l eneney forces.
On the f ollowing days the Rarrgers continued their
operations to areas around the city but no significant contact with the
Cornrnunists was rnade as the defeated enerny had quietly vani.shed.

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