Page 423 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

Bien Hoa

Three days before Tet on January 26, 1968 intelligence
reports indicated the presence of three enerny regirnents in the jungles
just north of Bien Hoa provincial town, They were the Z74th and Z75th
VC Regirnents and the DKB Regirnent equipped with lZZrnrn rockets.

On January Z9 the population at Ho Nai were very
worried by reports that the VC had corne as near as north of Dong
Lach and an enerny reconnaissance tearn arrned with AK 50 ri-fles
had been shot dead by guards in front of the gate o{ the IlI Corps
C ornrnand headquarters at one orclock in the rnorning.
Local authorities, however, did not pay rnuch attention
to the reports as they did not believe the enerny would violate the Tet
Truce and attack the provincial town, That turned out to be what the
enemy was pr eparing for.
The Cornrnunist offensive plan was two-fold; t}:e Z74th
Regirnent plus a regional cornpany was to attack the Bien Hoa airfield
while the 275th Regirnent was to assault the Frenzel Jones c arnp
(Long Binh base) and the III Corps comrnand headquarters,

The two attacks were Launched sirnultaneously at 3
orclock in the rnorning of the Znd day of Tet with a barrage of rnortar
and rocket fire against both town and airfield. The shelling was con-
centrated to the eastern side of the airfield while on the we6t side the
VC broke through barbed wire into the perirneter. They were approach-
ing the airfieldrs hangars when helicopter gunships interwened, firing
rockets, rnachineguns into swarrns of panicky enerny soldiers run-
ning for cover in.all directions.
The enerny was soon forced out of the airfield, Later
at day break they withdrew to the north, leaving behind 114 bodies,
41 weapons of various kinds and 24 prisoners including several who
caught by the 57th Regional Force Battalion guarding the airfield, had
carried explosives intended for the destruction of our planes.

While they attacked the airfield the Cornrnunists
launched elernents of the Z75th Regirnent against the III Corps com-
rnand headquarters. Fierce resistance by the defenders forced thern
to withdraw into civilian houses on both sides of the street.

-425-