Page 78 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

.With
where rninutes later they clashed with the Cornrnunists. the sup-
port of gunships and fighter-bornbers they kept the situation under
control. At about this sarne tirne a U. S. arrnored colurnn, passing
through this area, was attacked by the V, C. who succeeded in destroy-
two vehicles. Quick reaction by the Arnericans not only resulted in
ing 1
keeping the road open but also {orced the Cornrnunists out of OF. 51-51
and caused thern to retxeat in the direction of the Vinatexco factory,

Followi.ng their de{eat at the southwestern end of the air
strip,the enerny returned to the Vinatexco factory to Prepare for the next
round. They did not have tirne to do anything. The paratroopers, in
conjunction with the Air Force,pushed their attack on the textile factory
and practically annihilated all rnernbers of the V. C. Z67th Battalion.
Norrnaley was restored in the area.

Z. The Northeastern Front V. C. troops carne to the suburb
of Hang Xanh after going through such areas as Vuon Trau and Giong
Ong To in the district of Thu Duc. The enerny had concentrated Battalion
Di An Three in this area since the first day of the Year of the Monkey.
They prevented the population frorn leaving the area rnany hours before
the attack actually began,in order to rnaintain secrecy.

Around 0200 hours on the second day of the Year o{ the
Monkey the enerny attacked the Hang Xanh Police Station with big guns,
irnrnediately destroying the protecting wal1 of the station. The attack
was followed by a ground assault in the course of which the attackers
killed sorne of the policernen standing guard. They ransacked the
place, throwing papers and docurnents a1l around.
In the rneantirne the 3Oth Ranger Battalion had received
the order to rnove frorn its base carnp in Thu Duc toward the capital
city. It arrived at the Hang Xanh area in the early hours of 3l January
but was not aware of the presence of the Cornrnunists at the gates of
Saigon. The Ranger colurnn was rnoving at a hair-raising speed when
it carne under fire {rorn Yiet Cong troops lurking on both sides of the
road and firing frorn two storied houses near the police station.
The lead vehicle was hit by a B. 40 rocket and irnrnedia -
tely caught fire. Although two Rangers were killed and another two
wounded,the crack troops reacted speedily advancing in the direction
of the enerny rlachinegun positions. Under the c ornrnand of Captain
Phan Van Sanh they used their arnrnunition sparingly since the civi-
lian population had not been able to leave the area.

Viet Cong troops left the Nguyen Duy Khang Hish School,

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