Page 92 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

4. T!9_GS_L4!_ryqnt. The Go Vap front was continuously
active frorn the beginning of the Tet offensive. Enerny strength ln this
area consisted o{ Battalion Cu Chi One and another battalion frorn the
l01st Regirnent. This initial force ..lras strengthened with elernents of
the Second Mechanized Battalion of the rrRrr Cornrnand. This colurnn had
penetrated Saigon after joining with another c olurnn consisting o{ Batta-
lion Go Mon Two and a sapper unit called. J.I/I00.
Arriving near its de stination, thi s force again divided itself

into two. The first colurnn went through the village o{ An Nhon for an
attack on the logistics area of Go Vap. The second colurnn followed the
railroad track for an attack on the Joint General Staf{ through Gate
Nurnber Four on the northeastern side of the sprawling headquarter
cornpound.

The first colurnn attacked Go Vap in the early hours of
31 January. They occupied Phu Dong and Co Loa Carnps, respectively,
the Headquarters of the Arrnored Branch and the Artillery Branch,
having driven off sorne of the garrisoning troops and killed the rest.
The Cornrnunist also attacked Base 80 of the Ordnance Branch and Base
50 of the C ornrnuni cation s Branch. The latter assaults, however, did
not succeed.

The enerny assault on Base Carnp 80 was repulsed rnainly
with grenades and well directed fire frorn three heavy rnachineguns
located atop the carnp, Major Doan Du Khuong, who cornrnanded the
carnp at the tirne, $ras directing the counterfire when he was hit in
the face and instantly killed.

The second Cornrnunisit colurnn cornrnenced their attack
on Gate Nurnber Four rnuch 1ater. Starting their assault by about 0700
hours,they succeeded in penetrating the area but were irnrnediately
pinned down in the buildings of the Arrned Forces Languages School.
Two hours later airborne troops, arriving as reinforcernents, conducted
a counterattack with a few M.4I tanks leading the attack.
Cornrnunist resistance irr this area was fierce. Taking
advantage of extensive fortifications and rnultistoried buildings on Vo
Di Nguy boulevard, V. C. troops kept the crack paratroopers at a
distance. One of the tanks was destroy.ed and a nurnber of governrnent
soldiers were wounded in a day-long seesaw battle that saw no winner
or loser in this first day of fighting.

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