Page 364 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

two hours. During this tirne airdropped flares illuminated the battle
area for the defenders. The enerny could never break through any
defense Iines. Shortly before daybreak he withdrew into neighboring
civilian houses. Frorn these houses he took potshots at the defenderst
positions. Several enerny bodies were left behind and scattered all over
the place,

The enerny did not surprise the radio station guards when
he occupied the Buddha Statue or water tank Hill. He did surprise the
hill's srnall rnilitia guard detail. None of the five rnilitiarnen stationed
there was aware of the enerny occupation of the hill until 3 AM. when
an arrny 3rd Lieutenant happened to take a rnotor bike ride up the hill
and then fled as he noticed the enerny presence there. He was killed
before he could escape. Sorne o{ the Lieutenantrs fellow celebrants
were also hit. Others escaped.
Alerted by the gunfire the five rnilitarnen reacted. But it
was two late. The nurnerically superior enerny gunned thern all down,
|illing three and wounding two then occupying the entire hiII. The ene-
rny then set up his heavy weapons on the hill and opened up at the radio
station in support for his assault force, but to no avai1. The solidly
entrenched radio station defenders stood their ground.
Meanwhile Tearn II struck the sector cornrnand cornpound.
Its 130 rnen were elerrents o{ the sapper cornpanies K90; K91 andK9Z,
and the Cornpany 3/7/I88. It assaulted the sector cornpound, the pro-
vince adrninistTative headquarters and the 5th Logistics Cornrnand
cornpound around Z AM. The cornpanies K90 and K91 with 55 rnen rnoved
frorn the Lo Voi area aboard a srna1l bus and three Larnbretta rnini -
buses. These apparently were robbed frorn civilians. The K92 with Il
rnen rnoved in from Binh Cang area on Highway I aboard a Larnbretta
rninibus.

The K90 and K9I rnen killed four soldiers and wounded
two duty officers at the sector cornrnand and province adrninistrative
headquarters. Lt Lan and Znd Lt Phuc were the Z officers wounded,
Master Sergeant Pham,the province chiefrs body guard, was o.n a ieep
reconnaissance when he heard firing. He was cut down the rnornent he
was on his je ep to investtgate.K9Z rnen killed the front gate guard at the 5th
Logistics Cornrnand cornpound. They entered the cornpound and ki1led
another eleven rnen and wounded eight, Those killed included three
officers, Lt Nguyen Se, 3rd Lt Chu and Znd Lt Trinh Ba Tuan. The
guard detail chief, Master Sergeant Nguyen Nhon, was also ki1led'

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