Page 367 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

These two cornpanies easily relieved the enerny pressure
on the police cornpound. The two cornpanies, reinforced by a police
detail led by the police chief, an a rrrry roajor, rnoved along Doc Lap
and then Phan Boi Chau streets to assault the 5th Logistics head<iuar-
ters cornpound. They then rnoved on to the sector cornpound a block
away, Upon reaching this cornpound the relief force received {ierce
enerny fire and was pinned down. This fire hit the Airborne Ranger
Battalion cornrnander, Major Le Nhu Tu. Enerny fire power was so
strong that the Special Zone Cornrnand had to send another Airborne
Ranger Cornpany to relieve the enerny pressure.
At the sarne tirne the enerny was still occuping the Buddha
Statue Hi11. They were also surrounding the radio station and threaten-
ing the positions of the signal battalion, the transportation battalion, the
pontoon engineer corrrpany and the stockade, This stockade also served
as the city jail which contained sorne 2,000 inrnates. To include 600
political pri.soners.
The enerny continued firing frorn neighboring civilian
houses, gardens and the Buddha Statue Hill, On this hill he had set up
his advance assault cornrnand. This unit was tasked to initiate civic
disturbances as soon as the city's key rnilitary and administrative
agencies ha.d been taken over. For this and other purpoaes the enerny
forbade people to evacuate their houses. Many of the people rnanaged
to get out o{ the {ighting areas anyhow. At this tirne the city looked
like a ghost town. AIl the streets were deserted. Those private hornes
which were not occupied by the enerny were firrnly closed as were the
rninor governrnent offices left untouched.

The 554th CIDG Cornpany was then assigned to recapture
the Buddha Statue Hi1I. This cornpany, reinforced by a CIDG platoon,
rnoved into the target area frorn two sides under cornpany cornrnander
Ha Minh Trung. Frorn daybreak till Z PM there was fighting all over
the hill and pagoda area. The CIDG rnen supported by airstrikes laun-
ched three assaults to retake the entire area and relieve the enerny
pressure on the radio station and adjoining cornpounds. Thirteen
enerny bodies were left behind.
The two CiDG cornpanies, which were ordered to return
frorn their night positions four kilorneters northwest of Nha Trang to
rescue the city, were engaged by the enerryrs Battalion 8/I8B on the
cityrs outskirts. Airstrikes were ca1led in and the ensuing battle resul-
ted in 30 enerny killed, nine captured and 20 assorted weapons seized.

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