Page 369 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

building. Unfortunately {or the enerr}y none of thern had any B40 rocket
launchers to deal with the colonelrs arrnored carriers. The carrier had
a field day rnaneuvering up and down the cornpound. The colonel
borrowed these two carriers frorn the 5th Logistics C ornrnand only a
few days earlier in order to strengthen the defense of his headquarters.

At day break one elernent of the Mike Forces appeared at
the frontgate of the cornpound. LTC Khanh rnoved out and briefed the
Arnerican group corrlrnander on the situation and requested a ground
assault against the four enerny diehards. The Americans called airs-
trikes in instead and the air action resulted in setting fire to the buil-
ding. After getting his wife and children out of their bunkers LTC
Khanh and his few rnen joined the friendly forces to counter -
attack the enerny positions at the sector cornpound. This cornpound was
across the road frorn the province adrninistrative headquarters.

Around 090Oh.one enerny reinforcernent unit, the Cornpany
Z/7/I8B also rnoved into town. It rnoved down Hoang Hoa Tharn Street
and atternpted to occupy the rnultistoried building of the Social lVelfare
Service. The service chief Mr Phan Ngoc Tien, noticed the enerny
corning and hurriedly closed a1I of building's steel doors and windows,
Then he fired a pistol shot at the enerny. Strangely enough, the enerny
failed to return fire and rnoved hurriedly to the adjoining Chieu Hoi
Service and the private horne of a forrner prowince chief, Luong Nhu
Uy. Frorn there the enerny opened fire on the Arnerican MPrs headquar-
ters on the opposite side o{ the street. The Arnerican and Korean
troops returned fire and the gunfight cost the enerny 37 killed. Poor Mr
Uy, who was trapped in his own house, was also killed. The rernaining
enerrry troops rnoved down TrungNu Vuong Street but were intercepted
by a cornbined police and arrny ordnance force which killed six enerny
in front of the Agricultural Affairs Service Office. The survivors of
this enerny reinforcernent colurnn sirnply fled for their own Iives fading
into neighboring civilian houses and residential sections. The Airborne
R-angers ernployed two MIl3 arrnored personnel carriers in their bid
to destroy the last enerny holdouts. There were at least four of thern
inside the province adrninistrative office building. The carriers were
borrowed frorn the 5th Logistics Comrnand but had no drivers. Some
Airborne Rangers irnprovised as drivers, One of the carriers was
rnishandled, jurnped backward instead of forward; and accidentaliy
injured the deputy cornrnander of the 9lst SFA Battalion. Three of the
four enerny were killed in one group which was sheltering itself under
a tab1e. The fourth died sitting on top of a chest of file drawers frorn
which he had been firing at governrnent troops. Mornents later the

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