Page 221 - Thorn In The Heart

Chinh Nguyên

10th Movable platoons, and two tanks had joined with one
another to open the lines of communication. They divided by
two groups and stretched their force along the High way 5th to
the North from the firebase to the High way 19th about 15
kilometers. Another was going South with a distance 5
kilometers on High way 5th to the Hung-Yen dock. The canons
in the firebase were preparing to fire either direction if they met
Vietminh troops moving or fell into the attack field of ambush in
accidence.

Sometimes the 5th Commando Regiment operated the large
scale deeply onto the Red River delta and the 10th

Movable battalion joined at behind to cover their security
zone. They got the strong support of tanks, and Heavy artillery
Companies to forward on the paddies and crossed the villages
until they joined other firebase troops in the same operation.

Also, French Air Force had bombs under the wings of AD-
5 in Bach-Mai Air Force base, and the fighter pilots were ready
taking off to drop on the Vietminh’s position resistance by the
command orders. Three parachutist battalions of the Foreign
Legion were putting on the alert for full assault weapons. They
were always prepared on the C-47 airplane parking in Bach-Mai
air force to leave Hanoi capital and will jump into the battle any
time if Vietminh resisted the operation troops with their strong
force.

Three Security Region platoons of Cho-Noi firebase were
spreading out around the firebase and High way 5th. They
prepared the safety way for the troops to withdraw after the end
of the operation.

For the Vietminh troops, they knew that they had no chance
to win the enemy on the position ground battle. They will spread
out to hide nowhere in the villages, mixed their agents into the
farmers to control the people and get the information from their

221