Page 225 - Thorn In The Heart

Chinh Nguyên

Vietminh used the countryside as the supply sources and
hiding safety places for the hit and run then hiding tactics. They
advanced the villages to resist French militarist as the defense
for the country, so they called the people for support and fought
the enemy until they claim the victory.

The Security platoon soldiers and Tank Company of Cho-
Noi firebase always caught some suspects in the villages and
brought them into the firebase for investigations. They forced
those suspects working to clear around the firebase or cleaning
the kitchen. They did not know that some Vietminh agents
mixed in suspect groups for information of the firebase. Most of
them were cover up their secrets and much more like the farmers
in the villages. They obeyed any order of the soldiers, working
hard to gain the soldiers’ sympathy, but they listened for
everything that soldiers conversed with each other about active
and moving in the base. Their eyes had observed onto any
positions of bunkers, fill-boxes, tanks, and any details in the
firebase that were the useful information for them while they
were working without the attention of the soldier guards.

Those suspects could carry few bruises on the body to return
home after the interrogative of the security department, and
Vietminh had detail information of Cho-Noi firebase.

Early May 1951, The 10th Movable battalion intelligence
news was the 307th Vietminh division appeared at night to block
the high way that connected High Way 5 with Hung-Yen City.
Also, they had deployed their small guerrilla troops with light
arms on the great bank of Red River about four kilometers to
control the people on the fields.

Late June 1951, Cho-Noi Fire Base called red alert for
preparing to fight. Lieutenant Tran-Minh-Tam of 10th Movable
Battalion gave three squads out of the firebase about three
kilometers to make the special combine operation with the haft
of Security platoon troops. They reported with light fight and
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