his steward confused the rockets with the traditional fireworks shot oft in honor of Tet. S The 1st Marine Division commander. Major General Robertson later compared the enemy activity that night to a ' 10-ring circus.' In the Da Nang sector, during the early morning hours of 30 January, Communist gunners nx)k under mortar and rocket fire l 5 different allied units and installations. On the ground, several enemy infantry and sapper units of varying size probed and attacked various Marine and allied defenses throughout the TAOR. Shortly after midnight. Marine sentries from the 1st MP Battalion, posted near the main I Coqis Bridge connecting Da Nang to the Tien-sha Peninsula, spotted two swimmers near the span. They fired, killing one of the enemy underwater demolition ream, while the other member surrendered to the Marines. About 0100, a Marine platoon from Company G, 2d Battalion, 7th Marines, positioned near the Route l Bridge crossing the Cu De River north of Da Nang, saw another two enemy on a raft with a wcxxJ-en box. Again, the Marines killed the VC and once more foiled an apparent enemy demolition effort. Two and a half hours later, on the other side of the main Da Nang Bridge, Armed Forces police noticed two VC in the water and several sampans approaching. The MPs shot one of the swimmers, t(X)k the other man prisoner, and drove off the boats with a fusillade of bullets. Once more the enemy failed to cut the main lines of communication into Da Nang.''

About 0230, the enemy struck the perimeters of the Da Nang base itself. In the Southern Sector Defense Command, just north of the Cau Do River and west of Route l, an enemy 12- or 15-man sapper squad blew a hole in the defensive wire of the joint perimeter of the 7th Engineer and 7th Communications Battalion. The enemy tnx)ps attacked a Marine bunker and ran through the Communications Support Company area throwing grenades and satchel charges in the living quarters. The only Marine casualties were two men who failed to vacate their 'hootches' in time.

•General Earl E. Anderson, who as a brigadier general was the III MAF Chief ot Staff, recalled that General Murray at this time was living at the beach house. Because of security concerns after the Tet attack. General Murray moved into the bachelor officer quarters with him. They each had a bedroom and bath and shared a sittin;; room. Gen Earl E. Anderson, Comments on draft, dtd 18Dec94 (Vietnam Comment File).

Abel Collection The Da Nang Airbase comes under VC/NVA rocket attack on the night nf 2 9- 3 O jet unary /°6iS, F/ares light up the sky. top, as raging fires caused by the rockets bum out of ciintnil HI! the ground, illuminating parked aircraft on the airfield, /wttuw.

Department of Defense (USMC) Photo A 190166