Word: ho
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...Indo-China (and China), Feb. 6 was the Tet, first day of the Year of the Rabbit, a time for celebration. For months past, Ho Chi Minh's radio has been saying that the Communists would celebrate Tet by marching into Hanoi...
Last week, on New Year's Eve, French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, no rabbit, took up Ho's challenge, plainly showed Hanoi's revelers his intention of defending them against Ho's Communists. For four hours, squadrons of French-manned Sherman tanks, each followed by 10 to 15 truckloads of combat infantrymen, paraded through Hanoi, criss-crossing through the streets into every quarter of the city to magnify the appearance of strength. In Saigon, De Lattre ordered 44 U.S. Bearcat fighters, unloaded from the escort carrier Windham Bay, to be towed through the streets...
...reality, as well as the appearance, protected Hanoi from Ho. Overhead, French-piloted U.S. B-26s roared into action for the first time in Indo-China, bombing Communist troops and supply dumps. Next day, Communists attacking the French perimeter were "everywhere repulsed...
...Communists' will-to-win, personified in crafty Ho Chi Minh, had always been there. It was evident last week in the courage and coolness of Communist soldiers who turned their machine guns on power-diving Cobra planes strafing their hilltop position. By holding their fire until the Cobras were at the bottom of their dives, the Communists caused six to be grounded for repairs...
Esprit de Lattre. Ho's men outnumbered the French three to one. They were armed with bazookas, mortars and some artillery. Their staff work was good. They excelled in attack. Their men traveled light and fast, each carrying 500 rounds of ammunition, sometimes going without rations for 48 hours. This would have been enough in the old days to win the battle for Hanoi, French-held capital of North Viet Nam. It was no good against the new esprit de Lattre of the anti-Communist army...