Scarcely four months ago, on the eve of the monsoons, the Viet Cong scented victory as well as rain in the air. They had successfully moved from Phase 1 (political agitation) in the Red guerrilla manual of arms to Phase 2 (terrorism and small-unit battles). Hoping the monsoons would give them haven, they readied Phase 3: all-out battalion and regiment-size assaults on the frayed and battle-weary South Vietnamese army.
But something happened on the way to Phase 3. The skies indeed opened up and rained napalm, machine-gun bullets and Bull-Pup missiles from U.S. fighter-bombers, which by last week were flying...
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