May 14, 1964 - A Viet Cong battalion virtually wiped out a Vietnamese Government relief force today in an ambush about 20 miles north of Saigon.
In one of the most disastrous routs of the war this year, 51 Government troops were killed and an uncounted number wounded, the Defense Ministry said.
The ambush followed Communist attacks on three outposts and a village north of Saigon. Troops sent to reinforce the defenders were attacked from positions along the roadside.
A United States spokesman said full details were not known, but it appeared to be a stunning loss for the South Vietnamese Government.
The Defense Ministry also reported that Viet Cong guerrilla units rounded up 100 civilians near Tay Ninh, southwest of Saigon, and took them into Cambodia.
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