Sept. 18, 1961 - More than 1,000 Communist rebels in South Vietnam attacked and burned the capital of Phuoc Vinh Province, 60 miles north of Saigon, early today. It was the largest rebel assault so far in South Vietnam's civil war. The province chief, an army major, and a large number of Government civil guardsmen were killed. About 50 wounded were rushed to Saigon hospitals after the rebels withdrew under attack. The Viet Cong held the area for several hours in pre-dawn darkness, burning and ransacking provincial buildings. The attack marked a new height in violence in the areas north of Saigon where the rebels are said to be building strength.
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