Bến Cát. Task Force 318 arrived in Bến Cát on the afternoon of the 16th and on the 17th began reinforcing the RF holding the bridge and moving against the PAVN's blocking positions west of the bridgehead. The weakness of the ARVN bridgehead and the strength of the enemy positions in An Dien, which included antitank guns and tanks, made it impractical to send any armor of the 318th across the An Dien bridge at this time. Meanwhile, the 322nd Task Force moved from Tây Ninh Province to Phú Cường and was ordered to prepare to attack into the Triangle along Route 14 in order to oppose the PAVN 2nd Regiment, which was moving south from Rach Rap. Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) aerial observers and photography on 17 May revealed two T-54 tanks inside Base 82, which RVNAF fighter-bombers destroyed the next day, and four more in the An Dien base. Initial negative reactions at III Corps Headquarters to the seemingly hasty, if not unwarranted, withdrawal of the RF companies from their positions softened somewhat when the size and composition of the PAVN force was revealed. General Thuần greatly underestimated the strength and tenacity with which the PAVN 9th Division would defend An Dien, although he had accurate intelligence concerning the size, composition, and location of his enemy. His initial plans, which proved unrealistic, called for virtually simultaneous recapture of the three lost bases by about 22 May. Except for the few ARVN infantry and engineers that were thrown across the Thi Thinh River to reinforce the An Dien bridgehead, the first major ARVN unit to move into the Triangle was a battalion of the 43rd Infantry Regiment, 18th Division, which crossed on Route 14 north of Phú Cường. Shortly reinforced by the rest of the regiment, this element, followed by the 322nd Armored Task Force, was to attack Rach Bap and Base 82. Meanwhile, the 318th Task Force would cross the An Dien Bridge, pass through An Dien, and proceed to Base 82. Three Ranger battalions attacking south out of Lai Khê were to strike Base 82 from the north. None of this worked as planned. The 43rd Infantry became stalled after advancing only 4 or 5 km north. Then, the tracked vehicles of the 322nd Task Force found the going extremely slow in the dense brush and cratered terrain. General Thuần, concerned that this armored force