Article about defense of the Biên Hòa Air Base

Item

derivative filename/jpeg

363-05604 to 363-05611.pdf

Digital Object Identifier

363-05604 to 363-05611

Title

Article about defense of the Biên Hòa Air Base

Description

Original title: "secure", Keever's title: "U.S. Officers at Airbase Where Communists Attacked B-57 Squadron Criticize Security", article about the poor defense of the Biên Hòa Air Base, published by the New York Herald Tribune

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Draft transcripts were automatically generated via Google Document AI and are currently under review. Please report significant errors to Archives & Special Collections at archives@unl.edu.

Transcript

URGENT t/a press [XXXX indicating deletion] TRIBUNE NEWYORK 01234 prorosenfeld [deletion: one] secure one bien hoa [XXXX indicating deletion] american officers here today were [deletion: openly] critical inadequate defense measures for this jetlength [deletion: runway] airbase following twentyminute quote infernal unquoteve vietcong mortar shelling but also were disturbed by seeming impossibilityve [deletion: preventing] totally preventing future attacks [deletion: stoppara] moredeepe mots ajoutes: 3 mots rayes: [illegible] beverly deepe carte no. 44 B Deepe URGENT t/a press tribune newyork 01234 prorosenfeld secure two [deletion: the army] unistates officer advising base security complained that [deletion: the] the one battalionve vietnamese troops responsible for securing airbase perimeter was twentypercent understrength semicolon [deletion: that] and that he had recommended [XXXX indicating deletion] mortars for counterfiring be [XXXX indicating deletion] added [deletion: to] for base security [deletion: measures] but these never received stoppara [deletion: an air] american airforce officer [deletion: jet bbb57 fo jet fighter] [deletion: bomber pilot] also said jet bbb555777 [deletion: jet] fighter bombers were parked too close together on runway etwere notrptnot [insertion: protected by] sandbagged [deletion: for individual security stoppara] revetments like normal moredeepe mots ajoutes: 9 mots rayes: 15 Beverly Deepe beverly deepe carte no. 44 URGENT T/a press tribune newyork [deletion: 02002] 02020 prorosenfeld secure seven quote we needed countermortar fire cmaunquote he said [XXXX indicating deletion] stopquote but even then we could shot only in the general direction but notrpnot accurately stop and even if had a divisionve troops in those hills dash even aye divisionve american marines undash still could notrptnot guarantee twould stop mortar attacks stop aye static position is always vulnerable to mortars ettheres so much territory out there twould take an army to cover it all stopunquote he said the perimeter around the airbase was ten miles etthat patrolling for aye two mile radius beyond that would be necessary to [deletion: prevent] protect against future attacks by mortars which have aye range of two miles stoppara mots ajoutes: 0 motsrayes: 3 B Deepe beverly deepe carte no. 44 urgent t/a press tribune newyork 02003 prorosenfeld secure three [XXXX indicating deletion] american officers did notrptnot criticize their vietnamese counterparts etnoted that two vietnamese were killed [deletion: etsix] etfive wounded in [deletion: acti attack shelli blazing] multimillion [illegible] shelling stoppara reliable sources in saigon said that [deletion: aye] an official report made [insertion: for unistates airfo] aye year ago [deletion: said] stated that all major airbase installations in vietnam were vulnerable to viet cong mortaring but according source quote nothing was ever done about it stopunquote [XXXX indicating deletion] there are at least eight major bases for american helicopter and airplane units stoppara reliable observers long considered vietcong were capable overrunning provincial capitals and major installations but would do so [deletion: infrequently] only when political and psychological impact was needed in their campaign to effect an american withdrawal comma to turn vietnam [deletion: neutralist] first neutralist and eventually communist [deletion: stoppara] moredeepe mots ajoutes: 17 mots rayes: 11 Beverly Deepe beverly deepe carte no. 44 URGENT T/a press tribune newyork 02001 prorosenfeld secure [deletion: three] four ltgen william ccc westmoreland [deletion: comma] commander [deletion: american mili] unistates military assistance command dash vietnam [deletion: comma] said however that quote alotve energy had gone into securing the airbase but obviously these measures were notrptnot fully successful stopunquote para he said he was notrptnot quote notrptnot critical unquote of vietnamese security efforts and quote was proud unquoteve american servicemans performance during attack stop airbase had been on special alert becauseve vietnamese national day celebrations which viet cong quote celebrate unquote with [XXXX indicating deletion] spectacular displays terrorism or attacks stoppara westmoreland said the airbase was [deletion: covered] protected by arcve vietnamese government artillery fire which he described as being more effective than mortars stop [insertion: he said governments artillery counterfired at vietcong ten minute after attack began stop] when asked whether one battalion troops enough for security [deletion: airbase] perimeter [insertion: outside airbase] he replied one patrol was in area near vietcong mortar squad [XXXX indicating deletion] and [insertion: he had been to] had fired sixty millimeter mortars at them [deletion: stop] moredeepe mots ajoutes: 6 mots rayes: 11 beverly deepe carte no. 44 B Deepe URGENT PRESS T/a TRIBUNE NEWYORK ) 02003 prorosenfeld secure [deletion: four] five he also said one [insertion: vietnamese] marine battalion et and one vietnamese airborne battalion were in bien hoa dash only eighteen miles northeastve saigon undash in reserve but when asked why it took seven hours for the two battalions to counterattack he replied quote it was aye question of communications and locationve minefields stopunquote he also said that after [deletion: arrival jet airc] arrival american jet bombers august fifth he had assigned [deletion: an] two american [deletion: captain etlieutenant] officers to assist advising base security stoppara when questioned about [deletion: quote] counterfiring devices [deletion: unquote] which calibrate positionve attacking mortars comma westmoreland said the quote [insertion: effectivenessve] radartype devices is [deletion: pretty good if fire is sustained so can get this data stopunquote he said but are still being tested stop] [illegible] stop [deletion: there are] However notrptnot such devices known to [deletion: exist] have been supplied to vietnam [deletion: sto] moredeepe mots ajoutes: 8 mots rayes: 14 B Deepe beverly deepe ca rte no. 44 URGENT T/a press tribune newyork 02020 prorosenfeld secure six eightone millimeter mortars dash perhaps usmade undash used by vietcong have aye rangve two miles stop [XXXX indicating deletion] northve airbase [deletion: where] from where they attacked is heavily wooded hills quote which we own sometimes etthey own sometimes stop tis nomans land [XXXX indicating deletion] cmaunquote according [deletion: one] officer stoppara quote only thing that can stop aye mortar attack is more men or countermortar attack cmaunquote american officer advising on base security said quote eteven then theres notrptnot total defense against it stop its aye lethal etaccurate weapon if used by experts dash etvietcong are experts stopunquote he said perimeter outside airbase secured by one battalionve regional forces dash provincial troops paid ettrained less than regular army dash eteven that battalion understrength by twenty per cent mordeepe beverly deepe carte no. 44 mots ajoutes: 0 mots rayes; 8 B Deepe URGENT T/a press tribune newyork 02030 prorosenfeld secure eight while american advisors didnot criticize their vietnamese counterparts there appeared to be an exceptionally complex chainve responsibility for securityve base stop [deletion: the ba tt] [XXXX indicating deletion] [deletion: the airfro] vietnamese airforce was responsible for onbase security dash assisted by american army advisor stop this onbase security consisted of vietnamese airforce enlisted men plus american enlisted men around american aircraft according general westmoreland stop however outside the base etaround its perimeter security delegated to the regional force battalion responsible to the chief of province dash both civilian etmilitary [deletion: chief] headve the fortyfive subdivisions of vietnam [insertion: [illegible]] stoppara [deletion: the] one airborne battalion living onbase as reserve but tis unknown who gave them [insertion: [illegible]] final authority to move into counterattack semicolon the one marine battalion was [XXXX indicating deletion] temporarily attached to third corps command comma which had moved to bien hoa in recent weeks while oneve its divisions had moved elsewhere stop [deletion: final] however both airborne and marine brigades operate directly under [deletion: joint chiefve staff] vietnamese high command in saigon stop [XXXX indicating deletion] in addition to change of [deletion: third corps] headquarters third corps also [deletion: given] new assigned new commander after september thirteen coup and [deletion: fifteen fifth] [illegible] division commanders changed [deletion: several months earlier] also enditdeepe mots ajoutes: 12 mots rayes: 9 beverly deepe carte no. 44 B Deepe

Date

1964, Nov. 1

Subject

Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnam); United States. Air Force; Defensive (Military science)

Location

Biên Hòa, South Vietnam

Coordinates

10.9574; 106.8427

Size

20 x 26 cm

Container

B187, F1

Format

dispatches

Collection Number

MS 363

Collection Title

Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers

Creator

Keever, Beverly Deepe

Copyright Information

These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.

Publisher

Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries

Language

English