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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-06740 to 363-06756.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-06740 to 363-06756
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Title
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Second article about Khe Sanh
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Description
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Original title: "siege", Keever's title: "Three-Demensional Siege Grips Khe Sanh", Part two of a five part series about the mood, preparedness, strategy and significance of Khe Sahn, for the Christian Science Monitor
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AI Usage Disclosure
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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.
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Transcript
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siege 1 (normass/deepe)
(This is the second of a series on the mood, preparedness,
strategy and significance of Kheeny sanh, often termed a spectre of an
American Dien Bien Phu, reminescent of the pivotal French defeat which
began fourteen years ago last week on March 13).
KHE SANH, VIETNAM, March 17-In medevial terms,
the
Communist envelopment of this four-square-mile Marine combat base represents
siege warfare in slow motion-with only giant puffballs of barbed wire rather
than castle walls protecting the Allied encampment. The state of siege
is still fluid. The Communists, if they choose,
could vacuum-seal
the tiny American outpost; but the American command could with a massive
troop influx break the Communist siege in a manner now being publicly
discussed.
#more reuter
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In Communist terms, Khe Sanh represents positional
warfare of their final Third Phase of guerrilla waf warfare, which they
deem necessay necessary to sustain their military momentum and achieve
their political ends. Dien Bien Phu, the tactical defeat of French
colonial forces which was launched fourteen years ago last week,
Communist's historical precedent for Khe Sanh--if they select to try to
prove that history repeats itself. Yet, no one is certain here that
DE
was the
Ken Khe Sanh fits into the same political framework at Dien Bien Phu.
"If Khe Sanh is lost by either side, it does not necessarily mean they have
lost t the whole war either on the battlefield or at the conference table,"
one reliable source explained.
==more reuter
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siege 2 (normass/deepe)
enclave.
For American strategists, Khe Sanh represents the ultimate
"I'd like to prop that great General Gave Gavin in here,"
one
American officer ejected after a day-long Communist bar bombardment near
his position. He referred to the critic of the Johnso Westmoreland
search-and-destroy strategy and the advocate of the enclave theory.
"An enclave is an enclave," the officer continued,
"no
matter where it is. Even if our enclaves were in the populated centers
along the seacosts, we'd still be in our life jackets yelling " incoming
to the freighters inxt off the coast.
shores."
To veteran Marines, here, Khe Sanh does not symbolize
Dien Bien Phus Phu.
It sybo symbolizes the Chosen Reservoir-the massive
Marine retreat, which they called "attacking to the rear," during the
Korean War.
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One Marine battalion commander here stood on his hilltop
command post and watched his troops dig deeper and better into their
positions as sunset fell over this base camp. "This place reminds me
of the Chosen Reservoir," he reminesced. "That's the last time I've
been trapped. "I had a 1111 comp commanded a rifle company then."
Another Korean War veteran, a sergeant, recalled, "Khe
"The hills around Khe Sanh reminds me of the Chosen Reservoir-
as does the parachute drops of supplies. If it weren't for the helicopters
we (the Marines) would be retreating down Route 9
and airstrikes,
(which leads out of Khe Sanh) just like we retreated down that road
in Kores."
#more reuter
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To the "Snuffies, "--the Marine corporals and privates--
Khe Sanh represents the ba "battle of the bunker," as one explained,
existence in their split-level homes where life im itself is measures
measured in split seconds.
The siege of Khe Sanh is not simply a one-dimensional
encirclement of the camp; it is a three-level, tri-dimensional
cylindrical envo envelopment in the air, on the ground and underground.
==more reuter
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dege 6 (normass/deepe)
Communist
The siege of the airways is partial, permissive-but
The siege of the airwaves is almost total-
worsening significantly.
the Communists monitor almost all of the radio traffic between Khe Sanh
and epi superior headquarters.
They know of American planes approaching
The situation is
Khe Sanh at the same time as American air officers.
considered so severe that one American officer, in an attempt to prevent
the Communists from hitting a downed aircraft a second time, defiberated
deliberately td mislead his he senior command by saying
the plane could not be repaired. He hoped the Communists would not waste
not catching onto the
gen
another round to hit it again. The senior command insisted the plane could
be repaired and radioed it was sent sending dispatching a repair
crew o to The “anh. Thirty minutes after the radio transmission,
Communists rained a direct hit on the plane, sed sending it bursting int
flames.
the
The siege of the airways includes a .50 calibre machinegun
positioned off one end of the runway which systematically rakes every low-
"I'll bet we we've
altitude American aircraft approaching the camp.
spent a million dollars worth of bombs to knock out that we
weapon of
Charlies (the Communists)," one air officer explained, "but it's still
firing there everyday."
== more renter.
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siege 7 (normass/deepe)
The significant new development, however,
is the sups
suspected Communist into introduction of anti-aircraft weal weapons
around the base itself and along the aerial path of approach. For low-
altitude
into
aircraft making supply drops or landing on the airstrip,
is only one approach to Khe Sanh--and one way out.
there
more reuter
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(normass/deepe)
"We saw little black puffs of smoke off the wingtips
of that Phantom (the double-the-speed-of-sound jet fighter) bombing
only 500 meters outside our perimeter the other day," one officer
explained. "And those black puffs indicate anti-aircraft fire, althought
we haven't yet confirmed it, bycat menganxarm And, because of that, we
know thing that a 37 mm. shot down that C-123 with 49 passengers and crew
last week coming into Khe Sanh.
"The difference between the 50 calibre machine guns and morta
5/
that have been hitting our planes and an anti-aircraft weapon is enormous.
A .50 calibre peppers the plane with little holes and if one hits a sensitive
part of the plane, it may crash. A buddy of mine took 117 holes in his
C-130 last wek-with bullets running from the nose, through the underbelly
and then to the tail, across the whole length of his plane. But,
a 37 mm. anti-aircraft weapon is a hore precise weapon and its rounds
WHOLE
knock off a king or the tail, or whatever it hits."
CAN
==more reuter
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siege (normass/deepe)
The Communists have the capability of escalating the
weaponry
their anti-aircraft weapons around Khe Sanh up to introducing surface-bop
to-air missiles which might be used against the B-52 Strategic Air
SUPPORT
Command bombers that four to six times a day erupt their bombs around this
American officers believe that elaborate as electronic
counter-measures against the SAM's would prevent the B-52's facing a serious
base camp.
problem,
however.
The entire spectrum of American air activity is crucial
to the defense of Khe Sanh. First, the major chunk of supplies into
Khe Sanh come by air--in what is becoming one of history's biggest combat
Supplies are parachuted in at an altitude of several thousand
feet above the camp, or a else are dropped on the airstrip from sild
zirlifts.
aluminum sleds on
Skims
yamump as the aircraft eps three to four feet
above the airstrip. ff Even the most intense anti-aircraft
fire would not prevent supplies from being airdropped into Khe Sanh, reliable
sources report-but and difficulties might arise for American Marine
ground troops securing the drop-zone, which now lies outside the base
perimeter.
if necessary,
Even rad- radar-controlled airdrops from 30,000 feet could be used,
to get supplire intaohe Sany sany Sanh, sources report.
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10.
sieger (normass/deepe)
Airstrikes, boty along with artillery,
are the
heavy fire support weapons upon which the Allied defense of Khe Sanh
rests, especially in the event of Communist massive Communist ground
assault repeating Dien Bien Phu. Both the tactical fighters and
strategic air command bombers would be jeopardized-
by increased effectiveness of antift/Communist anti-aircraft
weaponry in the
the future.
== more Rente.
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More serious than anti-aircraft Communist anti-aircraft
fire, however, American air-striking power is now facing two strategic
difficulties: first, airstrikes, as well as artillery, are not now
effective enough to wipe out a pinpoint target-such as a lone Communist
machinegunner or the Communist artillery, placed on the bab reverse side
of the mountains in Laos; and second, the Communists appear to have
dispersed their troop units enough to have negated in part the powerful
concentrations of bomb loads that continually rain throughout Khe Sanh
mountains and valley.
o the Communists appear at this time to have also allowed
permissive trafficing trafficking of supplies into Khe Sanh--"The Communists
want just enough to get through so the Marines will not leave Khe Sanh,"
North
VieTNAMESE
OR
reliable source explained. While the have either been unable to unwilling
air officers are still
one
to devise an air-tight, air-to-air siege of Khe Sanh,
opt extremely worried about the Communist ground siege, which also affects
other air operations--notably the landing of passenger transports and
helicopters for the evacuation of the wounded.
helicopters and transport aircraft
A "junkyard" of burned-out
along the Khe Sanh airstrip attests
to the difficulty of landing and taking off from here.
==more reuter
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siege 11 (normass/deepe)
"A cardinal principle in air operations demands that we
hold the landing zones and the drop zones," one air officer explained.
"But, we don't. When we don't we get really worried-and I'm really
worried now. The Communists can close this airbase up tight." As he
spoke, the Communists lobbed mortars and artillery at the airstrip
throughout the day; no planes landed during the day.
MANY
Only emergency
medical evacuation helicopter runs were made and the wounded were
Foundde wounded a secondtime running or being carried to the aircraft.
more reuter
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(normass/deepe)
The Communist ground siege is total--but not necessarily
permanent. The American command could break out of the Khe Sanh
perimeter with a king-sized offensive sweeping ooer operation around the
base.
The Communists strength around Khe Sanh is officially
REXX presented as two divisions--or rought roughly 30,000 North Vietnamese
troopers. But, no one knows if there are 2 actually 300 or 30,000
around the base. The Marines have been ordered by their superior
headquarters to no pa stop patrolling around the baxe base, except for
securing the daunnly supply drop-zone for para-drops.
A hand-ful of
Tena Vietnamese Ranger and Special Forces patrols leave the camp-but
generally get no more than 300 meters from the perimeter wire before being
ambushed. Recently, one e wounded Vietnamese lieutenant, whose patrol
was ambushed 300 meters from his own lines, sommi
WHICH
waved away reinforcing units, who would also have been ambushed-and then
committed suicide to save the approaching unit.
Several weeks ago, the last Marine platoon to leave the
combat base was ambushed on the adjoining ridgeline-and the Marines were
unable to retrieve their dead and wounded.
The dead could be seen from the
Khe Sanh headquarters which disgusted he the Marines--and when a Vietnamese
patrol retrieved the body of one lieutenant last week,
he had been beheadd
beheaded.
==more reuter
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The Communists have the base under constant and close
In one case, a Marine sniper was peering through
surveillance.
a small slit-hole in a bunker, attempting to hit a North Vietnamese sniper-
and the North Vietnamese started firing at the Marine through the aperture.
A x light from a flashlight on the airstrip on the darkest night brings
from
a one-minute reaction of Communist mortars on virtually the exact spot.
for And Adju
The Communist surveillance includes forward observers which spot/the
North Vietnamese artillery located six miles across the Laotian border
the time a Communist forward observer radios to the Losbud Laos-based
artillery and the moment the given round hits the given coordinates, such
as the helicopter landing zone,
mam has been clocked at no more
than three minutes.
= =more reuter
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(normass/deepe)
American airstrikes are called in daily, sometimes as close
as 200 meters from the Marine lines--so olose the Marines are ordered
into their bunkers to escape the flying fragments.
Secondary explosions
from a Communist supply cache have been heard as close as 1000 meters
from the Marine perimeter. American artillery tubes are regularly
lowered to fire like a giant rifle, instead of their long-range disent
indirect trajectories, at a Communist recoilless rifle on a hill-ridge
only 300 meters from their position.
Each night, when the fog descends on Khe Sanh "not like
little cat's paws, but in great big steps," as one Marine explains,
Communist diggers move their open trenchlines closer to the Marine
wire. Along the wire of the Vietnamese Ranger battalion,
trenches are up to the perimeter itself.
the
the Communist
In other cases they are 200 to 300
set
The Communist/trenches,
which
meters; in other cases only 15 meters.
mainen maintain no overhead of cover, form a growing, but not yet
SLES
elaborate, system leading through the gulleys and up the hill messes
to the west, east and southeast of the o camp.
==more reuter
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siege (normass/deepe)
atical
More worrisome than the slit-trenches of the Communists,
however, the Marines underground war. The Communist siege under the
ground is considered embryonic embro embryonic, mysterious-and
ecisive.
perhaps critical. Some Marine officers think--but do not know for certain-
that Khe Sanh be base sits on top of an elaborate old French made
concrete tunneling system. They argue that if the Communists can tunnel
under the Marine wire--and connect with that suspected concrete tunnel
works--then the Marine positions can be blown up by a Communist
man-made volcano under them.
Already Communist tunnels have been found underxminan
Vannnnnn leading under the Vietnamese Ranger position on the southeast
fringe of the capicamp. An American Special Forces sergeant, born in
the South, said he has heard the Communist digging outside their
perimeter, "just like the Union forces tunneled under our limax
(Confederate) lines during the American Civil War."
Eight-foot pol
metal polls have been regularly spaced out in the Special Forces camp,
and day and night an American, armed with a doctor's stethoscope,
soundings of the Communist's digging beat.
but attempts to find the Communist tunnel,
es excavating down ten feet,
devices have also been used,
picking up even footsteps.
Diggings have been heard,
even
have thus far failed.
==more reuter
takes
by excavating
盈
Electronic sensing
€
too sensitive to be successful,
more reuter
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The tunnel situation can best be visualized on one small
The hill, which has no name or
hill knob within the Marine perimeter.
number, rises roughly 300 yards high above the plateau of the base camp
proper. On the top of the hilllies lies a Marine command post,
camouflaged
with Iwo Jima-styled nets. The commander, knowing the Communists have
his post zeroed in, has started his Marines to dig out the inside of the
hill. The result is an underground labyrinth, damp and lighted only with
candles on C-ration cans, which reminds one of the catacombs.
Reminescent
Mid-way down the hill lie the Marine line positions,
in trenches and bunkers. But, occasionally,
the Communist olink-clink
of their little shovels, swaddled in burlap, can be heard by the Marines.
The Communists are suspected to be digging under the hillknob at its base--
and the Marines search for their tunnel exits every morning without avail.
"We know Charlie's digging under our command post," the
commander says.
"And I don't know what we're going to do a out it."
And one observer, who daily watches the Communist trenchlines
shook his head
and suspected tunnel mass encircle the Allied perimeter,
"The only place that makes more sense than
and exca exclaimed,
Khe Sanh is an insane asylum."
send reuter
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Date
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1968, Mar. 17
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Khe Sanh, 2nd Battle of, Vietnam, 1968; Siege warfare; United States. Marine Corps; Mặt trận dân tộc giải phóng miền nam Việt Nam; Vietnam (Democratic Republic). Quân đội
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Location
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Khe Sanh, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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16.6193; 106.7323
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B9, F29
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Format
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dispatches
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Collector
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
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Language
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English
