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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-01350 to 363-01362.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-01350 to 363-01362
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Title
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Article on withdrawal from the demilitarized zone
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Description
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Original title: "withdrawal dmz." Article by Keever on the US and South Vietnamese withdrawal from the demilitarized zone
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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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ZCZC sag
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withdrawal 1 (normass/deepe)
to
Sortime
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WITH U. S. THIRD MARINE DIVISION, ALONG THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE, VIETNAM,
OCTOBER 12-The Allied defense line all along Vietnam's demilitarized zone
would probably be forced to make an orderly, but strategic withdrawal southwards
if the bombing of North Vietnam ceases without adequate, iron-clade guarantees
of tit-for-tat de-escalation by the Communists.
This is the view of senior commanders here and in Saigon. Even if the
North Vietnamese agree to the "restoration of the DMZ inre by withdrawing their
ground troops from the six-mile-wide zone in return for cessation of the American
"acts of war", Marine tactical commanders still would be unhappy. For, in their
view, the real threat to Allied defenses along the DMZ is not a massive ground
invasion through the DMZ--but is Communist artillery from North Vietnam, across the
6 six-mile-wide zone and onto American Marine, Army and Vietnamese Army bases and
mobile operation positions.
ase Curte
quiet) Communist art cent;
the nee
AND the Amz By Lightning
AND a tillery
8
ar AND a
e
No.
ef have
Counter-attacks
it is find.
== more Reters.
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One Saigon-based officer close to American commander, General Creighton W.
Abrams, opened up the possibility of an Allied withdrawal along the DMZ when he
said:
We've
"You can not repeat not have Americans or Vietnamese near the DMZ with
people shooting at them from north of the Ben Hai pe river (which separates North
and South Vietnam) and we can not shoot back. You just can not have that.
just got to be able to shoot back. It's just a military rule and vd thout that
the situation is intolerable. You can not have Americans being shot at without
letting them shoot back. You just can't run it that way."
---more reuter
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Officially, there is yet no repeat no decision taxx for an Allied retreat
southwards in the event of a cessation of bombing over North Vietnam that would be
disadvantageous to American and Vietnamese troops. "We'll make the necessary
decisions when a that time comes," one hög high-ranking source explained.
Anyhow, for tact American tacital commanders along the DMZ, they know the
decision will be made at much higher level than theirs.
But, these tactical commanders along the DMZ are e emphatic about the
following points if the bombing of North Vietnam ceases without adquate
and ground movements
adequate guarantees for cessation of Communist artillery across the
zone:
--more reuter
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1. In its current form, the Allied defense line along the 40-mile
long DMZ clearly could not be held without heavy personnel and material losses.
2. Hence, a disadvantageous halt to the bombing of the North wi would
demand a critical, strategic re-appraisal of the Allied defense line all
along the DMZ.
3.
In making that strategic re-arpp re-appraisal, there are only
two options for the Allies-either to dig deeper or to retreat south out of the
range of Communist artillery. But, even to dig deeper into bunkered positions
does not strike the M/tactical commanders as a very rp probable solution--
for they run the high-risk of intensive, if not continuous artillery bombardment
reminescent of the Khe Sanh siege days.
The Allied defense line is suspended into the three sides of a strategic
box Alliod troops can not move xmomento further east because of the
South China Sea; they can not move furthers west or north because of the
political boundaries with North Vietnam or Laos. Hence, then can only
retreat south-or begin digging in deeper.
==more reuter
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(normass/deope)
"If the government stops the bombing, we would have to have a very careful
vau evaluation ou of our present dispositions," one tactical commander who had
alth already thought out its consequences, explained. "We can't sit under
(man
bombardment from the North without hardened sites. They'd chew us up little by
little. Now they can open up and we can immediately counter without our
air and artillery because we maintain constant air cover over the North.
to otherwise,
ర
Fard Americans and
Vietnamese would have to re dig in deeper and take their fire as at Con Thien---
or else to withdraw southwards. But, then one asks--how far south can we go.
This decision would have to be made at a pretty high level-either to stay where
we are in hardened sites or to withdraw."
more reuter
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8020 826
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withdrawal
(normass/deepe)
Any strategie withdrawal from the Z would involve more than
20,000 American Marines and soldiers, plus Vietnamese infantrymen and
armor,
as well as other additional thousands of support-type personnel
in that headquarters-logistical complexes. The withdrawal would be designed
to pull those installations Allied installations and units out of the range
of the whom Communists whomping 130 millimeter artillery,
Communists most dependable, accurate and long-range artillery used to date.
the
It was this artillery directed from both Hoi ieing
the
Laos which
pounded the American Marines at the, Khe Sanh combat base earlier this
year.
The 130 millimeter artillery has a maximum range of 27,000 meters-or
16.2 repeat 16.2 miles. If the North Vietnamese based and continued
to shoot their artillery from immediately north of the D2, then the Allies
would be forced to withdraw from such major positions as the huge refuge
resettlement and district town of Cam Lo, the massive American artillery
position at Camp Carroll, the forward supply base of Dong Ha, from
headquarters command areas along Route 9, and from tens of analler outpost
outposts tap tapping the electronic sensors of the NoNamare line and
One HUNDRED
MORE the
mobile operational bs bases, which the Marines now use to enhance their
heliborne mobility.
more reuter
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withdrawal & (normass/deepe)
For the Marine commanders, the imeedi immediate significance of the bombing
of North Vietnam inthisnegard is that the Allies have fairly well suppressed
AND from the DMZ
Counter
the Communist artillery from North by quick-reaction air and artillery strikes.
The tactical mechanics of suppressing Communist artillery fire revolves around
constant airborne alert of small, two-seater spotter plans which keep the whole
Region
DMZ under consistent observation.
speo spotters use the "flash-bang"
to life & the locat
Whenever Communist artillery fires, the little
try to catch a glimpse of the flash and smoke
the firing while other American ground units use the "flash-bang" system
of computing roughly how long the artillery round is in the air be and from the
rough location that it was fired. Then American tactical aircraft as well as
Cale
American artillery are within minutes retaliating on the specific or general
CommuniST
coordinates from which the 130 mille millimeter artillery was fired.
MAP
--more reuter
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said
"Cessation of the bombing of North Vietnam could be disasterous for us,"
Maj. Gen. Raymond Davis, the Korean War Medal of Honor winnder who now commands
the Third Marine Division. "All our positions most "Most of our positions near
the DMZ would be subject to Communist artillery without adequate capability for us
We rely on our air observation and airstrikes to keep this Communist
to respond.
artillery down.
"We aren't that worried about a Communist ground push. The enemy does not
have enough ground forces at this time to cause us immediate concern.
But,
the enemy's artillery is different.
this before-that when we gain the upperhand along the DMZ he the enemy calls for
a cessation of the bombing-and then he increases his supply and troop movements.
HAVE MOVED
It is clearly a fact--and we have gone through
After every ceasefire during the past three years, the Communists move in their
HA)
heavy artillery and we have to go in and bomb it out. Now, if the enemy agrees
not to shoot over the DMZ, it would solve part of that problem."
--more reuter
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During the past several moh months, the Communist artillery, which once
consistently raked the whole DMZ area, has been relatively quiet not only because
American firepo tactical air and artillery firepower have reacted in split-second
fashion to counter it, but also because of B-52 Stratetic Air Command raids
along the zone as well as because of heavy flooding and muddy roads which prevente
prevented massive Communist replacement of supplies and destroyed artillery. pieces,
--more reuter
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Even if the bombing and "other acts of war" are ceased over North
Vietnam,
SHAN
American commanders are along the DMZ are insistent they retain
"The American government can
the option of using unarmed air reconnaissance.
never give up their right to air reconnaissance," one Marine aviator emphasized,
"and we never will. Even though Eisenhower was embarrassed by it-ve still kept
reconnaissance air reconnaissance going. Anyhow, everyone uses air reconnaissance
every day--the Soviets are reconning the United States every day with their
satellites. We will just have to keep some reconnaissance of some sort over
North Vietnam to see if they're massing southwards."
--more reuter
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For the Marine commanders, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey's campaign
speeches urging "restoration of the DMZ" by the North Vietnamese in exchange for
American cessation of the bombing over the North seems extravagantly out of step
with the tactical situation facing the Allies.
ground troops withdraw from the DMZ seems irrelevant to the Marine officers-
rough
whether or noté the Communist
the hectic battles result when the Communista push south of the DMZ.
Even
if the Communists would age agree not to transit through the DMZ, they could
still bring men and supplies in through Laos, and dump them in the rear of
the Marines-behind the Allied DMZ line--or else move the further south into
even as vifar as the greater Saigon perimeter. This would not be much of a concession
by the Communists, in the eyes of the Marines. Clearly, the Marines would
want all this southward flow of men and materials stopped--whether it comes straight
across the DMZ or through Laos. In addition, they want airtight a guarantees
the Communist bombardments across the DMZ would cease for Marines who remember all
too well the artillery poundings at Con Thien and Khe Sanh, as well as sporadic
fire at almost every other installation, this becomes a crucial demand.
--Bore reuter
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.
One other immediate,
significant point of concern to the tactical
commanders is the shifting monoon winds along the DMZ. Monsoon rains
prevail along the Dedur DMZ during most of the year-but the important question
is whether, as the in winds shift, they are advantageous to either the Allies O
the Com
-c-side.
At this time, the Bou EAST monsoon rains are disadvantageous
for the Communists; the Laotian side of the mountains are rain-swept; their
supply trails and roads are wet and in some cases the rivers that must be crossed
are flooded. But, within a matter of weeks, the
monsoon begins, inundating
the Allied-held coastal plains populated coastal plains-where are also based logistical
depots--and smothering the Marine-held mountaintops in clouds, fog and mist during
most the coming months. When these monsoons hamper Marine helicopter mobility and
tactical air support, the Communist raods roads and trails are in good sho shape
for rapid trafficking; if, the Marines argue, the bombing of the North is
stopped at a disadvantage to the Allies along the li DMZ, then these two factors
combined would further jeopardize prospects of holding the 40-mile-long muddy
line.
---more reuter
to
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Other military officers haveneme
criticized
the American
cessation of the bombing over the northern portions of North Vietnam in March,
just as the Banot Haiphong arms
weather over Hanoi-Haiphong became most favorable for Allied airstrikes--and when
the Communists were in the best position to receive Suppies import supplies.
best weath
ving
"The weather has a consistently been a factor the Communists have played
there
played to the advantage and we have ignored," one senior military officer
explained. "Now,
is about to sink. "
there are so many supplies in North Vietnam the country
-end reuter
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Date
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1968, Oct. 12
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam Demilitarized Zone (Vietnam); Strategy
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Location
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Demilitarized Zone, Vietnam
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Coordinates
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17.0021; 107.0509
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B6, F10
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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
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Language
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English
