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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-05186 to 363-05201.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-05186 to 363-05201
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Title
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Frist article on developments along the DMZ
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Description
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Original title: "dmz", Keever's title: "Along DMZ, Communists Favor [?]- For Now", Article draft about the comparison between Allied and Communist forces in and around the Vietnamese DMZ, for the Christian Science Monitor, page 1-16
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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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2020 sag
Jy nnm
dmg 1 (normass/deepe)
(This is the first of a two-part series on developments along the
demilitarized zone, Vietnam).
WITH THE U. S. THIRD MARINE DIVISION, ALONG THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE,
15
VIETNAM,
has
OCTOBER -The relative balance of forces along the DMZ
turned dramatically in favor of the Allies more clearly than at any other
time during the two-year history of American operations here.
At this time,
there is no visible evidence nor verbal hints of
any Allied withdrawal from the DMZ defense line nor of any large-goale
replacement of U. S. Army units for the American Marines,
two-thirds of the 40-mile-long hilly line.
who now hold
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zozo sag
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dmz 2 (normass/doope)
The reasons for the shift in the blan balance of forf forces are obvious
and two-fold. First, the Americans simply have more power along and
immediately south of the DMZ than at any other time since/operati military
At the beginning of this year,
operations began here in mid-1966.
there
were two Allied divisions Here-one American Marine division and one Vietnamese
Army division--in the two northernmost provinces; today there are four
divisions-two U.S. Army airmobile divisions having been atted plus
more armor, riverboats, logistical capabilities and helicopters.
Second, and perhaps more important,
the North Vietnamese
American Marine
divisions have virtually disappeared from the area.
commanders here believe they have inflicted such heavy losses on the
Communist divisions they have against sought sanctuary out of South Vietnam
"to lick their wounds." American Army commanders say the Marines may be
exaggerating their victories--but even they concede the Communists have been
substantially weakened in the two northern provinces and are now virtually
on the run. One Army senior Army officer, with long-term experience in
Vietnam, said, "I just can't believe how good things look up here for us.
I'm almost afraid to talk about it--for fear something will happen to change
it."
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2020 sag
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dmz 3 (normass/deepe)
Since the beginning of 1968, the Communists have had five
main-line divisions,
or former divisional entities in the two northern
provinces at one time or another-mostly all at the same time during Tet
when they employed at two-pronged r war ag simultaneously against Hue and
Khe Solar Sanh, Now, the Communiste maintain only one division--the 320th-
along the DZ, plus three independent regiments--the 27th, 2 138th and
0 220th. The reman remnants of the other four divisions -308th, 304th,
324B and 325C-have either retreated into North Vietnam, Laos,
in the case of 3250, it has prushed southwards into the Two Corps area,
into the Pleiku-Dak To perimeter,
Or,
after participating in the siege of
as
The
Day Sinh
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zcze sag
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dmz 4 (normass/deepe)
How long will the Communists continue to fade away along the DMZ?
No one is predicting. t high-placed sources say that within a week's
time, North Vietnamese divisions could again mass above
organize above the DMZ and begin moving southwards.
"At this time,
the
enemy is nearly completely ineffective because we have kept him
MARINE
off-balance all the time," one senior officer explained. "But, the
enemy has a tremendous replacement capability and this could chango within
a week's time. He could bring in other units from the North within a week."
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dmz 5 (normass/deepe)
Sources close to General Creighton W. Abrams, American commander in
Saigon, say the Marines have in recent weeks been so successful in
confiscating Communist arms, nepam, ammunition and food caches
inside and immediately south of the DMZ that they have prevented the
North Vietnam's 320th Division from launching mass assaults at Allied
positions further south-at such headquarters and supply complexes at Calu,,
the artillery base at Camp Carroll, the Rockpile area and the Cam Lo
district daw town and huge refugee center.
"Now the 320th Division has gone back across the Ben Ilai
(the river forming the middle boundary of the DUZ) and before they
come down again they have to set up their whole supply system again,"
an officer close to General Abrams said.
more routor
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dmz 6 (normass/deope)
Sources close to General Abrams as well as independent Western
military
observers in Saigon--believe it will take several months-
sometime into 1969--before the Communists are able to "get back in shape"
initiate another mass march into South Vietnam.
During the
Compared to the grim, depar depressing grimly depressing days and
extremely tenuous existence of Allied forces in the two northern
there is now a new sense of confidence,
provinces early this year,
pa profound relief and even glimmers of levity along the DMZ.
the Communists held both the strategic and
the first six months of 1968,
tactical initiate initiative with their two-pronged pressure points
on Khe Sanh and leg it wasn't until their last push ending June 5
with their Third-Phase, positional warfare thrust during the bloody
that the Marines and
battle of Dai Do, the two miles north of Dong Ha,
Vietnamese First Division hurled the Communists back across the DMZ and
that the situation dramatically impaived improved for the Allies.
the Battle of Dai Do, all three regiments of the 320th Division hurled
themselves at the Marines and the 1st Vietnamese 1st Division;
During
at one time
the Communists launched a series of counter-attacks against the Marines,
several of them in broad daylight.
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and
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zczc sag
Jy nnm
dmz 7 (normass/deepe)
were
"And, during the battle of Dai Do, while the x Marinos
assaulting, the enemy stood up in their foxholes, left their
holes and assaulted us," one Marine officer explained,
""which is
very, very significant. We moved from our assault about 150 meters
in front of the enemy and as our assault echelong was moving towards
the enemy position, this unit left their foxholes and trenches and
They ran right at us and the Marines and
counter-attacked
our assault.
the enemy met each other. This requires a unit with a great amount of
esprit or else a great fear of their cadro. This is attrition warfare-
the enemy attempted to take no repeat no objective;
endeavoring to kill Americans."
they were simply
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Zozo: sag
Jy nam
dmz 8 (normass/deepe)
In July, it appeared that the 320th Division was positioning itself
to again come across the Ben Hai river-probably sometimes in August-
but with a series of pre-emptive, spoiling operations, the Ma American
and Vietnamese oper regaining the tactical thein tat tactical initiative
by then, forestalled this.
"Now, we're destroying us his jumping off points, his caches,
command and control ceram locations, hospitals, springboards and
staging areas," a Marino officer explained. "We've also dr destroyed
his training ar bunkering systems and training areas. One-training cron
The
n First Battalion of Fourth Marines came across and destroyed
Ce training area they just couldn't believe, complete with classrooms and
lecturns and blackboards, safe conduct passes and letter of introduction
for his students."
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zcze sag
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Expectations now are that only in 1969 will
the North Vietnamese
have replaced their these staging areas and weapons caches sufficiently
major
to make another/push into South Vietnam.
Ear
senior Marine staff officers who described the DMZ in
2.
early June as "the cloest thing we've seen to conventional warfare with
organized military formations facing each other. each supported by his own
heavy artillery," now say enournantly say "on our side the major
problem is conveying to the American people we have this war won and we shoul
stay around and negotiate from strength...Hanoi is in such sorry shape
there begging for peace."
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2020 sag
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dnz 10 (normass/deepa)
The story of the American involvement along the DIZ began in
Hastings
mid-1966,
when the American Marines launched Operations which later
glided into Operations P Prairie. The Marine battalions wore piccemealod
into the operation-generally to confront North Vietnamese Division 324B.
It was during this time that the famous names along the DIZ
homes Such As
AND
were added
to the Marine--and American-vocabularies the Rockpile, Mudder's Ridge.
This phase culminated with the vicious battles of Hill 881 North and South.
But mid-1967, the Marines--who had suffered severe casualties themselves
had succeeded in eliminating 324B
as &
"divisional entity"
and it
fragmented into
three independent regiments.
== more.
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Boze sag
Jy nnm
dma 11 (normass/deepe)
By late 1967, however, two more Communist divisions-304 and 3250-
moved into South Vietnam and later gained world- world-wide attention
during the siege of Khe Sanh. This began the darkest days in the
history of the DZ-and further south, in the battle of Hue.
It may
go down in history as one of the most i militarily mismanaged periods
istian of the American involvement in Vietnam.
MD-
by 1 January one regiment from each of the two divisio
Communist divisions around Khe Sanh--the 24th Regiment of the 304th Division
and the 29th Regiment of 3250 Division--had already moved
which wa
towards Hue,
that time the scene of heavy fighting of the Third Phase,
positional warfare variety.
These two regiments joined with the
90th in regiment of the old 324B Division to stop del cold the
U. S. Army 1st Air Cavalry as it sought-but failed-to reinforce the
American Marines fighting inside Hue city.
between the 1st Air Cavarly and
There was also heavy contact
the two other regiments of the old 324B
Division the 812th Regiment, which was turned back from Quang Tri
provincial capital and the 803rd Regiment, which strutted string straight
down the "Street Want Without Joy" area to reinforce the North Vietnamese
inside Hue.
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2020 sag
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dms 12 (normass/deepe)
Also, during the Tet offensive,
the North Vietnamese 320th Division
was targetted against the district town of Cam Lo in Qrt Quang Tri province-
where the Marines somehow held off their advance southwards.
It was
during this hootio period that three Allied drvo divisions-
the Third Marine Division, 1 Vietnamese 1st Division, U. S. Army 1st
Air Cavalry, aided somewhat by the U. S. Army 101st Airborne, which had
boon held as a general reserve-were in vicious contact with major elements
of four North Vietnamese divisions--the 320th, 3250, the old 324B and the
304th.
It was not until the end of February that the Allies a even began to
get on top of the situation-then they pushed out the six meinforce
Communist ge main-force regiments out of Hue, which were then reinforced
with numerous autonomous battalions, and troublesome rear guard snipers and
assassination squads. These small groups continued to cause trouble and
insecurity, and in some cases,
exccutions
es in and near Hue until
late March.
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20 20 90s
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By mid-March, in the Khe Sanh perimeter, the remants remnants of
325C which the Marines say had suffered heavy casualties from U. S. firepower
during the siege-moved southwards towares tw into the Second Military Corps.
The two remaining regiments of the 304th Division
were severely routed as th
the 1st Air Cavalry and the Marines broke up the siege of Khe Sanh, beginning
March 29; these two regiments did not chose setpiece confrontations with the
advancing Allies, but simply fled the battlefield, leaving behind more
supplies and equipmont "than I ever dreamed of," one Army officer explained.
But, as the
two regiments of the 304th fled in April, the Communists
reinforced in May with two new regiments of the 308th Division-supposedly
to camouflage the withdrawal of the 304th. The Marines say they later knocked
out the major effeol effectiveness of these two regiments in June in
"Operation Robin" where the Communists fought to protect a new roadnet
network leading from Laos into South Vietnam, south of Khe Sanh. The
two remaining regiments of the 308 th have been confirmed much further south
in Quang Ngai province, where is has been unusually disruptive in recent
months.
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zozo sag
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The 308th North Vietnamese Army Division deserves special mention.
Fourteen years ago, it gained fame as part of the Communist forces which
a
forced on Frenoff their military defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. It was
then known for its proficiency in night attacks and for the accuracy of its
artillery regiment. Because of its outstanding performance at Dien Bien Phu,
the 308th was honored by the Communisg Communist regime by being assigned in
Hanoi as the capital garrison.
For the past several years,
intelligence officers have been watching this elite division, postulating
Alliod
A.
that when the Communiste committed their "palace guard" units, they were
getting to the end of their military ropes.
In June,
the Marines' beating back the two regiments of the 308th in June,
they and the Vietnamese-
on the Laotian flank, while pus
back the attacks and counter-attacks
of the 30320th Division in the battle of Dai Do along the DMZ. Since the
then, the 320th has by and large remained north of the DIZ Ben Hai river;
their attempts to prepare their battlefield for August "third-wave" offensive
seems to have been turned back by aggressive and mobile Allied tactics.
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ZOZO Sag
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Historical
Compare it to
this back-drop
the DMZ has been relatively free of
big-unit confrontations as the Marines and Vietnamese,
and the newly-arrived
U. S. Army 5th Lochanized Brigade, have sought to hold the tactical
momentun.
There is a new air of confidence, but also one of apprehension
as the shifting monsoon rains and rumors of cessation of the bombing of the
North swirl along the DIZ. The Communist artillery, which has largely
silent,
still lurks in on two flanks. There are still ambushes
on the most western side of Route 9, which cause one where A Marine
te truck and tank convoys push through with supplies.
These caused one
officer to groan, "Don't measure the war up here by who holds what
terrain; we hold everything in the daytime, but at night the Communists
NVA are all around us."
The Marines suspect the NVA divisions are now regrouping, refitting and
"well
resupply to resupplying for. another push into the South, They vow they'r
just like we did Before.
push the Communists back again. myth
Barring political miracles in Paris, the possibility looms of oven
bloodier fighting sometimes; somewhere-perhaps everywhere-along the
ed supposedly demilitarized line.
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zcze sag
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dms 16 (normass/deepe)
(Hanks I'll file the next piece tomorrow.
Also,
the Saigon press
BY
is being squeezed out of the Le Hay coverage by incoming press and Le May's
am Also, if at all
Newsweek is
desire not to have jour journalists follow him.
Ah Anyhow, I'll try to
As
do something on him, probably
he departs.
Or do you want
sedinte
possible, I might try to do a coup aftermath piece.
doing a recap on it this week. Alsoy
political series for the last week in October?
I gather the
you think about the
Regards Bev).
==end reuter
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Date
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1968, Oct. 15
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Subject
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Mặt trận dân tộc giải phóng miền nam Việt Nam; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Guerilla warfare; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Vietnam (Democratic Republic); Vietnam War, 1961-1975--United States; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Vietnam (Republic)
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Location
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Demilitarized Zone, Vietnam
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Coordinates
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16.6193, 106.7305
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B10, F39
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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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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
