RIPPLE SALVO… #672… A LESSON IN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR GAME PLAN LEAVES A DOOR OPEN FOR YOUR ENEMY TO EXPLOIT WITHOUT RISK… but first…
Good Morning: Day SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY-TWO of another look at rolling Thunder on the 50th anniversary of the air war in the skies over North Vietnam…
8 January 1968…HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a clear and cold 20-degree Monday with ice afoot…
Page 1: “5 MARINE POSTS AND TOWN IN SOUTH STRUCK BY ENEMY–16 AMERICANS ARE KILLED BY NORTH VIETNAMESE–51 OF FOE FOUND DEAD–RED CHINA ACCUSES U.S.–IT ASSERTS PLANES ATTACKED VESSEL NORTH OF HAIPHONG WOUNDING SOME OF CREW… “North Vietnamese troops struck the district headquarters town of Phuloc, 25 miles southwest of Hue, and five United States Marines positions in the area early this morning. A U.S. spokesman said that 16 marines had been killed and 46 wounded. South Vietnamese forces suffered light casualties… troops sweeping the area this morning found 51 dead enemy soldiers…The attacks against the marines began at 4 A.M. with heavy mortar, machine-gun and small arms fire… ground assaults against the four positions attacked were beaten back with the help of Marine artillery and armed helicopters… The action in the North followed heavy fighting in the Saigon area, most of it in Tayninh Province to the northwest, in which 93 enemy soldiers were killed. Seven American soldiers were killed and 23 wounded. In Addition, Americal Division troops reported killing 10 of the enemy while suffering no casualties themselves near Tamky, 40 miles southeast of Danang, when approximately 30 enemy soldiers were pounded by artillery fire and then pursued by troops….
“PEKING CHARGES U.S. BOMBED SHIP”… “Communist China charged today that United States planes bombed a freighter anchored at the North Vietnamese port of Campha last Wednesday, wounding several crewmen and damaging the ship. Hsinhua, the official Chinese press agency, said that the Chinese Foreign Ministry had strongly protested, calling it ‘another grave incident of provocation’ against China. …the Chinese freighter Hongqi 158 had been ‘frantically bombed’ by American planes at Campha…northeast of Haiphong….the Chinese crewmen were said to have ‘retaliated in self-defense’… ‘It is by no means accidental that in less than two months United States pirate aircraft have twice in succession brazenly carried out bombing attacks on Chinese freighters flying the national flag of the People’s Republic of China.’ The statement referred to another incident in which Chinese freighter 154 was attacked by American aircraft at a Vietnamese port last November 25….”… Page 3: “No Comment From U.S.”…”Neither the State Department or the Pentagon had any immediate comment today on the Chinese statement.”... Page 3: “Report On Soviet Incident”... “A Soviet freighter alleged to have been damaged by United States bombs in Haiphong harbor three days ago will have to be towed back to Vladivostok for repairs…the 3,126-ton freighter was said to have severe engine-room damage left the vessel crippled in the North Vietnamese port. The ship’s navigator said lthat a group of American planes flew past the ship on a near parallel course and three planes separated from the group and streaked toward the ship. One of the bombs plowed into the barge taking on cargo from our ship.’ “….
Page 1: “Johnson Greets Eshkol In Texas With A ‘Shalom’–Israel Is Expected to Seek Arms–President To Urge Flexible View On Arabs”… “The Levi Eshkols of Jerusalem and the Jezreel Valley dropped in today on the Lyndon Johnsons of Washington and Pedernales, with both families apparently prepared to find both national and political profit in the overnight gathering at the LBJ Ranch….’We meet in peace. We will talk in peace,’ said the President. The talks ‘will be long on friendship and full of happiness because you are here,’ continued Mr. Johnson.”… Page 1: “William Bundy Skeptical On Value of Ending Raids”… “One of the Administration’s leading Vietnam policymakers asserted, in a statement made public today, that a cessation of the aerial bombing of North Vietnam by the United States would not necessarily lead to a settlement. William P. Bundy, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affair was presented arguments of those in the Government who remain skeptical that Hanoi is seriously interested in negotiating an end to the war. A contrary view–that the North Vietnamese have decided to start a diplomatic bargaining process–arose eight days ago when foreign Minister Nguyen Duy Trinh said at a Hanoi reception that his Government ‘will’ hold talks if the United States ‘halts the bombardment of North Vietnam and other acts of war against it.’ “… Page 3: “Hanoi Terms Position Clear”… Page 3: “Fewer Vietcong Are Surrendering”… Page 3: “South Vietnam Bishops Urge Talks To End The War”… Page 3: “Report In Saigon of Ho Chi Minh’s Death Doubted–Skepticism About Article Is Expressed in Washington, Moscow and London”…
8 JANUARY 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (9 Jan reporting 8 Jan ops)… Page 1: “The seasonable clouds and mists that lifted last week over North Vietnam closed in again. As a result, only 81 missions were flown, including radar-directed strikes against the Kep and Hoalac airfields.”… “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) There were no fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 8 January 1968…
RIPPLE SALVO… #672… At the close of 1967 COMUSMACV submitted a Top Secret Volume I Command History for the year. Therein, on page 24 of 1,340 pages, is a brief summary of the effectiveness of the Rolling Thunder operations against the North Vietnamese transportation system… Up to this point all we have read is how poorly the offensive against the enemy LOC had been. Humble Host found this “history” very interesting. It was declassified in 1984, long after the war and most of the analysis by the think tank gurus of golden pen… I quote:
TRANSPORTATION
(TS) The Effectiveness of the increasingly aggressive Allied air operations over North Vietnam during the year (1967) was reflected in an expanded effort to overcome the resulting transportation problems. Following the mid-May northward shift of ROLLING THUNDER operations, a number of indications reflected the effectiveness of the interdiction of rail operations between Yunnan and Hanoi. It was reported in June that directives had been issued by Peking ordering resumption of coastal shipment of arms, ammunition and other equipment from Communist China. Allied attacks against transport trains, railroad bridges, and rail lines reportedly had severely reduced the NVN capability to transport war supplies from Communist China. COMUSMACV reported that in excess of 30 per cent of the NVN railroad system had been destroyed; in addition, one-half of the NVN railroad repair capability had been destroyed along with storage facilities and over 3,500 trucks and 4,000 watercraft. It was estimated that the comprehensive strike damage to the NVN transport system had forced the diversion of an estimated 500,000 people from other activities to such work as maintaining and repairing roads, railroads and vital facilities. Other intelligence indicated that by August land transportation in NVN had become very restricted, and that the rail system had all but ceased to function as a consistent means of transportation. The attempt to shift to maritime transportation reportedly was pressed vigorously, and Haiphong continued to be active with regularly scheduled ships using the port for shipments to and from Singapore and Communist China. This coastal maritime traffic reportedly was achieved mostly at night. Interdicted LOCs leading from port area continued to impede the flow of material from the port, and, according to one report, permitted the departure of only one or two trains a day. Besides a shortage of trucks, other transportation equipment, and downed bridges, the interruptions caused frequent air raid alerts seriously delayed movement of cargoes.”… end quote…
Humble Host asked his coffee-drinking buddy, Sun Tzu, what he thought about this situation. His short answer was: “Why didn’t they mine the harbors and shut down the maritime end-arounds???” Smart guy, that Sun Tzu…
RTR Quote for 8 January: SUN TZU: “Bear, what the heck were they thinking? The fools left the side door open.”…
Lest we forget… Bear