PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF BLACK SHIELD PHOTOGRAPHY OF 15 AND 16 DECEMBER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75B00159R000100150024-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 17, 2006
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: December 20, 1967
• Content Type: MEMO

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SC No. 10390/67
20 December 1967
SUBJECT: Preliminary Assessment of Black Shield
Photography of 15 and 16 December
Summary
Two double-pass BLACK SHIELD missions flown
over North Vietnam on 15 and 16 December provided
cloud-free photographic coverage of about 67 per-
cent of the country, including Hanoi, Haiphong, and
the panhandle area. All of North Vietnam's six
major airfields, 221 of the 226 usable SA-2 sites,
about 80 percent of the entire rail network, and 30
priority bridges and 21 priority rail yards for
bomb damage assessment were photographed. No evi-
dence of surface-to-surface missile deployment was
noted.
Note: This memorandum was prepared by the Direc-
Eo-rate of Intelligence.
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1. Two double-pass BLACK SHIELD missions
flown over North Vietnam on 15 and 16 December pro-
vided cloud-free photography of about 67 percent of
the country, including Hanoi, Haiphong, and the
panhandle area. Mission 6739 (15 December) obtained
85-percent cloud-free coverage during its two passes--
one up the Red River valley and the other along the
China border area. Mission 6740 (16 December) ob-
tained 60-percent cloud-free coverage during its two
passes--one parallel to the Red River valley about
20-25 miles southwest of it and the other down
through the panhandle. No evidence of surface-to-
surface missile deployment was noted.
2. Surface-to-Air Missile Sites: Together the
two missions photographed 221 of North Vietnam's
226 usable SA-2 sites--including six new sites. Of
the 221 sites covered, 17 were occupied--including
five of the six new sites, 197 were unoccupied, and
seven sites could only be identified.
3. Air Order-of-Battle and Airfields: A total
of 8 to 12 operational MIG fighters--four to five
MIG-21s and four to seven MIG-15/17s were photo-
graphed on North Vietnamese airfields by the 15 De-
cember mission. The air order-of-battle estimate
for that date was 13 MIGs--six MIG-21s and seven
M.IG-15/17s. At Phuc Yen Airfield, two to three
operational MIG-21s, six probably destroyed MIGs,
and one dummy MIG-21 were observed. Two operational
MIG-21s and four to six operational MIG-15/17s were
seen at Kep Airfield. In addition, one possibly
operational MIG-15/17 was observed at Hanoi/Gia Lam
Airfield. The 16 December mission showed two prob-
ably damaged MIG-15/17s and one dummy MIG at Hoa
Lac Airfield. All of the six major airfields of
North Vietnam, except Haiphong/Cat Bi, appeared to
be serviceable in the 15 December photography, but
three of these airfields--Phuc Yen, Kep, and Haiphong/
Kien An--have been hit since then by air strikes.
4. Land Transportation System: The two mis-
sions photographed 100 percent of the Haiphong-Hanoi,
Dong Dang-Hanoi, and Kep-Thai Nguyen-Hanoi rail
lines. About forty percent of the Lao Cai-Hanoi
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rail line and about 60 percent of the Hanoi-Dong
Hoi line were also covered.
5. At Haiphong, the railroad/highway bridge
remains destroyed, but a rail ferry adjacent to the
bridge is probably serviceable. The serviceability
of this rail ferry by-pass is a new development and
provides the North Vietnamese with a way to move
freight cars to and from the This service
had been denied sincel when the origi-
nal bridge was destroyed.
6. At Hanoi, the two railroad/highway bridges
were covered. The Canal des Rapides bridge was
serviceable for both rail and highway traffic, and
the Paul Doumer bridge was serviceable to highway
and probably rail traffic. Both bridges have been
attacked since the photography was taken and are now
unserviceable. Each bridge has several rail and
highway by-passes available so that the movement of
goods can continue. In addition, two new highway
pontoon and causeway by-passes were noted near the
Paul Doumer bridge. This increases the total number
of rail and highway by-passes within 15 miles of
this bridge to 14.
7. On the Haiphong-Hanoi route, the railroad
and highway bridges at Hai Duong and Ngoc Kuyet
were covered. At Ngoc Kuyet, the main rail bridge
is serviceable, but the highway bridge is unservice-
able. This area has not been attacked recently.
At Hai Duong, the rail bridge over the Song Thai
Binh was unserviceable, but all rail and highway by-
passes were serviceable. The Hai Duong Railroad
Bridge East was serviceable, but two rail by-passes
were unserviceable. A highway by-pass is service-
able. However, these bridges at Hai Duong have
been struck again since this coverage.
8. The 16 December coverage of the Hanoi-Dong
Hoi rail line indicated that it was serviceable as
far south as Vinh. No new railroad construction
activity on this route was detected.
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9. Also covered was the new rail line under
construction between Hon Gai and Kep. Several
short segments were discernible, and construction
has progressed since the last coverage.
10. At Ping-hsiang300-350 pieces of rolling
stock were sighted. This is a continued decline of
rail equipment since the high recorded in
The sighting of meter-gauge equipment s rong_y
indicates that some transloading from standard-gauge
still occurs despite the fact that the line south
from Ping-hsiang into the DRV is dual-gauge. Prob-
able vehicles near the freight platforms indicate
rail-to-road transshipment is being carried on. In
addition, 10 XAZ-6S cks,seen stockpiled near the
rail yard inoff Black Shield photography,
were no longer in the area.
11. Industrial Installations: A few minor
changes in the status of industrial installations
were revealed by the 15 December mission. Smoke
emanating'from the Phu Tho fertilizer plant gives
the first definite indication that the plant is in
operation. Some repair work on the damaged Bac
Giang chemical plant also is evident, but major re-
construction of several critical components and of
the adjacent power plant is necessary before the
chemical plant can be put into operation. Discharge
of cooling waters effluent from the Viet Tri power
plant,, noted now for the second time,. strongly sug-
gests that the power plant is in partial operation
rather than undergoing tests for start-up.
12. Suspect Cave Positions South of Hanoi:
The 16 Decem emission photographed a complex of
caves--with a possible hardstand weapon position
under construction in front of each cave entrance--
at Nui Lang Lau, about 40 miles south of Hanoi.
This facility was previously photographed on Q
, and no new construction activity could be
seen in the Black Shield coverage.
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