RECENT COMMUNIST LOGISTICAL AND MANPOWER DEVELOPMENTS IN INDOCHINA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T02095R000700080089-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 13, 2009
• Sequence Number: 89
• Publication Date: July 2, 1973
• Content Type: MEMO

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2 July 1973
NSA review completed
Rec~rit "Commuiiis~t Logistical and Manpo~,~ier
Developments ~.n Ixidochina
Summary
There was little change in the pace"of Communist
logistic and manpower activity during the week. Supply
movements in the Laos. Panhandle have-been pre-empted by
the rains, while activity continues in both the North Viet-
nam Panhandle and the northern regions of South Vietnam.
Similarly, personnel infiltration remained at the low level
of recent weeks.
The resupply campaign in northern South Viet-
nam extending from 11 through 25 June moved. large
quantities of supplies to NVA units in the area,
and evidence of heavy Communist vehicle activity in
the area continues to be received.
Unconfirmed evidence indicates the possible
presence of a new Soviet radar system which would
significantly upgrade North Vietnam's air defense
capability. .
Anew North Vietnamese division -- the 341st --
has been identified in the North Vietnamese Panhandle.
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Recent>.Logstical Developments
Substantial levels of logistic activity continue to
be observed in the North. Vietnam Panhandle, Most of the
supply movements are between storage facilities subordi-
nate to Binh Tram 18 in the Vinh area. Intercepted communi-
cations on 20 June detailed the transfer of over 170 tans
of anununition between two such .locations, and on the same
date, a shipment of about 20 tons of explosives and gaso-
line was dispatched to NVA units in northern Laos. Recent
also
communications/indicate that the North Vietnamese are
continuing to maintain large ordnance stockpiles around
V~nh. Far example, a 22 June communique indicated that
the recipient of a 20 June shipment could only "'accept"
1,700 tons of 57 mm antiaircraft ammunition because it
already had 1,600 tons on hand, Farther. south,. Binh Tram
26 is sustaining vehicle. activity similar to that observed
in recent weeks. COMINT from a subordinate bridge and
ferry-company on the Trac River south of Quang Khe indi-
cated that 101 vehicles C65 southbound) passed through its
area on 22 June alone.
Tn other developments, the North Vietnamese apparently
have recently upgraded their air defense capability with
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a more sophisticated Soviet made radar system. Radar
signals intercepted on .25 June indicated the probable pre-
Bence at.Phuc Yen airfield near Hanoi, of the T,~LL KING
system, an early warning radar having a significant long-
range, Yiigh~altitude capability. This radar probably has
.been supplied to North Vietnam since the signing of the
ceasef~.re accords ~,n January.
Tn Southern Laos, Communist resupply activity continues
a very. low level. A low altitude, night visual recon-
naissance mission
covering Routes 9 9 , 25X1-
96, and 958 south from Muong Nong and Route 96/110 in
the tri~border revealed only 43 vehicles traveling an this
extensive stretch of roads. Construction activity on
various sections of the Panhandle road system is continuing,
however. There are now an estimated 50 miles of road under-
going improvement, and as much as 30 miles of that distance
have already been completed.
Information from pilot reports and photo reconnais-
sance over eastern Cambodia indicates that considerable
night-time Communist truck and waterborne traffic,~ontinues
on the major supply routes. Most of the traffic was ob-
served on tYie Mekong and Tonle Kang Rivers south Pram the
Laos border. photography of. Route 19 and ~~
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Route 613 in northeast Cambodia showed both to be in good
condition and sustaining light to moderate traffic despite
recent rains.
Intercepted Khmer Gornmunist messages continued to re-
fleet concern about food and munitions supply problems in
southern Cambodia, although. evidence indicates that the
difficulties are being resolved. Several messages this week
alluded to weapons and ammunition shipments en route to
ar arriving at KC locations south of the capital. One such
message was an order to transport 100,000 rounds of small
arms ammuunition from an unknown point in the southwest to
the Takeo battlefront.
Recent COMINT from northern South Vietnam points to
the apparent success of the NVA transportation campaign
there which extended from 11 through 25 June. One element
subordinate to Binh. Tram 12 reported on 22 June that it
had already completed "1030 of: the assigned quota". Addi-
tionally, on 27 June a major NVA storage facility located
on Route 548 reported that it had some 4,400 tons of
cargo in storage, about 2,500 tons of which had been
"recently received". Although the bulk of the cargo
shipped during the campaign remains unidentified, most of
that detected was foodstuffs and related items. COMINT
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also
/indicates. that heavy. Communist vehicle activity is continu-
ing in-the North. The unidentified NVA unit operating in
the. Cua Viet River area which has previously reported very
high levels of vehicle movementdstated on 28 June. that it
had received ..209 vehicles and dispatched 259 an that date.
Another unit operating on Route 548 reported receiving 160
vehicles on 27 June, and aerial photography taken of this
.:
route on 28 June showed 183 vehicles present.
-Some of the current logistic activity is probably
related to Communist efforts to establish civilian settle-
ments along the new western supply corridor.- Photography'
revealed that seven villages containing a
total of more than 100 huts had been erected in .the A Shau
Valley since mid~May. South of the A Shau,
North Vietnam is providing con-
in and around the town of Ben Giang, located
at the junction of Routes 614 .and 14 in western Quang Nam
krovince. Reportedly, the new residents wa_11 continue
receiving food supplies for about six months, and there-
after are expected to be self-sufficient.
Communist. agricultural pragxams are reportedly also
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underway in the B~-3 Front.
Viet Cong elements there were
receiving daily shipments of farming equipment,. including
plows, tools, generators, water pumps, and rice processing
machines. Additionally, the VC reportedly had received
bulldozers in early June which were being used to-clear
roads and farmland. This clearing activity in Darlac Pro-
vince has- been confirmed by aerial reconnaissance.
that "difficulties" in obtaining rice from Cambodia led
COSVN in mid--April to direct its subordinate-rear service
groups to develop rice sources within South Vietnam and
to begin supplying food to main force units only, At the
same time COSVN reportedly instructed province and district
level units to become self-sufficient in foodstuffs.
Although in past months increasing amounts of supplies
have reportedly been purchased in this region by the Com-
munists, their self-sufficiency campaign has not been
entirely successful. A former member of a VC battalion
reports that his unit was unable to resupply itself while
operating in Binh Duang Province. Following a request
for aid, however, the VC unit reportedly began to receive
rice delivered from Cambodia.
In southern South Vietnams
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Note on Northern Laos
After a long hiatus in reporting from NVA logistic
units operating a.n northern Laos, recent fragmentary evi-
dence indicates that some resupply activity is still in
progress there. Aerial photography over Route 7 (cross-
ing the. northern Plaine des Jarres~ showed the road
muddy but passable. About 50 new bui~.dings have been built
at Ban Ban and a three-span wooden deck bridge SO feet in-
length, has been built on Route 7-west of the city since
the Laotian ceasefire. Intercepted Communist communicate
tions indicate that a storage depot near Nong Het east
of Ban Ban received over 300 tons of rice during the
period 1 through 20 June., and a report from Binh Tram 11,
operating on the Laos/North Vietnam border along Route 7
stated that it had nearly 700 tons of rice and about 60
tans of gasoline in storage as of 24 June.
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Recent Manpower Developments
Personnel Irifhtration
During the past week, there were no regular combat
infiltration groups detected in the. pipeline. ~ Six special--
purpose groups, however, were observed at the top of the
system in North Vietnam, while three ether small groups were
noted farther south in the Laotian Panhandle. The aggregate
strength of these nine groups is about 150 personnel. The
following table compares the number of North Vietnamese
troops who have started the journey south since l September
1972 with those who were inserted into the. pipeline during
the comparable period a year earlier.
Table 1
Infiltration Starts, By Season
Destination
1 Sep 71-
2~Ju1 72
1 Sep 72-
2 Jul 73
Total
136,000
94,000
MR Tri-Thien-Hue
35,000
33,000
MR 5
17,000
9-,000
B-3 Front
30,000
14,000
COSVN
38,000
26,.000
Southern Laos/MR 559
16,000.
12,000
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Since .the .implementation of the cease--fire .in South
Vietnam on 27 January, .total infiltration is estimated at
approximately 51,000 personnel -- 26,000 who started south
since then (20,000 of which were combat troops) and 25,000
who were in the pipeline as of that date.
Table 2
Number of Personnel Entering the Pipeline
Since 1 January 1973
1
Tatal
Sgecial-
Purpase2
January
20,500
1,600
February
10,200
2,100
March
3,250
2,250
April
1,925
1,200
May
7,175
300
June
1,675
600
July (1-2)
0
0
1, Including gap-filled groups, except Groups
7001-7009 and 5057. Assuming that these groups
departed after 1 January, about 5,000 combat
troops would be added to the infiltration starts
shown above.
2. Including those groups which were initially
detected without a specific strength but which
have been assigned an average strength of 235.
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l++ianpower Developments 'in .North: Vietnam
Recent COMINT has indicated the reemergence of the
341st NVA Division -- last noted in-1968 -- in North Viet-
nam's Military Region (MR) 4. The initial reference to a
"341st-Division" occurred in late. April and during June
there were several additional references which substan-
tiated the division's existence. Historically the 341st
r
Division was organic to MR 4 during the mid-1960's and
operated in an area between Nghe An Province in North
Vietnam and northern Quang Tri Province in South Vietnam.
Luring that period the 341st Division engaged in a variety
of functions, including combat, coastal defense, infiltration
support, and training. At an unknown point since 1968,
however, the .341st probably was disbanded as a divisional
entity. The current mission and function of the division
is unclear and it is possible that only the headquarters
and staff -- rather than the entire division -- were regene-
rated, in order to control existing forces in southern
North Vietnam. If the entire division has been reran-
stituted it probably will remain in MR 4 performing at
least one of its historical functions. ,.
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