RECENT ACTIVITIES IN NORTH VIETNAM SOUTH OF THE 20TH PARALLEL (19-25 AUGUST 1968)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82S00205R000200040012-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 24, 2004
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: August 27, 1968
• Content Type: IM

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Top Secret
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence Memorandum
RECENT ACTIVITIES IN NORTH VIETNAM SOUTH OF THE 20TH PARALLEL
(19-25 AUGUST 1968)
Top Secret
27 AUGUST 1968
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
27 August 1968
Recent Activities in North Vietnam
South of the 20th Parallel
(19-25 August 1968)
Summary
North Vietnamese military and logistic activi-
ties south of the 20th Parallel remained at a high
level, although hampered by flooding and US air
attacks. Watercraft sightings remained high, and
new logistics facilities continued to be detected.
Truck sightings increased from last week, but con-
tinued below the weekly average noted since 31 March.
ave continued to decline
from the high levels noted since last March. This
decline is due apparently to the extensive disrup-
tion caused by the floods rather than to any
positive decision to slow down logistics activities.
The flooding north of the 20th Parallel is more
severe than any noted since the start of the Rolling
Thunder program. Damage to highway and rail facili-
ties has been unusually widespread, and North Viet-
nam will be more dependent on waterborne transport
for an unknown but substantial period of time.
Note This memorandum was produced soZeZy by CIA.
It was prepared jointly by the Office of Economic
Research and the Office of Current Intelligence
and was coordinated with the Director's Special
Assistant for Vietnamese Affairs.
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Supply movements
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Logistic Facilities
1. New truck parks, storage areas, and trans-
shipment areas continue to be detected
A new truck part PO
storage area with vehicle maintenance facilities
has been identified about 15 miles north of the
Mu Gia Pass along Route 15 (see Figure 1). The
area showed signs of heavy use and was probably
established as a dispersed alternate to Bai Duc
Thom, 10 miles north at the junction of Routes 15
and 151, which has been under frequent attack.
Several new truck parks have also been observed
along Route 151 between Routes 82 and 15. Further
south, three new road-to-water transshipment areas
have been identified along Route 101 east of the
intersection with Route 137. Extensive open
storage of crates and boxes, sacks, and POL was
noted in each of the three areas, and heavy track
and trail usage indicated a high level of activity.
These new transshipment areas are strategically
located near the Nguon Nay inland waterway, Quang
Khe, and the large storage areas at Tien Luong.
Truck Traffic
2. this past week
were up 30 percent over last week's low figure, but
were still 25 p weekly average noted
since 1 April.
traffic that could not be quan i le sug , nov.-
ever, that truck activity within the Panhandle was
much greater than that reflected in the tabulation
below. The number of trucks reported destroyed
was the highest weekly total since 1 January. This
number is, of course, preliminary but is particu-
larly unusual when compared with the small number
of trucks reported as damaged during the same
period. There is no obvious explanation for the
abnormal increase in vehicles reported as destroyed,
although improved weather in scattered areas of
the Panhandle and a 25-percent increase in the
rate of attack may explain at least part of the
increase.
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This week
(19-25 Aug) b/
Last week
(12-18 Aug)
Weekly
average
(since
1 Apr)
To
Dest
De- o
Sighted stroyed Damaged Dam
tal
royed
r Effective
aged Losses a/
529 247 29 2
76 192
407 69 4.5 1
14 63
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b. Preliminary data.
3. Although most truck sightings this week
were small groups of less than five vehicles, sev-
eral moderate-sized truck concentrations were
detected. Thirty trucks were observed parked along
Route 1A just south of Ron. Fifteen of these were
destroyed in ensuing attacks. More than 25 camou-
flaged trucks were discovered in a truck park located
on Route 82 south of the Linh Cam Ferry.
destroying at least 23 vehicles at this
site . Two vehicle convoys of about 20 trucks each
were sighted heading south along Route 15 near the
junction of Routes 15 and 101. Results of attacks
against these convoys are unknown.
4. Highway chokepoints, storage areas, and
transshipment points located along the major high-
ways leading toward southern Laos and the DMZ
were heavily attacked. A large number of the
attacks resulted in multiple secondary explosions,
indicating large stores of POL and ammunition.
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Waterways
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5 atercraft
activit continued at the same high level
noted since mid-July. During the past five weeks,
observed watercraft activity has been more than
double that of any comparable period since 31 March.
The heaviest watercraft movements noted this week
were on the Dai Giang, southwest of Dong Hoi, and
on the Nguon Nay near Quang Khe.
7. The apparent slowdown in logistics traffic
probably results more from the heavy rain and
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flooding in North Vietnam than it does from a
r
decision to cut back on logistics activity.
any observed since the beginning of the Rolling
Thunder program in 1965. Transportation in the
Hanoi-Haiphong area, on the Haiphong and Lao Cai
railroad lines, and on the Vinh line at Ninh Binh
has been seriously disrupted.
have caused more severe and more extensive flooding
of the North Vietnamese transportation system than
Rains which began on
9 August and a typhoon which struck on 13 Aug
8. shows
five mi es or line easy of
Hai Duong to be inundated (see Figure 2). In
addition, the main railroad .bridge at Hai Duong
East was severely damaged by the floods, and the
bypass railroad bridge also appeared to be damaged.
The bypass to the railroad bridge over the Song
Thai Binh, also at Hai Duong, was damaged; the
main bridge-at this location was not observed.
Route 5, which parallels the railroad line between
Hanoi and Haiphong, was also completely flooded in
spots. In some areas the flooding extended as much
as five miles on either side of several of the main
river channels in the Red River Delta, disrupting
highway and, to some extent, waterway traffic in
the region.
9. Extensive flooding on the Lao Cai line was
observed between Yen Bai and Kinh No. The railroad
ferry slips at Viet Tri were inundated and unserv-
iceable, and the highway pontoon bridges and highway
ferries were also washed out. The highway cable
bridge was serviceable, but there was no vehicle
traffic observed. Several sections of the roadbed
about 25 miles north of Viet Tri were washed out,
as were several roads which parallel the Red River
and the rail line between Viet Tri and Lao Cai.
10. The important Dong Dang railroad was not
completely observed, thus the extent of any flooding
could not be determined. The observed portions
were on high ground, ed and
traffic was normal.
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roads to be inundated. The rail lines in the
immediate Hanoi area were not observed, but a train
and several trucks were sighted crossing the Doumer
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Bridge at Hanoi.
11. Rail and highway traffic south of Hanoi
was also disrupted by flooding of the Song pay at
Ninh Binh. T1e main bridge is washed out and by-
12. The severity of the flooding, the key
regions it has affected, and the widespread areas
covered impose substantial problems for the North
Vietnamese transport system. Reconstruction of
the railroad roadbeds on the Haiphong and Lao Cai
lines and of key roads will require considerable
time and effort. While past experience has shown
that the North Vietnamese, aided by Chinese
engineering units, are masters at providing
alternate means to maintain the flow of traffic,
the widespread flooding of key facilities has
negated much of these efforts, and extensive
repairs to the basic system are now necessary.
During the time that land transport remains dis-
turbed by flooding and its effects, water traffic
will have to assume the major responsibility for
moving goods. However, the flooding has undoubtedly
affected key transshipment and storage areas,
thereby hindering water traffic also.
Air Operations
rig ers ranged southward
n several attempts to intercept
aircraft bombing targets in the Panhandle. No
US losses were reported, however, although enemy
planes fired three air-to-air missiles at US
aircraft on 25 August.
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NORTH VIETNAM: Extensive Flooding along Transportation Lines
Lai Chau r
1'Dien Bien
Yen Bai
',Ching-hsi
Dong Dang' _
r Lan$ Sop
Road bed washe out l
Thai t - i
Pontoon bridges, HANOI'
road arid rail v }
forrlac .ached-.out
Bai Thuongg.
`Rt.5 inundated
Under construction
F?~
f _-Uong Bi Cam Pha
Hon Gal
"HAIPHONG
Do Son
\Five miles of RR inundated
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