LOGISTIC DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PANHANDLE OF NORTH VIETNAM, 5-11 AUGUST 1968

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82S00205R000200080007-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 28, 2004
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: August 13, 1968
• Content Type: REPORT

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13 August 1968
Logistic Developments in the Panhandle of North Vietnam, 5-11 August 1968
Activities South of the 19th Parallel
Armed Reconnaissance Sorties
This Week (5-11 August)* Last Week (28 July - 4 August)
420 sorties per day 458 sorties per day
63 percent in Route Package I 59 percent in Route Package I
30 percent in Route Package II 25 percent in Route Package II
7 percent in Route Package III 16 percent in Route Package III
(below 19? North) (below 19? North)
For the Period 1 January - 11 August 1968
259 sorties per day
60 percent in Route Package I
24 percent in Route Package II
16 percent in Route Package III **
Weather ***
Poor weather blanketed all of North Vietnam this past week. In addi-
tion, tropical storm conditions arising over the southern portions of the
* The rate of attack for the period 5-11 August may be as much as five
percent below the actual rate because some reports from operating units in
Southeast Asia are not available at the time of publication.
Beginning 1 April nearly all sorties have been flown south of the
19th Parallel.
*** Good weather - 10,000 feet or more ceiling, and five miles or more
visibility.
Fair weather - 5-10 thousand feet ceiling, and five miles or more
visibility.
Poor weather - Less than 5,000 feet ceiling, and/or five miles or
less visibility.
USAF and DIA review(s) completed.
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country at the end of the week brought seasonally high rain fall and poor
visibility conditions to the area and should. persist well into next week.
Highways
Prelimintary Pil
ot Reports on Trucks*
Sighted De
stroyed Damaged
This Week (5-11 Aug) 586
127 104
Last Week (29 Jul - 4 Aug) 907
120 111
Weekly Average
(since 1 Apr 68)
720
121 84
Weekly Average
(since 1 Jan 68)
539
85 68
Remarks:
Trucks sightings within the Panhandle of North Vietnam were 35
percent below last week's total, and nearly 20 percent below the weekly
average noted since 1 April. The decrease was due in part to poor weather
throughout the week and to the inability to quantify many pilot reports
of truck traffic. The bulk of the traffic sighted continued to be spotted
along Routes 71, 72, 83, 15, 101, and 137, the principle inland north-
south routes for traffic flowing toward. the DMZ and southern Laos. A
limited number of truck concentrations were detected. A convoy of about
30 trucks located on Route 71 just south of the sanctuary of the 19th
Parallel was repeatedly attacked on the night of 8 August, destroying or
damaging all vehicles in the convoy. Later in the week pilots sighted
several convoys of 10-20 trucks in Route Package 1 moving south over
Routes 101 and. 137.
* These are preliminary data, included to indicate trends in activity.
Final data on trucks sighted, destroyed and damaged. may be considerably
greater, for the above compilations are based on incompleted reporting.
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segment of Route 15 near the junction of Route 101 confirmed the presence
of considerable traffic in this area when it revealed nearly fifty trucks
heading north and another seven trucks heading south.
Roadwatch Teams
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Route 15
north of Mtn: Gia Pass)
Route 912
Remarks:
The team on Route 912
may not represent all the traffic passing over the road by its position.
Railroads
Latest Previous
Period Period
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Weekly Average
1968
(3-9 Aug) (28 Jul-2 Aug)
47S; 123N None S; 85N 1825; 161N
(4-10 Aug) (28 Jul-2 Aug)
20S; 35N 69 s; 41N
phe traffic it reports, therefore
Preliminary Pilot Reports on Railroad Cars
Damaged
Weekly Average 14 1 2
(since 1 Apr 68)
Weekly Average 29 3 6
(since 1 Jan 68)
Remarks:
Attacks against the railroad system south of the 19th Parallel
were directed against the railroad bridges at Dien Chau and Tam Da on the
Sighted Destroyed
This Week (5-11 Aug) 11 0
Last Week (29 Jul - 4 Aug) 48 0
* Includes information from reports of other teams positioned near the
border from January - June 1968.
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Hanoi - Vinh line and. against several rail bridges on the tramway south
of Vinh. Repair activity has been noted. at Dien Chau and Tam Da and the
recent attacks probably caused. additional damaged. and hindered repair ef-
forts. The eleven rail cars sighted. were observed by Forward-Air-Controllers
but were not attacked due to the presence of more lucrative targets. All
were sighted on the tramway near Bai Duc Thon, a key supply area at the
junction of Routes 15 and 151, about 25 miles north of the Mu Gia Pass,
but none were in operation.
Waterways
Preliminary Pilot Reports of Watercraft
Sighted Destroyed Damaged
This Week (5-11 Aug)
565
65
87
Last Week (29 Jul - 4 Aug)
650
122
85
Weekly Average
403
61
74
(since 1 Apr 68)
Weekly Average
311
47
62
(since 1 Jan 68)
Remarks:
Pilot sightings of waterborne logistics craft continued to be well
above the weekly average observed since 1 April, but were considerably
lower than reerd high of 1,283 sightings during the week of 22-28 July.
Most of the sightings were along the Nguon Nay at Quang Khe, along the
Kien Giang at Dong Hoi, and near Vinh. Motorized launches pulling strings
of POL drums were observed. near Quang Khe and Tien Luong, a major supply
point seven miles upstream from Quang Khe.
Logistic Activity Between the 19th and 20th Parallels
The Thanh Hoa railroad yard just south of the 20th Parallel has become
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increasingly active in recent weeks. A steady increase in the number of
railroad cars at Thanh Hoa has been noted in comparative photography since
mid-July. On
193 pieces of rolling stock were
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the yard; on ` (pieces were observed; and on 11295 pieces. 25X1
The low level of supplies and materials located in open storage throughout
the yard indicates that cargo is moving freely through the yard and is
not being stockpiled. In addition, a new rail spur has been constructed
north of the Thanh Hoa railroad yard., connecting the yard. and the Song Ma
river. This spur can serve as a new rail/water transshipment point, and
when construction currently underway on the north bank of the river is
completed, it can be used as a bypass to the Thanh Hoa Railroad Bridge.
Construction of this transshipment point/bypass was first observed in
January, 1968, but work stopped shortly thereafter. Construction resumed
after the bombing standdown, and completion of the spur on the south bank
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