BIG AIR STRIKE

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30846, 3 September 1965, Page 15

BIG AIR STRIKE

Stepped-Up Offensive

(N.Z P.A.-Reuter —Copyright I SAIGON, Sept. 2. American 852 bombers today hit a Viet Cong guerrilla stronghold only 20 miles north-west of Saigon.

It was the fourth raid this week by the eight-engined Stratofortresses and the closest yet to the South Vietnamese capital, a United States military spokesman said. Military sources in Saigon have reported recently that 852 strikes on guerrilla “havens” are to become a dailyoccurrence.

The number of Stratofortresses in today’s strike and the tonnage of bombs dropped were not disclosed under the new security regulations. The planes are based on the Pacific island of Guam. 2500 miles from their target areas.

The decision to use regularly the bombers—capable of carrying nuclear weapons—was taken after an exhaustive analysis of early raids in which as many as 30 dropped 500 tons of bombs on single targets.

American military strategists believe that the Bs2’s can carry out saturation bombing on large targets, such as bases and supply depots more effectively and cheaply than either jet or propeller-driven fighter-bomb-ers.