AIR ATTACK HITS TRUCKS

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31152, 31 August 1966, Page 13

AIR ATTACK HITS TRUCKS

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter —Copyright)

SAIGON, August 30.

United States Navy jets bombed two large truck convoys near the North Vietnamese coast, destroying 20 trucks, a United States military spokesman said today.

The raid, in which rockets and 5001 b bombs were used, was made yesterday as the convoys moved south of the port of Thanh Hoa, about 90 miles south of Hanoi.

Other carrier-based U.S. Navy aircraft hit a fuel dump near Thanh Hoa and reported causing a large ground explosion. In South Vietnam’s northern provinces, marines yesterday ended “Operation Allegheny” in the mountains south of their major base at Da Nang, after killing 113 Viet Cong. Thpy also destroyed a large amount of guerrilla equipment, while suffering moderate casualties, the spokesman said.

Communist terrorists bent on trying to disrupt next month's elections struck again early today, blowing up a billet where rehabilitated Viet Cong were sleeping. The blast all but levelled the Chieu Hoi (open arms) building at Tri Tam. about 38 miles nortivwest of Saigon. Several persons were wounded. The building housed Viet Cong troops w r ho defected to the South Vietnamese army. The attack came only hours after candidates for the September 11 elections held their first campaign rally in Central Saigon yesterday, in spite of a terrorist bombing of a taxi-cab in the heart of the capital. The Viet Cong radio broadcast a warning of wholesale assassinations of all candidates and officials connected with the elections.