TROOP TOLL 253 IN TWO WEEKS

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31221, 19 November 1966, Page 15

TROOP TOLL 253 IN TWO WEEKS

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) SAIGON, November 18. A total of 253 American troops were killed in fighting in South Vietnam during the two weeks ended last Saturday, a military offiicial said yesterday.

The period covers the two major actions of the massive American operation “Attleboro” near the Cambodian border where United States infantrymen fought bloody clashes with massed mainforce Viet Cong units on November 4 and 8. The spokesman said that 126 Americans died in the seven days up to last Saturday, and 127 in the previous week. American wounded totalled 810 last week, compared with 605 in the previous period.

Viet Cong losses for the period were correspondingly high, with 1525 guerrillas reported killed. The official said more than half of these had

been killed in the “Attleboro" campaign. South Vietnamese Government troops lost 237 men killed last week, with 66 more reported missing in action. American troop strength in South Vietnam rose last week by 6000 to reach a total of 358,000, an American official reported. He gave no details of which new units had arrived or to where in the country they had been assigned. American Air Force planes flew 1795 combat sorties in support of ground troops in South Vietnam during the week to last Saturday. This was a record for any week of the war.