Quang Tri offensive bogged down

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32958, 3 July 1972, Page 13

Quang Tri offensive bogged down

(N.2 P A .’Reuter —Copyright' SAIGON. July 2. Torrential rain has bogged down the South Vietnamese offensive to recapture the provincial capital of Quang Tri from the North Vietnamese, who, in an apparent counter-move, have begun to put pressure on Hue.

In the Quang Tri attack. in which 20.000 South Vietnamese troops are involved, tanks and trucks are being bogged in the mud. Communist artillery has been shelling South Vietnamese advancing on the highway from the My Chanh river defence line towards Quang Tri. This is the left flank of the South Vietnamese advance on a front of 15 miles. The foremost airborne units on this flank were only three miles south of Quang Tri yesterday, although their tanks were held up by mud, several miles behind. To the east of the paratroopers, South Vietnamese

marines were also a day beIhind schedule in their ad- ; vance. Brigadier-General Bui The Lan, the marine commander, I said North Vietnamese shelling of the marines on their ieight-mile front east of Quang Tri was the biggest ! obstacle his forces had so far ! encountered. | He predicted a very tough fight for the provincial capital. HUE SHELLED North Vietnamese artillery fired more than 40 rounds into Hue early today, and, according to early estimates, about 30 persons were killed or wounded. In the first bombardment of the city since the North Vietnamese offensive began three months ago. 130 mm shells hit the northern and business areas of Hue for four hours just after dawn. Military sources said Camp Eagle, a South Vietnamese infantry base just south of Hue, was hit by 11 rockets last night. A North Vietnamese buildup has also been reported to the west of Hue, and infantrymen manning a protective arc of bases between 12 and 18 miles west of the city have recently come under heavy rocket, mortar and artillery fire. VIET CONG ATTACK

Nearer Saigon, Viet Cong guerrillas are reported to be moving towards Song Be, 77 miles north of Saigon. The sources said that the Viet Cong had captured two district militia headquarters about a mile from Song Be, the capital of the province of Phuoc Long. An Loc, 25 miles southwest of Song Be, was the scene of further fighting yesterday. The South Vietnamese reported killing 87 North Vietnamese troops near the city.

The United States Command reports that two American spotter aircraft and a helicopter crashed in

i Eastern Cambodia last week and that one of the pilots is missing. The other crewmen (were rescued. | POST FOR CONNALLY? In Washington, diplomatic 'sources say that Mr John 'Connally, the former Secretary of the United States ; Treasury, a tough negotiator at world financial conferences, is likely to lead the I United States delegation I when the Vietnam peace talks reopen.

i President Nixon said last week that he had a very important Government assignment in mind for Mr Connally.

The sources said Mr Nixon, who has made it clear that he is determined to bargain from a position of strength at the next round of the peace talks, would find Mr Connally an ideal chief negotiator.