‘Quang Tri may be by-passed’

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32967, 13 July 1972, Page 13

‘Quang Tri may be by-passed’

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright)

SAIGON, July 12.

Reliable military sources in Saigon and on the northern front reported today that the South Vietnamese were not yet going to try to recapture the well-defended provincial capital of Quang Tri, the New York Times News Service reports.

Rather, the sources say, the South Vietnamese forces are going to try to isolate the city, and hope that it falls by attrition.

The apparent strategy, according to the sources, is to surround the town on three sides, leaving an escape path for the North Vietnamese to the north and west—where they could be more easily dealt with by air strikes.

Trying to take the town now, in one determined onslaught would mean bitter house-to-house fighting, and heavy casualties. The reasoning is that even if the enemy troops do not choose to pull out of Quang Tri now, the South Vietnamese force can render them helpless by pushing north and cutting off their supplies and reinforcements. More South Vietnamese troops have been deployed in this strategy of isolating Quang Tri: a battalion of about 600 marines has been airlifted by American helicopters to an area north-east of the city against strong resistance. The Communists’ offensive that began on March 30 across the Demilitarised Zone had taken the entire province by May 1, in what was a humiliating rout for the South Vietnamese.

After regrouping and bringing up the country’s two best divisions, of paratroopers and marines, the Government oegan a counter-offensive two weeks ago. After marching north against light resistance for about 12 miles, the Government troops reached the outskirts of Quang Tri a week ago, to find it defended by tanks, artillery, mortars, rockets, and determined infantrymen dug-in in bunkers.

The heaviest air strikes and naval shelling of the war has failed to dislodge the defenders, who have made counterattacks, often with tanks. The air strikes remain intense. In the 24-hour period that ended at dawn yesterday of the 341 strikes by jet fighter-bombers throughout South Vietnam, 187 were on the northern front.