Malcolm Browne (ngày 23 tháng 8 năm 1972). "Fighting lessens in Queson region". The New York Times. tr. 8.
DISTRICT CAPITAL IN VIETNAM FALLS TO ENEMY FORCES
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By Sydney H. Schanberg Special to The New York Times
Aug. 21, 1972
SAIGON, South Vietnam. Monday, Aug. 21—South Vietnamese troops have abandoned a northern district capital and nearby defense base in the lace, of a two‐day Communist shelling and ground attack—the biggest Government loss since to early weeks of the North Vietnamese offensive, which began! March 30.
The Government defeat puts! most of the Queson district in, Quangnam Province in North! Vietnamese hands.
A South Vietnamese military; spokesman, at the daily briefing; in Saigon yesterday, reported! that Queson district town and Base Camp Ross, about two miles to the west, were “evacu.’ ated” on Saturday, but he did! not disclose the magnitude of the defeat.
Fled in Haste
However, authoritative sources in Danang, South Vietnam's, second‐largest city, which lies 25 miles northeast of Queson. said that the Government troops “didn't carry out their mission” and fled so hastily that they left behind some of their artillery.
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The sources were talking primarily of the several hundred regular troops of the Second Division, who were at Base Camp Ross. They said that the Government militia defending the town of Queson. who are not as well trained or equipped, had acquitted themselves “surprisingly well.”
Both the militia and the regulars fled to Base Camp Baldy, which is about five miles northeast of Queson—toward the the coast and near strategic Route 1.
The sources added that 70 air strikes—most of them American—failed to stem the enemy assault.
Queson is the first district town to fall to the Communists in a long time. In recent weeks, South Vietnamese Government troops had retaken some of the district towns lost in early phases of the offensive, although these were usually recaptured without much of fight because the enemy had pulled out to establish defense lines elsewhere.
Apparently a major factor in the defeat of the Government troops at Queson was the battering that they took from the Communists’ biggest weapon, the 130‐mm. gun, which has a devastating impact and a range of 17 miles. This was the first time that these guns had appeared in the Queson area, and it will make any Government counterattack—if one is contemplated—difficult.
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The North Vietnamese first tried to move on Queson in April, during the first weeks of their offensive. Advancing out of the Queson Valley, which borders Laos, the North Vietnamese began picking off, one by one, the string of defense points that led to the town of Queson from the southwest—Base Camp West, Base Camp O'Connor, Hiep Duc district town. Finally, they put Queson itself under siege, with both ground attacks and shelling.
But Queson and Base Camp Ross held then—in May—and the threat seemed to recede. In the months since, the North Vietnamese have been operating from the hills to the south and west of Queson, shelling and probing sporadically and jockeying with the Fifth and Sixth Regiments of the Second Division, but not launching a major assault.
The source said that the attack began on Friday, just before dawn—with the Communists shelling both the town of Queson and Camp Ross, but concentarting on the camp. Then the enemy launched ground assault on Ross, and by Friday evening, had occupied large area of the camp, which sits on a small, butte‐like hill.
South Vietnamese troops, with heavy air support, were able to drive out the attackers on Saturday morning, the source said, but after a lull of a few hours, the Communist forces charged back and this time the South Vietnamese units badly mauled and suffering heavy casualties, decided that they could not hold.
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FIGHTING LESSENS IN QUESON REGION
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By Malcolm W. Browne Special to The New York Times
Aug. 23, 1972
SAIGON, South Vietnam, Wednesday, Aug. 23—pposing North and South Vietnamese forces, exhausted by heavy casualties, were reported yesterday to have settled for the moment along a loose battle line northeast of the district capital of Queson, which fell to the Communists on Saturday.
Shelling and skirmishing along the line continued yesterday, but neither side was apparently ready to attempt strong new initiative.
It was clear, however, that the enemy had opened a major. new front far to the south of the main action in Quangtri, South Vietnam's northernmost, province, bypassing centers of Government strength ringing the cities of Hue and Danang.
As the situation now stands, enemy troops hold Queson and nearby Base Camp Ross, about 25 miles south of Danang. In their assault, enemy lines forced South Vietnamese troops to the northeast along Route 535.
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“Quangtri‐Type Campaign’
“It's going to take some time for both sides to lick their wounds and regroup,” a military source said. This has all the looks of a new Quangtritype campaign, proceding in bloody fits and starts with long pauses in between.”
The big surprise, military sources in the area say, was the fact that the North Vietnamese succeeded in moving 130mm. heavy artillery into the area without detection.
The official said that since the enemy's capture last spring of Hiepduc, a district capital southwest of Queson, “there has been practically no friendly presence all the way to the Laos border.” This has meant that ground patrols were unable to operate effectively in the area to spot Communist movement.
New Fighting Reported
Since the fall of the provincial capital of Quangtri in May, Government forces have concentrated efforts on driving the North Vietnamese there northward.
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The enemy has resisted this counterthrust, but all the while has been deepening its penetration, sliding south along the exposed western flank of the Saigon troops. It successively threatened Hue from the southwest and then Danang, also from the southwest.
During the past 24 hours, Saigon communiqués have reported heavy clashes and shelling along most of the 100‐mile arc from Quangtri to Queson.
Enemy gunners reportedly poured 300 shells into positions within one mile of Quangtri. Saigon reported killing 79 North Vietnamese troops in the fighting, while suffering losses of eight killed and 73 wounded.
Farther to the south, intense new fighting was reported in Binhdinh Province around the district capitals of Tamquan and Hoainhom, which were recaptured recently by Saigon troops. Saigon listed 23 of the enemy killed in the actions, putting its own toll at two killed and 26 wounded.
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Similar casualties were reported by Saigon in new fighting within three miles of the provincial capital of Anloc, 60 miles north of Saigon. The action was characterized by heavy enemy shelling.
The air war over South Vietnam, involving both tactical aircraft. ad B‐52 heavy bombers, was concentrated again mostly over the country's northern provinces, especially Quangtri.
The United States command reported than another bombing accident Monday resulted in casualties among allied troops. An Air Force Phantom reportedly dropped “several 500‐pound bombs’ on a South Vietnamese marine position one‐and‐a half miles north of Quangtri City, killing 1 and wounding 13.
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SAIGON ARRESTS QUESON OFFICERS
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SAIGON, South Vietnam, Friday, Aug. 25 (AP)—A South Vietnamese regimental commander and at least one of his battalion commanders have been arrested for their part in the loss of the Queson valley last weekend, military officials reported yesterday.
The loss of the valley, a key access route from the mountains to the populous coastal region and Danang, was the worst setback for Saigon's forces since the fall of Quangtri on May 1.
United States officials. including Gen. Frederick C. Weyand, the United States commander in Vietnam, are known to regard the Queson defeat as one that could and should have been avoided.
The senior officer arrested was Col. Nguyen Van Lu, commander of the Fifth Regiment of the Second Division at Fire Base Ross, the Government strongpoint that was overrun by the North Vietnamese along with the nearby district capital of Queson. The arrested battalion commander, who had also been at Ross, was not identified.
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Stragglers Are Expected
Sources at the South Vietnamese Army's northern headquarters said that as many as 2,500 troops—regUlars and militia—were still unaccounted for in the wake of the rout at Queson. They were listed as killed, missing or captured, but some troops were still expected to make their way to safety.
An unknown number of civilians also became casualties when they were caught in the fighting..
In war action reported yesterday, South Vietnamese troops attempting to retake Queson pushed up the valley and reports from the field said that resistance was light.
The South Vietnamese assault force, bolstered by new troops from other areas, was reported to have penetrated as far as 15 miles up the valley since Monday.
Brig. Gen. Pham Hoa Hiep, commander of the operation, said he hoped that within two days his forces would retake Queson.
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Two Battles in Coastal Area
But a new enemy threat to Danang, 25 miles to the north, persisted as fresh fighting was reported along the coast.
Military authorities said that two battles and an ominous shelling had occurred in the coastal lowlands between the mouth of the Queson valley and Danang. ‘
An enemy force reportedly attacked government troops near Duyxuyen, a district town 15 miles south of Danang. A South Vietnamese unit clashed with other enemy twos 10 miles south of Danartg, the country's second‐largest city, the Saigon command reported. The South Vietnamese asserted that 64 enemy soldiers had been killed in the two clashes, at a cost of S South Vietnamese killed and 18 wounded.
Casualties at Quangtri Listed
North Vietnamese. gunners reportedly directed 30 rounds of 130‐mm fire and 10 from captured United States howitzers at Thangbinh, a district town, about 25 miles south of Danang, near the jump‐off point of the Queson counterdrive. The South Vietnamese command said that 20 civilians had been wounded and 30 houses damaged.
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On the northern front, 100 miles above Queson, South Vietnamese forces reported killing 207 North Vietnaniese troops with air and artillery support in fighting on three sides of Quangtri city. Fifteen South Vietnamese were reported killed and 58 wounded.
In the air war, bad weather, which has hampered United States air strikes over North Vietnam all week, reportedly limited fighter‐bombers Wednesday to 220 missions, mostly in the southern panhandle. The United States command reported 10 bridges knocked out, for a two‐day total of 42.
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SAIGON REGROUPS AFTER QUESON LOSS
The New York Times Archives See the article in its original context from
August 22, 1972, Page 1Buy ReprintsTimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.About the ArchiveThis is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions.SAIGON, South Vietnam, Tuesday, Aug. 22—Badly mauled South Vietnamese troops tried to rally yesterday to stem a North Vietnamese advance, after abandoning a northern district capital and its adjacent defense base to the Communists over the weekend.
The Government defeat, the worst since the loss of the northernmost province of Quangtri on May I in the early weeks of the North Vietnamese offensive, put most of Queson district in Quangnam Province in enemy hands. It left the rest of the district—the heavily populated coastal plain just below Danang, South Vietnam's second largest city—under the threat of being overrun.
Substantially a Rout
“The next few days will tell the story,” said one allied source, who reported that Government troops had so far been unable to mount any counterattack.
South Vietnamese military spokesmen, at their daily briefings in Saigon, have reported that the town of Queson and Base Camp Ross, two miles to the west, were “evacuated” on Saturday, after two days of shelling and ground attacks by the Communist forces, but they did not disclose the dimensions of the defeat.
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The loss of the Queson Valley is important not only for strategic reasons—namely, that the Communists, if they now sweep all the way to the coast, will at least temporarily cut off the northern quarter of the country on the ground—but also because it demonstrates the enemy's ability to dictate the course of the fighting here, striking where they choose and putting the Government on the defensive. Also, should the North Vietnamese drive in the Queson area persuade the South Vietnamese to siphon off troops from the Quangtri front, more than a hundred miles farther north, this might lead to Government there.
Details of the battle around Queson were still scarce, but from the few that have been trickling in, the fight for Queson appeared to have been substantially a rout, with the South Vietnamese troops fleeing hastily, abandoning artillery tanks and other heavy weapons in their effort to escape the advancing enemy force.
Authoritative allied sources in Danang, South Vietnam's second‐largest city 25 miles northeast of Queson, said that the Government troops, despite heavy air support, “didn't carry out their mission.” These sources were talking primarily of the several hundred regular troops of the Second Division at Base Camp Ross. They said that the militia defending Queson, which was not as well trained or equipped, had acquitted itself “surprisingly well.”
Rendered ‘Ineffective’
The, regiment at Camp Ross reportedly suffered so many casualties that it has been rendered “ineffective,” Both the regulars and the militia fled toward Base Camp Baldy, about five miles northeast of Queson, toward the coast and near, strategic Route 1. Stragglers were said to he still arriving at Camp Baldy yesterday morning, and the new positions around the camp were being hit intermittently by enemy rockets and mortars.
Ground clashes also erupted around Baldy yesterday afternoon, indicating that the North Vietnamese are attempting to capitalize on their momentum and pressing on the government troops as they try to regroup.
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Reports from the field said that hundreds of civilians were, fleeing the fighting, heading toward the coast. There was no report on civilian casualties in the fighting around Queson.
Enemy casualties were apparently at least as heavy as the Government's losses. The North Vietnamese were hurt mostly by intense allied air strikes and the South Vietnamese, by the enemy's biggest weapon. 130‐mm. guns that fire 74‐pound shells and have a range of 17 miles. This was the first time that these guns had appeared in the Queson area, and they will make any Government counterattack difficult.
Queson is the first district capital to fall to the North Vietnamese in a long time. In recent weeks, Government troops had retaken some of the district capitals lost in early phases of the offensive, although these were usually recaptured without much of a fight because the Communists pulled out to establish defense lines elsewhere.
The North Vietnamese first tried to move on Queson in the first weeks of their offensive, in April. Moving up out of the Queson Valley, which borders Laos, they began picking off, one by one, the string of defense points that lead to Queson from the southwest—Base Camp West, Base Camp O'Connor and Hiepduc district capital. Finally, they besieged Queson itself, using both infantry and shelling attacks.
Town Held in Spring
But Queson and Base Camp Ross held then—in May—and the threat seemed to recede. In the months since then, the North Vietnamese have been operating from the hills to the south and west of Queson, shelling and probing sporadically and jockeying with the Fifth and Sixth Regiments of the Second Division, but not launching a major assault. However, a few weeks ago, enemy activity began increasing, and this time, Queson fell.
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“This is the denouement of all their maneuvering.” said one allied source in the area, who added, bleakly, “Things are just like April again.”
Most allied sources do not, think that the Communists will now try to seize and hold Base Camp Baldy, primarily because it is close to the sea, which would make it vulnerable to American naval batteries offshore. But they do think that the North Vietnamese might shell Camp Baldy and thus make it impossible for Government troops to use it as a viable defense position.
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SAIGON ARRESTS QUESON OFFICERS
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SAIGON, South Vietnam, Friday, Aug. 25 (AP)—A South Vietnamese regimental commander and at least one of his battalion commanders have been arrested for their part in the loss of the Queson valley last weekend, military officials reported yesterday.
The loss of the valley, a key access route from the mountains to the populous coastal region and Danang, was the worst setback for Saigon's forces since the fall of Quangtri on May 1.
United States officials. including Gen. Frederick C. Weyand, the United States commander in Vietnam, are known to regard the Queson defeat as one that could and should have been avoided.
The senior officer arrested was Col. Nguyen Van Lu, commander of the Fifth Regiment of the Second Division at Fire Base Ross, the Government strongpoint that was overrun by the North Vietnamese along with the nearby district capital of Queson. The arrested battalion commander, who had also been at Ross, was not identified.
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Stragglers Are Expected
Sources at the South Vietnamese Army's northern headquarters said that as many as 2,500 troops—regUlars and militia—were still unaccounted for in the wake of the rout at Queson. They were listed as killed, missing or captured, but some troops were still expected to make their way to safety.
An unknown number of civilians also became casualties when they were caught in the fighting..
In war action reported yesterday, South Vietnamese troops attempting to retake Queson pushed up the valley and reports from the field said that resistance was light.
The South Vietnamese assault force, bolstered by new troops from other areas, was reported to have penetrated as far as 15 miles up the valley since Monday.
Brig. Gen. Pham Hoa Hiep, commander of the operation, said he hoped that within two days his forces would retake Queson.
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Two Battles in Coastal Area
But a new enemy threat to Danang, 25 miles to the north, persisted as fresh fighting was reported along the coast.
Military authorities said that two battles and an ominous shelling had occurred in the coastal lowlands between the mouth of the Queson valley and Danang. ‘
An enemy force reportedly attacked government troops near Duyxuyen, a district town 15 miles south of Danang. A South Vietnamese unit clashed with other enemy twos 10 miles south of Danartg, the country's second‐largest city, the Saigon command reported. The South Vietnamese asserted that 64 enemy soldiers had been killed in the two clashes, at a cost of S South Vietnamese killed and 18 wounded.
Casualties at Quangtri Listed
North Vietnamese. gunners reportedly directed 30 rounds of 130‐mm fire and 10 from captured United States howitzers at Thangbinh, a district town, about 25 miles south of Danang, near the jump‐off point of the Queson counterdrive. The South Vietnamese command said that 20 civilians had been wounded and 30 houses damaged.
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On the northern front, 100 miles above Queson, South Vietnamese forces reported killing 207 North Vietnaniese troops with air and artillery support in fighting on three sides of Quangtri city. Fifteen South Vietnamese were reported killed and 58 wounded.
In the air war, bad weather, which has hampered United States air strikes over North Vietnam all week, reportedly limited fighter‐bombers Wednesday to 220 missions, mostly in the southern panhandle. The United States command reported 10 bridges knocked out, for a two‐day total of 42.
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