Sunday, May 14, 1972
1,800 U.S. Sorties Hit DMZ
SAIGON (S & S Vietnam Bureau) --The U.S. command announced Tuesday that American aircraft had flown over 1,800 sorties against Communist targets north of the Demilitarized zone from May 8, 5 p.m., to May 15, 5 p.m. and that the raids caused widespread destruction of enemy equipment and cut numerous supply links to South Vietnam.The communiqué issued by the command said in part, "More than 128 enemy trucks and 31 field guns were either destroyed or damaged during these strikes ... in addition, seven SAM sites were destroyed and one damaged and three sites were destroyed ... during the past five days, all the pumping stations along the main communist pipeline running down the southern panhandle of North Vietnam into the DMZ were destroyed."U.S. bombers knocked out two important railroad bridges in the North, the communiqué said, attacked railroad yards, oil storage areas, boatyards, warehouses, ammunition dumps and numerous supply buildings.The command said seven U.S. aircraft were lost during the week and that over 1,000 surface to air (SAM) missiles had been fired at American planes since the Red country-wide offensive began March 30."1,800 U.S. Sorties Hit DMZ", by S&S Vietnam Bureau, published in the Pacific Stars and Stripes Thursday, May 14, 1972 and reprinted from European and Pacific Stars and Stripes, a Department of Defense publication copyright, 2002 European and Pacific Stars and Stripes.