Sunday, April 30, 1972
Many Will Flee, Others Vow to Fight
Red Tanks, Troops Near Kontum
by Spec. 4 JIM SMITHS&S Staff Correspondent
KONTUM, Vietnam --This city is in danger of extinction. North Vietnamese tanks and troops are drawing closer from the north and south. Many of the city's 30,000 residents are packing to leave. Others will stand and fight.
John Paul Vann, the senior
American adviser in II Military Region says allied forces have no intention of
turning Kontum over to the enemy."I've been making
predictions on the war for 10 years," says Vann, "and I haven't been
wrong yet. One of the biggest battles of the war is shaping up. And we have no
intention of giving Kontum up. The plan is to fight and hold Kontum.Government forces were
overwhelmed earlier this week at Tan Canh and Dak To, and those recently
evacuated from "Rocket Ridge" northwest of Kontum, are quickly being
regrouped and redeployed closer to the city to check the Communist push.A fire base five miles
north of Kontum is being manned by ARVN troops recently evacuated from fire base
Delta when three Soviet-made tanks appeared on a nearby hill. The men did not
have anti-tank weapons then. They do now."And they know
how to use them," says a U.S. adviser. "There's no way we're going to
let these guys drive tanks to Kontum. Our men are anxious to get a shot at
those Red tanks. Some of them have knocked out tanks up north and they say they
can do it down here too."Inside the city, Col.
Le Tung Ba, commander of the 23rd ARVN Div., has his headquarters. "He's
the most able field commander we have in II Corps," Vann said. "I
believe Kontum will be held because friendly forces and civilians in the city
are willing to pay the price to do it."Vann said he believed
that 75 per cent of the 22nd Div., forces that were scattered near Tan Canh
Monday, would be recovered and redeployed. "The loss of Tan Canh and Dak To
was anticipated," Vann said. "But he will not take Kontum."Meanwhile, in the city
itself, there is tension in the air. Many are preparing to flee as soon as the
highway to Pleiku is opened. Others say they will stay and fight.Crowds of refugees
from Tan Canh and Dak To gather in tent cities in schoolyards. Montagnard
tribesmen, primitive beyond belief, stagger down the streets, supporting
themselves with staffs and carrying a few items of clothing in wicker baskets."What will you do
if the Communists attack Kontum," a Montagnard was asked."I don't know,"
the bearded old man said. "I guess I will die. I can't walk any further."
"Red Tanks, Troops Near Kontum", by Spec. 4 JIM SMITH S&S Staff Correspondent, KONTUM, Vietnam, published in the Pacific Stars and Stripes on Sunday, April 30, 1972 and reprinted with permission from European and Pacific Stars and Stripes, a Department of Defense publication copyright, 2002 European and Pacific Stars and Stripes.