spartans_in_darkness

'FOP SEeRE'FNSOMI~fFH*1
CD) In Saigon, General Westmoreland was
convinced of the threat to the marine base. On 6
January, he ordered the next phase of its defense,
Niagra II, the all-out air assault on the communist
positions around the base, to begin. The 7th
Air Force commander, Major General George
Keegan, formed his own intelligence center, similar
to Niagra I, but with an added twist that
pre-saged later thinking about the siege: he invited
eight French field officers, all survivors of the
siege at Dien Bien Phu, to advise his command on
communist siege tactics."
CD) For the next two weeks, the marines at the
base could see more signs that the communists
were slowly closing the ring around them. A number
of patrols outside the perimeter came under
fire, one being ambushed on 14 January. Other
patrols found bunkers being built and signs of
movement on the trails in the hills around the
base. That week, two extra marine battalions
were flown in to reinforce the garrison. On 20
January, General Davidson and the G-2, III
Marine Amphibious Force CMAF), who was
responsible for operations in the northern
provinces of South Vietnam, visited Khe Sanh.
During discussions with the base commander,
1....- ...... Colonel David Lownds, and his staff, Davidson
was told that, despite the intelligence, the
marines did not believe that there was a large
(V) View of the
bunker
housing the
Mqrine
cryptologic
detachment at
Khe Sanh
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'FOP SEeREl'NeeMINTNX1