European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 10, 1967, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Rom tinned from Page 11 troops was to guard american bases so that the vietnamese regular army could get. Out and fight. The failure of the vietnamese regular army led to the commitment of american ground troop directly against the communists. Now the United states finds itself fighting a guerrilla War that was meant to be handled by the vietnamese Para military  challenges Long standing cautions from various military men against  in ground War on the asian Mainland. It also runs the risk of furthering the propaganda that White troops Are trying to subjugate yellow Peoples and in some eyes May tend to put the United states in the same Cate gory As the French often accused of supporting a puppet government in Indochina while they fought rebellious forces. Also being tested is another Mili tary Maxim that weighs against use of regular army troops rather than specially trained forces such As the Green berets in Abt guerrilla opera  the new tactics each Ameri can infantry battalion is assigned a District. Its Mission is first to destroy the District guerrilla company then the Vil Lage platoons and finally the Hamlet guerrilla squads. Americans Are reaching deep into the Countryside in Many cases taking Over tasks that have been in the hands of popular forces troops the most poorly paid and least motivated soldiers in Saigon s  troops often lie in ambush positions around vietnamese militia posts during the wet Monsoon nights to guard against Viet Cong attacks. The militiamen themselves never go out at  open the roads each Day launch continuous helicopter As saults against the guerrillas and build the Bridges. The War has become so per Sonal that they often Are searching for one particular Man such As the guerrilla in rach Kien District who single hand edly mines a Road every few Days destroying american vehicles. The american battalion knows his name an often interrogates his family but he continues to elude them. American military commanders Hope the presence of . Troops at the grass roots level will stimulate the Viet namese military. More vietnamese units Are working with americans than in the past but Progress is slow and the prospects for a vietnamese takeover of the Job Are Distant. American commanders Are finding As they did in the fighting against major enemy forces that the vietnamese see Happy to leave the work to americans. . Infantry companies recently spent three arduous Days and nights searching out a Viet Cong Force in a Delta  District chief asked that a . Company be sent South to set up am Bush positions against another Viet Cong  american adviser recalls he asked the District chief what about your own two popular Force companies who have been sitting around Here doing nothing for two weeks the District chief replied they Are tired let the americans do  commanders speak of the ineffectiveness of the vietnamese Mili pc Kje 14 a Soldier from 1st Cav div uses flame thrower As last resort to oust stubborn pc tary and political systems at the Provin Cial level. They detect signs of Progress they say but the going will be longhand hard. For example the operations and intelligence officers in one Delta District have been indexed by both the Ameri Cancia and the vietnamese military Security service As probably being Vietcong agents. Both officers Are still on duty providing intelligence and plan used by american forces on operations because of the tangled Chain of com Mand. U a. Authorities believe that there is a limit to How deep american troop scan go in the Countryside and that this limit has already been reached in districts surrounding Saigon. There enemy forces have been knocked Down from battalions to squad sized groups of five or six men. He the Viet Cong is fragmenting As a defense mechanism against us. But we Don t have any illusions. If we leave the districts he will Spring Back As a battalion again a senior american officer said. The final blow to the Viet Congin these districts would have to be delivered by the vietnamese in the for of efficient police to establish Law and order and Aid and assistance to the population. Dozens More american infantry regi ments could be deployed in Vietnam against the guerrillas especially if the vietnamese fail to respond further and the War drags  North vietnamese could disrupt these tactics by launching a series of massive infantry assaults across Bor Ders forcing the american commando use All available troops in conventional  american commanders doubt this will be the Case except in the demilitarized zone. In that area the communists have disrupted . Marine efforts to break the guerrilla inf Astruc  dissuade the enemy numerous b52 raids Are launched against suspected enemy troop encampments Long Range patrols Are constantly on the  american brigades Are poised to meet the immediate  communists would like nothing better than for us to go looking for Himin War zones c and d with a couple of divisions a senior commander commented. That Way his men Back in the prov inces could operate As they wanted to. But we Don t intend to do  Job is at the provinces wiping out the Viet Cong military inf Astruc  trooper on guard As he emerges from Viet Cong Tunnel. The stars and stripes army sign warns go to watch for poisoned Pun i stick traps sunday september 10, 1967