Buildup on the Border

Buildup Their green twill uniforms and tan pith helmets identified them as North Vietnamese regulars. Intelligence said they belonged to Ho Chi Minh's 324B Division, which the U.S. Marines had routed out of South Viet Nam in Oper ation Hastings in July. Back up to full strength, the division was once more on the move. Advance units had infiltrated back across the supposedly neutral de militarized zone, perhaps to secure a foothold from which Ho's invaders could launch a major offensive.

The chosen foothold was Gia Binh, a coastal village 300 yards south of the DMZ, and the Communists went to work with a fury. They laced Gia Binh with bunkers and tunnels, brought up mor tars, heavy machine guns and 57-mm.

recoilless rifles, even posted a sign on the outskirts of the village: "We will fight to the last man."

They did not. Hit by waves of Ma rines on the ground, pounded by the big guns of the U.S. Seventh Fleet off shore, the Reds held out for five days, then fled with their dead.

The fall of Gia Binh is not likely to deter the Communist buildup. Marine units patrolling the border of the DMZ report almost constant contact with the North Vietnamese, including three fresh battalions from the North; two full divisions, including the newly formed 341st, are believed to be group ing along the DMZ to join the 324B when the rains come. To meet the pos sibility of a major offensive, the Ma rines have moved five battalions up to the border, transformed a remote out post at Dong Ha into a major base, complete with airstrip and facilities for 7,500 men.

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