MEETING OF FRONT 479 COMMANDERS TO DISCUSS DRY SEASON OFFENSIVE; VISITS BY HIGH-RANKING PAVN OFFICERS TO 5TH DIVISION; ASSIGNEMENT OF CHEMICAL WARFARE OFFICERS TO 5TH DIVISION; ARRIVAL OF TANK REPAIR UNIT AT 5TH DIVISION FDR DRY SEASON OFFENSIVE AND EXPEC

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06157028
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2017
• Case Number: F-2012-01432
• Publication Date: November 25, 1982

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CONFJ,DiNTIAL
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TOT: 250220Z NOV 82
C 0 N F A L NOFORN WNINTEL
250220
TO: DIR SA, DEPT OF STATE, DIA, TREASURY DEPT, NPIC,
WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
STAFF, ZEN/CIA OFFICE OF CURRENT OPERATIONS,
CINCPAC HONOLULU HI, CINCPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI, CDRWESTCOM FT
SHAFTER HI, COMIPAC HONOLULU HI, CINCPACAF HICKAM AFB HI,
COMSEVENTHFLT, 13AF CLARK AB PI.
SERIAL:
01ST:
PASS:
24 NOVEMBER 1982
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WARNING: INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASSCONFIDENTIAL--WNINTEL--NOFORN
COUNTRY: KAMPUCHEA/VIETNAM
SUBJ : MEETING OF FRONT 479 COMMANDERS TO DISCUSS DRY SEASON
OFFENSIVE; VISITS BY HIGH-RANKING PAVN OFFICERS TO
5TH DIVISION; ASSIGNMENT OF CHEMICAL WARFARE OFFICERS
TO 5TH DIVISION; ARRIVAL OF TANK REPAIR UNIT AT 5TH
DIVISION FOR DRY SEASON OFFENSIVE AND EXPECTED ARRIVAL
OF SPECIAL ACTION BATTALION FROM HANOI; ESTABLISHMENT
OF REAR HEADQUARTERS OF PAVN 5TH DIVISION
DOI:
SOURCE,:
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SUMMARY: IN AUGUST 1982, COMMANDERS OF THE THREE DIVISIONS
SUBORDINATE TO FRONT 479 MET IN SIEM REAP AT FRONT HEADQUARTERS
(CUUJflFMTI Al
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TOT: 250220Z NOV 82
TO DISCUSS DRY SEASON PLANS. THESE PLANS REPORTEDLY INCLUDED
ATTACKS ON DK BASES AT PHNOM CHAT AND IN THE MELAI MOUNTAINS
BY PAVN 5TH DIVISION TROOPS. DURING AUGUST SEVERAL HIGH-RANKING
DELEGATIONS OF PAVN OFFICERS, INCLUDING DELEGATIONS LED BY
PAVN CHIEF OF STAFF LE TRONG TAN, PAVN COMMANDER IN KAMPUCHEA
LE DUC ANH, AND THE DEPUTY FRONT 479 COMMANDER, VISITED THE
5TH DIVISION, APPARENTLY TO DISCUSS DRY SEASON PLANS. A TEAM
OF ARMORED VEHICLE REPAIR SPECIALISTS ARRIVED AT 5TH DIVISION
TO ASSIST IN DRY SEASON PREPARATIONS, AND A SPECIAL ACTION
BATTALION FROM THE SRV ALSO WAS REPORTEDLY TO BE SENT TO
REINFORCE THE 5TH DIVISION FOR THE DRY SEASON. TWELVE
CHEMICAL WARFARE OFFICERS FROM NORTHERN SRV WERE ASSIGNED TO
THE 5TH DIVISION IN APRIL-MAY 1982. FIFTH DIVISION WAS
ORDERED TO ACTIVATE ITS NEW HEADQUARTERS EAST OF SISOPHON
ALONG ROUTE SIX IN MID-SEPTEMBER 1982.
TEXT: 1. IN AUGUST 1982, PEOPLE'S ARMY OF VIETNAM (PAVN)
FRONT 479 HELD A MEETING AT FRONT HEADQUARTERS FOR COMMANDERS
AND POLITICAL OFFICERS OF THE FRONT'S THREE SUBORDINATE
DIVISIONS: THE 5TH, 59TH (AKA 309TH), AND 302ND DIVISIONS.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL (LT. COL.) VO ((UT)), DEPUTY 5TH DIVISION
COMMANDER FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND CHIEF OF THE DIVISJON'S
POLITICAL OFFICE, WAS AMONG THE 5TH DIVISION OFFICERS W7
ATTFNDFD TI-/F MFFTTN(
THE
PURPOSE OF THE MEETING WAS TO DISCUSS FRONT 479 PLANS FOR THE
COMING DRY SEASON OFFENSIVE AGAINST DEMOCRATIC KAMPUCHEA (OK)
AND OTHER KAMPUCHEAN RESISTANCE FACTIONS.
THE 5TH DIVISION WOULD ATTACK OK FORCES AT HIGH POINT
175 PHNOM CHAT - TA 6141) AND IN THE NAM SAP-TA KRA NGOC AREA
IN THE PHNOM MELAI MOUNTAINS ALONG THE THAI-KAMPUCHEAN
77R SOUTH OF ARANYAPRATHET, THAILAND.
THE OFFENSIVE WOULD BE IN ABOUT JANUARY 1983.
2. DURING AUGUST, SEVERAL GROUPS OF SENIOR PAVN OFFICERS
VISITED PAVN 5TH DIVISION FOR DISCUSSIONS WITH SENIOR DIVISION
OFFICERS. LIEUTENANT GENERAL (LT. GEN.) LE DUC ((ANN)),
COMMANDER OF ALL PAVN FORCES IN KAMPUCHEA, ARRIVED AT THE
5TH DIVISION HEADQUARTERS BY HELICOPTER FOR DISCUSSIONS WITH
THE 5TH DIVISION STAFF. SEVERAL DAYS LATER, LT. GEN. LE
TRONG ((TAN)), DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENSE AND PAVN CHIEF
OF STAFF, ARRIVED AT 5TH DIVISION WITH A DELEGATION OF ABOUT
20 MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OFFICERS FOR TALKS WITH THE 5TH
DIVISION COMMANDER. LE TRONG TAN AND HIS DELEGATION ARRIVED
IN A LARGE SOVIET-MADE HELICOPTER. TWO DAYS LATER FRONT 479
DEPUTY COMMANDER NAM ((THUOC)) ARRIVED FROM SEEM REAP BY
HELICOPTER. NAM THUOC TRAVELED TO VISIT SEVERAL 5TH DIVISION
SUBORDINATE REGIMENTS, INCLUDING THE 174TH REGIMENT
NEAR SVA CHEK (TA 8027). DIVISION HEADQUARTERS PERSONNEL
BELIEVED THESE VISITS WERE RELATED TO PREPARATIONS FOR THE
DRY SEASON OFFENSIVE. FOLLOWING THE VISITS, THE DIVISION
STAFF BEGAN HECTIC PREPARATIONS OF PLANNING DOCUMENTS AND
OPERATIONS ORDERS FOR THE OFFENSIVE AND THE DIVISION SUBORDINATES
WERE ORDERED TO INCREASE PREPARATIONS AND TRAINING FOR
DRY SEASON ACTIVITIES. AS OF MID-SEPTEMBER, PLANNING DOCUMENTS
AND OPERATIONS ORDERS HAD BEEN DRAFTED AND PRINTED BY
DIVISION STAFF ELEMENTS BUT HAD NOT YET BEEN DISSEMINATED TO
SUBORDINATE UNITS.
A 20-MAN TEAM OF ARMOR REPAIR SPECIALISTS
rNum imt c-in MILITARY REPAIR UNIT IN HO CHI MINH CITY
ARRIVED IN SISOPHON IN LATE AUGUST-EARLY SEPTEMBER TO ASSIST
IN PREPARING THE UNIT'S ARMORED VEHICLES FOR THE COMING DRY
SEASON OPERATIONS.
cONFIDENTIAL
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A SPECIAL ACTION BATTALION WHICH WAS SUBORDINATE
TO THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE WOULD BE SENT FROM NORTHERN SRV
TO REINFORCE THE 5TH DIVISION FOR THE DRY SEASON CAMPAIGN.
4. IN APRIL-MAY, 12 CHEMICAL WARFARE OFFICERS FROM
NORTHERN SRV ARRIVED AT THE 5TH DIVISION FOR ASSIGNMENT. THE
OFFICERS, ALL SECOND LIEUTENANTS, RECENTLY HAD COMPLETED
SEVERAL YEARS OF CHEMICAL TRAINING IN NORTHERN SRV. ONE OF
THE OFFICERS WAS ASSIGNED TO 5TH DIVISION STAFF OFFICE, ONE
TO THE 5TH DIVISION STAFF OFFICE'S ENGINEER SECTION, AND THE
OTHER TEN TO THE REGIMENTS OF THE DIVISION. PRIOR TO THE
ARRIVAL OF THESE OFFICERS, THE DIVISION HAD HAD NO CHEMICAL
WARFARE SPECIALISTS ASSIGNED TO IT. THE DIVISION HAD SUPPLIES
OF, GAS MASKS ISSUED TO THE SUBORDINATE REGIMENTS. THE NATURE
OF THE DUTIES OF THESE NEW CHEMICAL WARFARE OFFICERS WAS
UNKNOWN.
JORDERS HAD RECENTLY BEEN
RECEIVED FROM LT. GEN. LE DUC ANH IN PHNOM PENH FOR THE 5TH
DIVISION TO ACTIVATE ITS NEW HEADQUARTERS AT "CHUP" EAST
OF SISOPHON ALONG ROUTE SIX ON 15 SEPTEMBER 1982.
COMMENT: "CHUP" IS THE PAVN TERM FOR THE AREA NORTH OF
ROUTE SIX AT TA 0208.) SENIOR OFFICERS OF THE DIVISION
POLITICAL OFFICE CONFIRMED THE RECEIPT OF ORDERS TO ESTABLISH
A NEW DIVISION HEADQUARTERS IN THE CHUP AREA. BUILDINGS FOR
THE NEW HEADQUARTERS HAD BEEN CONSTRUCTED BY EARLY SEPTEMBER
1982, AND SOME DIVISION ELEMENTS HAD BEGUN TRANSFERRING TO THE
NEW LOCATION. DIVISION HEADQUARTERS PERSONNEL WERE INFORMED
THAT ALL SUPPLY DUMPS AND WAREHOUSES WOULD BE MOVED TO THE
NEW HEADQUARTERS, BUT THAT THE DIVISION WOULD CONTINUE TO
MAINTAIN A FORWARD HEADQUARTERS IN SISOPHON. COMMENT:
MANY DIVISION HEADQUARTERS PERSONNEL BELIEVED THE NEW DIVISION
BASE CAMP AT CHUP WAS BEING CONSTRUCTED TO ALLEVIATE THE
DANGER OF THAI BOMBING RAIDS DURING THE DRY SEASON CAMPAIGN.
THE DIVISION HEADQUARTERS AT SISOPHON WAS KNOWN TO BE VULNERABLE
BECAUSE TWICE IN 1982 (APRIL AND LATER IN JUNE) THAI F-5
AIRCRAFT HAD OVERFLOWN THE DIVISION HEADQUARTERS COMPLEX
WITHOUT BEING HIT BY PAVN ANTIAIRCRAFT FIRE.)
REPORT CLASSCONFIDENTIAL--WARNING NOTICE-INTELLIGENCE
SOURCES DR METHODS INVOLVED--NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS.
ALL PORTIONS
CARRY CLASSIFICATION AND CONTROLS OF OVERALL DOCUMENT.
END � OF MESSAGE
CONFIDENTIAL
r.ONIPIIIPPJTIA1
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