Friday, April 28, 1972
More F4s Headed For S.E. Asia
WASHINGTON, (AP) --The United States is preparing to send another 36 F4 fighter bombers to Southeast Asia soon to strengthen further the already heavy U.S. air power trying to stem North Vietnam"s offensive against South Vietnam.Two squadrons of F4s are due to leave Florida bases in a few days for Thailand, Pentagon sources said.This disclosure, coming ahead of President Nixon's report to the nation Wednesday night, indicated that he intends to maintain strong U.S. air power pressure against North Vietnamese troops, their supply routes and bases.At the same time, it was learned that eight B52 heavy bombers, previously unreported, were sent from the United States to Guam in early April.These moves bring to more than 200 the number of U.S. heavy bombers and fighter bombers flown to the war zone from the United States, Okinawa and Japan since the enemy offensive opened in late March.In addition, with Nixon's approval, the Navy has roughly doubled the number of its fighting ships off Vietnam, with at least 22 carriers, destroyers, and cruisers on station.Two more carriers, loaded with about 100 strike planes, plus the cruiser Newport News and a number of escorting destroyers are en route to Southeast Asia across the Pacific and from the Atlantic and Persian Gulf."More F4s Headed for S. E. Asia", by Washington, (AP) published in the Pacific Stars and Stripes on Friday, April 28, 1972 and reprinted from European and Pacific Stars and Stripes, a Department of Defense publication copyright, 2002 European and Pacific Stars and Stripes.