U.S. Relocates Patriot Missiles to Repel Scuds in Ground War : Military: The batteries are moved north. They would also be used against Iraqi aircraft.

The United States has moved Patriot missile batteries closer to massed allied troops and artillery in northern Saudi Arabia, anticipating that Iraq will fire Scud missiles or launch aircraft against military targets in the ground war.

Iraq has fired 75 Scuds at civilian targets so far. A Patriot missile knocked down one aimed at Saudi Arabia early today. On Saturday, a Scud heading toward Israel was intercepted and another exploded harmlessly over the eastern Saudi desert.

Col. Joseph Garrett, commander of the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, said he has moved Patriot batteries north because he expects Scud attacks against troops who already have fought bitter skirmishes and fierce artillery duels against heavily fortified Iraqi positions.

“They were targeting civilians,” Garrett said. “Now they’re trying to target some of the more tactical targets, where troops and equipment are located.”

Lt. Col. Kevin Campbell, commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 43rd Air Defense Artillery, attached to the 11th Brigade, had also repositioned a Patriot battery based on tracking by military intelligence of the movements of apparent Scud launchers.

“I felt it would give us more opportunity for a kill,” Campbell said.

He was right: Two of Campbell’s air defense batteries fired six Patriots late Thursday, intercepting two incoming Scuds. Those Patriots were the first launched from northern Saudi Arabia.

Campbell said his crews were ecstatic after the Patriots went up. “They’ve been waiting a long while,” he said. “It was electric. They felt good about it. Now they can say they’ve done something to help.”

Campbell said he may use his Patriots against Iraqi aircraft as well, assuming any planes get past overwhelming allied air defenses. No Iraqi fighters have flown for nearly two weeks, according to military briefers, but hundreds may have survived the air war in deep, protected bunkers or sheltered near civilian targets that allied warplanes do not attack.

“I still think he has a number of aircraft we have got to find,” Campbell said. “They may get their air force up, and we may have a problem.”

The 11th Brigade is also moving other antiaircraft weapons forward. Platoons armed with shoulder-fired Stinger missiles and Vulcan antiaircraft batteries “will accompany troops and protect troop formations,” Garrett said.

Army engineers have already cleared invasion routes into Kuwait and Iraq. They’ve punched numerous holes through the berm--two immense mounds of sand and stone--that hugs the Saudi border with Kuwait and eastern Iraq.

The holes will serve as avenues into a no-man’s-land for American tanks, armored vehicles and infantry in the allied ground offensive.

So far, the engineers have built at least five rocky roads into Iraq and named them for American states: Georgia, Montana, Texas, Virginia and Ohio. And at least one group, the 20th Engineering Brigade, has taken a souvenir: a four-foot-high concrete border marker.

The marker has now been trucked south and was presented to the battalion commander. “Right now it’s in our conference room,” said Maj. Robert Derrick, brigade adjutant. “We’re going to take it back to Ft. Bragg with us.”

In one of the fiercest border skirmishes of recent days, U.S. Marines fought a bitter artillery battle in the desolate region along Kuwait’s border. Fighting between light armored infantry units of the Marine 2nd Division and Iraqi troops lasted all day Thursday, through the night and into Friday morning.

Huge 155-millimeter howitzers boomed, fiery missiles streaked across the skies and deadly Cobra helicopter gunships and Harrier jump jets flew low-level strikes against enemy forces that were probing U.S. lines. Dense black smoke and the smell of cordite from high explosives filled the air.

Two Marines were wounded and evacuated to medical units, while “numerous” Iraqis were killed, according to Lt. Col. Jan Huly and accounts given by some of the 81 Iraqis who surrendered to the Marines. At least two Iraqi tanks and five ammunition supply trucks were destroyed.

“Clearly the Iraqis have not lost their will to resist,” Huly said. “We see that some will surrender without putting up much fight. But others will battle to the bitter end.”

This story was compiled from pool reports reviewed by military censors.