“NOT A GENERAL OFFENSIVE”

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26186, 9 August 1950, Page 7

“NOT A GENERAL OFFENSIVE”

U.S. Attack Along South Coast CAUTION GIVEN BY OFFICERS TOKYO, August 8. American briefing officers have cautioned against considering the south coast developments as the opening of any general American offensive. The officers said that what was going on should be called an offensive action rather than a general offensive. “We do not think the time has arrived yet for the United States and Southern Korean forces to roll the enemy back all along the line. We are going to stay m South Korea, h6ld our beachhead there and break out of it when we have the means to do it,” they said. Reuter’s correspondent with the attacking American forces on the south-western front says: “The first day of the American offensive indicated the magnitude of the task of clearing the Communist invaders from Southern Korea.

“The guerrilla and terrain problems make the campaign like that which the British are at present waging against Communists in Malaya or the campaign the Australians fought in New Guinea against the Japanese in the last war.

“Small forces' of Communist infantry entrenched on high ground flanking the main routes of the advance yesterday slowed down American spearheads which were more than adequate to cope with the frontal oppesi-' tion. Such fighting men as the Marines instead had to be deployed for combing the barren ridges on the flanks. “If the United Nations’ forces have to climb half of rugged Korea in their endeavours to clear out the Communists. then the whole campaign may be protracted unless another solution is found to counter the enemy tactics. “The North Koreans wear light rubber shoes and caps instead of steel helmets and they carry the minimum of equipment and rations. Travelling light, they swarm over the mountain ridges with comparative ease. “Yesterday the Marines suffered numerous cases of heat exhaustion. Heavily clad and armed, the Americans, toiling up the mountains under a merciless sun, found the going most difficult.”