SLOW U.N. ADVANCE

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26221, 19 September 1950, Page 7

SLOW U.N. ADVANCE

Taegu Front Not Broken

[From DENIS WARNER, N.Z.J*A. Correspondent in Korea, by arrangement with the Melbourne “Herald")

(Rec. 7 p.m.) TOKYO, Sept. 17,

The American and South Korean forces advanced very slowly during the week-end in their drive to break out of the Naktong river perimeter. Along the left and right flanks two fingers of the three-column offensive curved towards Waegwan, but along the main Taegu-Waeg-wan road the Communists’ highground positions and minefields effectively blocked an armoured break-through. It is obvious to-night (Sunday) that our offensive cannot now thrust quickly through the Communist forces assembled for an attack on Taegu. No indication of a general or even a partial enemy withdrawal to meet the threat caused by the landing near Seoul was apparent on any sector of the front to-day. Instead, the entrenched ridgeline of enemy infantry replied to the offensive with "stubborn machine-gun morar, and small arms fire that continued to exact heavy casualties. An American force on the Naktong river flank reached a point overlooking Waegwan and its red-steepled church by mid-afternooon on Saturday, but on Sunday, night it remained about two miles and a half from the town. No Advance in Centre The central column made no advances during the week-end and at nightfall was fighting for a hill position nearly six miles from Waegwan. Converging from the east were South Korean and American forces, advance dements of which also overlooked Waegwan from hills about two miles and a half from the town. The American Ist Cavalry Division and the Ist South Korean Division, from Major-General Frank Milburn’s newly-created Ist Corps, led the United Nations offensive. Opposing them were the surviving elements of the Ist, 3rd and 13th North Korean • divisions, and probably one regiment of the 100th Armoured Division. The British troops were alerted when the offensive began and stood by all day on Saturday and until early on Sunday. The appearance of new enemy concentrations west cf the British positions across the Naktong and the failure of the attack to achieve the early success anticipated by some American commanders, delayed their offensive deployment. It may be some days yet before the Argyll and Sutherlands and Middlesex troops are committed. The lack of spectacular initial success is probably attributable to three main reasons:— (1) The calibre of the North Korean infantry. Though weakened by lasses the Communists remain in the Waegwan-Tabudong area in considerable strength and show no inclination either to surrender or run. Surrender order leaflets drooped by the Air Force after the Inchon landing do not appear to have had any psychological effect. (2) The weather prevented the intended saturation bombing to soften the enemy front before the attack began on Saturday morning. (3) The physical difficulty of switching the tired and depleted Ist Cavalry and South Korean divisions from defence to attack.

Butterfly Breaststroke.— An official contradiction has been issued by the International Swimming Feneration to a report from Paris that butterfly breaststroke will be banned at the Helsinki Olympic Games. The federation stated that the butterfly stroke would be permitted at Helsinki, but that the question of separating it from orthodox breaststroke at future Games was under consideration.—London, September 16.