MARINES HAVE STIFF FIGHT NEAR SEOUL

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

MARINES HAVE STIFF FIGHT NEAR SEOUL

Battle Continues Along South-East Line (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. midnight.) TOKYO, September 18. The United States 7th Division which landed at Inchon, the port of Seoul, to-day was heavily reinforced with South Korean replacements. A Marine assault battalion held the Kimpo airfield, near Seoul, to-day after a savage night-long fight to escape being wiped out by the North Koreans. The Marines, surrounded for nearly 10 hours, cleared a passage early this morning for reinforcements and ammunition. A fierce combat raged throughout the hours of darkness after the Marines had moved almost unopposed on to the perimeter of the airfield at dusk yesterday. On the south-eastern perimeter, an American battalion breached the North Koreans’ Naktong river line to-day and established a beach-head on the west bank north-west of Changnyong.

The United Nations ground forces had full air cover today to deal with stiffening Communist resistance to their three days’ old offensive along the 125-mile perimeter.

Generally improved weather over Korea enabled the United States sth Air Force to send Shooting Star jets and Mustangs from Japanese bases across the Tsushima Straits as early as 6 a.m. They were soon strafing, rocketing, and bombing Communist positions. “The air strike was concentrated in the 2nd Division sector, where a spokesman said that nearly 2000 Communist casualties were inflicted.

Before its drive across the Naktong, the 2nd Division was sending out night patrols which recovered American equipment and inflicted casualties on the Communists.

Enemy Attacks Fail Small, inetiective counter-attacks were launched by the Communists last night after the day’s advance by the United Nations forces along the de-fence-box front, an Bth Army communique revealed this morning. American 25th Division troops lost no ground late yesterday afternoon in hand-to-hand fighting which followed a Communist column-strength attack near Yuchon, a small road junction about five miles south of Haman. Another Communist attack near Hyonpung was repulsed without loss of ground. Farther north, the Ist Cavalry repulsed strong enemy patrols during the night. On the northern front line. Communist rifle and mortar fire late yesterday afternoon drove back South Korean 3rd Division troops who had crossed the Hyongsan river. British Sector Quiet Though angry fighting continued in the adjacent sectors, the British 27th brigade yesterday remained in peaceful occupation of its Naktong river front. A small group of British officers and men prepared to resume direction of the drive by South Korean police through the guerrilla-infested hills to the rear of the British lines. This drive, which the British began directing four days ago, has achieved results far out of proportion to the number of men involved. It has established enemy strengths and locations in this area behind the United Nations lines. It has brought the capture of many prisoners who have given valuable information. It has also reduced the possibility of a Communist move against Taegu’s comunications from the south. The British have welded the independent South Korean police detachments into a unified force. They have won the admiration and loyalty of the Koreans by their fitness, accurate shooting, and aggressive spirit. Operations in these steep Korean hills and rubble-strewq valleys have made heavy demands on the stamina of British and Koreans alike. Heavily laden with equipment, they have marched for six or seven hours at a time through inky darkness over rough mountain trails. They have pushed along ridges whose lofty crests were heavily enveloped in cloud. They have spent freezing nights on barren bluffs unprotected from driving rain and wind. But according to their commanding officer, “It’s a lot of fun. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.” Intelligence officers told General MacArthur during his visit to Inchon yesterday that they had evdience of war crimes. On the eve of the Marine!’ assault in Inchon, the Communists executed 30 “Rightists,” the officers said. The Americans had a picture of the bodies and evidence of two survivors who had feigned death. The Communists had suffered 1300 casualties so far during the Inchon fighting as well as 600 prisoners taken. There was no sign of Communist reinforcements so far approaching Seoul from either the north or south.

“Enemy morale is bad. Whole platoons are surrendering,” the officers said.