MUCH ACTION FOR K FORCE

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26363, 6 March 1951, Page 7

MUCH ACTION FOR K FORCE

“ Regiment Working As

A Team” (N.Z. Army Public Relations KOREA, March 1.

K Force gunners are now handling their equipment as trained artillerymen! with the added advantage of battle experience, said the coihmander of K Force (Brigadier R. S. Park) to-day. Brigadier Park arrived at the front from New Zealand base headquarters on the Korean Coast yesterday. He spent all to-day talking with the men and watching the New Zealand 25pounders fire in support of Australian and Canadian infantrymen attached to the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade with which the regiment is serving.

He said afterwards: “It is apparent that the whole regiment is now working as a team. All reports from the units which our guns are supporting speak highly of the full co-operation the regiment is giving and of the accuracy of our fire. “Fortunately casualties have been very light and in the main they have been due to sickness. The health of the men has been very good- The men obviously are adjusting themselves quickly to the living conditions here and to the climate. , “Our gunners generally are very cheerful and they have no serious complaints. It is pleasing to find that the rations they are receiving are adequate.” As Brigadier Park watched early this afternoon, the regiment’s guns fired five concentrations at a small village in the path of the advancing Australian infantrymen. The regiment’s artillery liaison officer with the Australians afterwards reported that the 25-pounders’ fire had effectively dispersed the enemy who were sheltering in cottages. Later the guns fired under the direction of an American spotter in a light observation aircraft. The shells harassed enemy concentrations on a ridge in front of the advancing Commonwealth soldiers. The spotter reported by wireless that the shells fell right on the spot. Last night K Force guns fired nearly 500 shells on harassing tasks. One of these was the shelling of a ooint about 1000 yards into enemy territory selected as the probable spot where the enemy would mass his soldiers for a counter-attack against the Canadians. Every two hours throughout the night shells were landed in this area. There was no enemy counter-attack.