NEW ATTACKS BY CHINESE

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26986, 11 March 1953, Page 9

NEW ATTACKS BY CHINESE

Allies Beat Back Strong Assaults (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) SEOUL, March 10. Attacking under a barrage of 2400 rounds of artillery and mortar fire, about 300 Chinese failed to capture a United Nations hill outpost west of the Imjin river on Korea’s western front, the Sth Army announced today. Allied small arms fire held the Communists until heavy artillery could be called down to protect the outpost. The Chinese broke off the attack in mid-morning, losing an estimated 15 killed and 30 wounded. On the central front the Chinese threw in five small attacks against two strong South Korean positions, Rocky Point and Sniper’s Ridge, north-west of Kumhwa. Small groups of Chinese probed positions from midnight till dawn,-and all were battered back at a total cost of 31 killed and wounded. Elsewhere along the front United Nations patrols reported 13 engagements- resulting in about 68 Communists killed or wounded. Allied artillery on the central front claimed yesterday, to have killed or wounded more than 100 Chinese in fire against Communist installations behind the lines. The Navy announced that planes from American aircraft-carriers operating off the east coast of North Korea destroyed three locomotives and several railway trucks and large sections of track at dawn yesterday. The pilots reported that one locomotive was caught heading for a tunnel at full speed in an effort to get under cover. Two Night Heckler planes sighted the train, and immediately separated it from the trucks with two well-aimed bombs. The pilots reported that when they left the engine was covered with steam escaping from riddled boilers. Japan-based Superfortresses bombed three Communist supply troop centres near Pyongyang and Wonsan last night. The Superfortresses dropped their bombs, it was heavily overcast. Fires were observed in all target areas in spite of the overcast weather.