RED HORDES MAUL G.I.’S, FORCE RETREAT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23315, 26 July 1950, Page 7

RED HORDES MAUL G.I.’S, FORCE RETREAT

Sweeping Flank Drive Menaces Allies (N.Z.P.A. —Keuter—Copyright.) f (10.45 a.m.) TOKYO, July 26. Baffle-mauled American froops last night withdrew from the key road bastion of Yongdong under overwhelming Communist attacks. ’ Weary American soldiers, attacked from three sides, fought desperately to hold their escape route I open under tremendous fire from the North I Korean armies. They were also subjected to sneak attacks from the rear.

? BID TO TRAP AMERICANS FAILS

The First Cavalry Division fought off an all-out bid by two Northern groups to close the road and trap the"main body of Ameri- % cans. This new setback was the climax of B 6 hours’ see-saw fighting in which the Americans, outnumbered and outflanked, held of! many assaults and outflanking movements. It came simultaneously with a dangerous threat by Communist spearheads to cut deep under the defence irea from the south-west plains. The G.l’s began retreating from « ITongdong when tanks suddenly appeared in the city and hordes of infancy overwhelmed the American front lines—a familiar pattern in this four-week-old war. The Americans suffer- ; td some casualties. The withdrawal was hurried but erderly and well-planned. American guns, shooting over open fights, were reported to nave mowed down massed waves of North Korean Infantry in hundreds. American troops are now reported to

be digging in in new positions. The threat is that they may be forced to withdraw and turn half face when the North Korean drive south down the west coast nears their flanks. The Joss of Yongdong does not seem so worrying as the south drive. This threat far to the south-west grew steadily in a wide sweep around the lightly defended Allied west flank. The invaders completed the sweep of the west coast, then turned east menacing the Allied communications. The Communist spearhead in the south-west is about 80 miles east of Pusan in a position either to strike directly at this strategic port or try to cut the American life-line at the rail towns of Kumchon and Taegu. General MacArthur’s harassed planners have the problem of trying to stretch three weak United States divisions and their poorly armed South Korean supporters over the defence of one-third of the peninsula. In the urgent need to halt the drive eastward from the tip of the peninsula, General MacArthur has ordered British and American carrier-based aircraft into round-the-clock attacks.

THREAT TO U.S. UNDERBELLY

The Communists’ turning thrust down the south-west plains gravely threatens the underbelly of the main American defence area which has generally deteriorated in the last 24 hours. Sustained Northern pressure on the main central and eastern fronts is pinning down every G.I. in the South Korean slowly shrinking "box.”

Official reports that the south-west town 3 of Namwon, Mokpo, Haenam and Kure have fallen is no surprise to reconnaissance pilots who have been watching the Communist columns grow stronger in their dash to the south coastline.

At the other end of the line on the east coast, south of Communist-held Yongdok. the North Koreans are making a determined bid to push through to the important supply port of Pohang. The communiques are silent and Tokyo officials report “no news” about the undercutting thrust—presumably at the important port of Sunchon —by the Communist spearhead in the deep south. Tokyo observers now are talking about a new defence area for the enormously outnumbered Americans and South Koreans. One suggestion is a trian|;Te running from the main supply port of Pusan up to Taegu—in the centre of the present defence square—then to Pohang on the east coast. The Defence Department briefing

officer in Washington indicated last night that the American and South Korean forces might be planning further withdrawals towards the south-east corner of Korea.

The officer said the defence line across Korea is now more than 200 miles long but is manned only by units of three American divisions and smaller more lightly armed South Korean units. It is becoming increasingly difficult to hold this line against the continued pressure of hordes of North Koreans who are making sudden, sharp stabs with armoured columns.

The officer said that in such a situation the normal practice is to contract the line to give greater manpower along a smaller perimeter. Communist troops sneaked through the American First Cavalry Division lines on the Tae.ion front today and brought the American supply lines under mortar, machine-gun and rifle fire. The Americans held their lines around Yongdong, but they are under attack from all sides. The assault from the rearis the most serious as it threatens to cut off the Americans’ supplies The North Koreans pushed their way into Yongdong last night after one American element withdrew under strong pressure from a position across the Taejon-Yongdong road.

SITUATION "VERY SERIOUS"

The American division is having a hard fight and its commander MajorGeneral Hobart Gay admits the situation is verv serious. _ He added, however, that the division is determined to hold its position as long as possible. The highway between Yongdong and Kumchon 19 miles to the south-east has been splattered with Communist fire.

American artillerv is fighting fierce mortars which are hammering the rear of the American forward elements.

Major-General Gay said that a steady stream of refugees is hampering operations in the Yongdong area.

"The refugees are used by the enemy to his advantage,” he commented. Another officer reported today that the Americans yesterdav caught two boys, one 13 and the other 14, behind the American lines signalling with mirrors to Communist artillerymen. The boys were giving warning of the approaching American observation planes so that the Communists could hide their positions.

The Americans are still holding tenaciously to positions in the west after 24 hours of strong enemy pressure. The enemy is attacking eastwards on a bro3d front. Guerrilla infiltration behind the lines is continuing but is under control. General MacArthur announced that the North Koreans continued small tank-supported attacks yesterday on the American front lines at Yongdong and eastwards. Six of eight tanks were destroyed In one assault on the United States 25th Division. In the south-west the North Korean Fourth Division "continued moving.” A North Korean force occupied Haenam at the south-west tip of Korea last night, thus completing the sweep Of the peninsula’s west coast, reported the Associated Press correspondent at

General MacArthur’s advanced headquarters in Korea. The Communists, striking east and north-east from Kwangju, also took Namwon, a junction of the KwangjuNamwon railway and the main line north from the south coast port of Suchon.

The North Koreans also captured Ku Ye, a village about 18 miles north of Suchon. This gives the Communists control of all the railway lines in southwestern Korea and poses a wide flanking threat to the Allied supply lines.