New Positions Taken Up By American Forces Attacked By Invaders

Wanganui Chronicle, 22 July 1950, Page 5

New Positions Taken Up By American Forces Attacked By Invaders

No Special Significance Seen In Withdrawal From Taejon

WASHINGTON, July 20 I States in an official White Paper Russia as well as the North Ko for the Korean crisis. A 68-pagt as “a brutal blow to the peace It contained charges that Moscow flouted her post-war agreements and defied the United Nations by creating and backing the North Korean regime)

The pilots said the Communists are bringing up reinforcements, including tanks, for a renewed drive to the south and south-east. A column of trucks is moving into Taejon from a bridgehead across the Kum River. The new American defence line straddles the mountain roads to the south-east and south of Taejon. The American 21st Infantry Regiment has been digging into the new positions across the highway between Taejon and Taegu since July 16. Treeless hills, rising to 1800 ft., form a natural defence line which will force the Communist tanks to file down the Taegu road through a series of tunnels or along the narrow road due south to Kumsan. General MacArthur’s communique, issued at 3.45 a.m. G.M.T. today, reports that after two days’ continuous attack by numerically superior North Korean Communist forces, the American 24th Infantry Division had been forced to withdraw its units from defence positions in and around Taejon and are now blocking the Communist advance east of Taejon. While it cannot be denied that the loss of Taejon, temporary capital of the Republic of South Korea will have its psychological repercussions on the Korean people, from a military point of view its loss carries no special significance. Its abandonment, like that of Seoul, allows the military forces to organise on terrain more conducive to military defensive operations. Temporarily outnumbered, the United Nations forces assisting the Republic of Korea are prepared to cede positions with a low defensive potential for positions which can be held with the forces currently available and which can act as a springboard for General MacArthur’s offensive. South Korean forces counterattacked to retake tYechon, which has changed hands several times during the past three days. Another South Korean unit drove to the outskirts of Punggi, 10 miles south-west of Tanyang. Elements of what is believed io be the North Korean Fourth Division are on the plains south of Nonson. At the present time there is no geographical obstacle confronting these elements. It is believed, however, that Air Force interdiction will prevent this envelopment from becoming a serious threat. —United Press and Reuter. TOKIO, July 21 (Recd. lam).—The Communists forced a new American retreat today with a blazing offensive south-east of fallen Taejon. A front-line despatch said the United States 21st Division was fighting a stubborn withdrawal action against Red tanks and infantry near Okchon, seven miles from burning Taejon, on the main highway running south-east to the United States base port of Pusan.

TThe immediate Communist objective seemed to be the highway junction of Yonodon, 23 miles south-east of Taejon. and 100 miles north-west of Pusan. North Korean guerrilla snipers were reported to have penetrated up to 18 miles south of Taeion. Earlier reports said the Reds had attacked the new American defence line some four miles south-east of Taejon in regimental strength, with heavy' gun support. The latest dispatch indicated that a heavy attack had forced the Americans to abandon their first lines of defence and fall back deeper into the hills overlooking the roads running south-east and south from Taejon. It appeared that the North Koreans were trying.desperately to smash on to the southeast before the Americans could regroup after losing Taejon.—United Press.

'Reed. 7.15 p.m.)—The United today marshalled evidence that rean Communists were to blame > record denounced the invasion of the world.”