North Koreans And Communists Launch Offensives

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 November 1950, Page 5

North Koreans And Communists Launch Offensives

SEOUL, Nov 5 (Recd 9.20 pm).— North Korean end Chinese Communist troops launched a new attack from the east against the United Nations forces on the Sinanju front in Korea today, and battles are raging along the line. Simultaneously air reports came into American headquarters of a large Chinese Communist truck convoy heading across the Yalu River Into North Korea and a Chinese Communist broadcast from Peking pledged Chinese Communist support to North Kuit-f in resisting United States “aggression." All day yesterday, North Korean and Chinese communist troops con t.rued a fierce offensive against Un.red Nations forces withdrawing to new positions. Two Communist attempts to break through towards the capiviec Communist capital of Pyongyang were reported but General MacArthur's spokesmen said last night. "There definitely lias been no breakthrough." Fierce fighting ccnrmued today am. the Communists are reported to have made some gains. Cer.'munists seem intent on capturing Sinanju, and driving the Unitea Nations forces out of the 65-mile area adjacent to the huge Yalu River dam. American and South Korean troops defending the supply centre and airbase of port of Sininju have pulled back on north and west into a tight defence arc running through Pakchon, eight miles north of Sinanju.

A United States Eighth Anmy spokesman said the Communist drive from the east smashed through South Korean forces to the outskirts of KuRi, 16 miles north-east of Sinanju today. Communists attacked with support tanks and artillery. Another enemy force drove across the Kuryong River, five miles north-west of Kunuri and cut off one battalion of the Amerlcan 24th Division. The battalion fought its way out of the trap, but was forced to leave some vehicles behind.

A Reuter correspondent says that a Communist force, after taking Wonni on the Chongchon River in a tank and artillery-supported infantry drive, has advanced two miles south toward Kunuri and captured high ground five miles east of the town. Communists

are now threatening the town from three sides.

The Associated Press correspondent says British Commonwealth troops are fighting savagely to hold back Communists whose attack threatens the vital United Nations bridehead across the Chongchon River at Anju. Just north of the port of Sinanju, 50 American Air Force lighter-bombers are plasteiing Communists in support of the British Group, and other bombers and fighters are being diverted to the area. An Eighth Army spokesman said the Communists were massing large reinforcements from Manchuria at Huichon, 52 miles northeast of Sinanju and around Chongju, northwest of Sinanju, American bombers mode a heavy half-hour raid on Communist concentrations in the Chongju area yesterday. They claimed to have killed 500 troops. One pilot said the concentration was the “largest number of Reds we ever caught in one place at one time."

On the eastern side of the peninsula United States Marines took the offensive against Chinese Communists yesterday, and smashed ahead nearly three and a-half miles against slackening resistance. First Division Marines attacked toward the vital Chosin reservoir after breaking the back of the Communist's opposition on Friday in one of the fiercest battles of the war. They captured Sudong, and are moving north again. A Marine officer said tough Chinese made the North Koreans “look like amateurs." He said the Chinese were “much more determined, smarter and better disciplined" than the North Koreans.

A captured Communist platoon leader told intelligence officers he did not know he was fighting Americana United Nations naval forces announced yesterday that mine-sweeping operations in the inner harbour at Wonsan on the east coast had been completed. Ships of the invasion fleet commanded by Rear-Admiral James Doyle stood into the harbour yesterday, and went alongside the docks, climaxing almost one month of intensive effort to clear what had been described as "the most extensive minefields in history.’’