U.N. Casualties In Korea Nearly Thirteen Thousand

Wanganui Chronicle, 23 December 1950, Page 5

U.N. Casualties In Korea Nearly Thirteen Thousand

TOKIO, Dec. 21.—General MacArthur announced in a communique today that the United Nations forces in Korea, excluumg South Korea troops, had suffered 12,975 casualties killed, wounded and missing from November 127 to December 12. Of the total, [11,964 casualties were suffered by I seven American divisions and the re[maining 1011 by other United Nations 1 forces. General MacArthur’s headquarters said the losses were not exceptional in comparison with those suffered m other wars. I Headquarters denied any suggestion (that the retreat under Chinese pressure was caused by battle losses or “acceptance of defeat.” General MacArthur said the field commanders had reported corresponding Communist losses in the ratio ot 10 to one. The effect of these losses was already noticeable in a perceptible slow-down of the enemy’s current rate of advance. The communique added that the Bth Army’s withdrawal was dictated “by the obvious discrepancy ’ between 27 Chinese Communist divisions and 12 United Nations divisions. The forward echelon of 27 divisions represented only 20 per cent of China’s organised military manpower, with 25 to 25 additional divisions known to be massed in a second echelon along the Yalu River and within Manchuria. Under such conditions, the assumption of the defensive in a position ot readiness and a tightening of frontages was an almost commonplace military manoeuvre.