Evening star., 1947-04-06
U. 5. Convoy Chases
Chinese Reds Who
Killed Five Marines
BY N. A.soeio,.d Press

TTENTSIN, China, April ST.
Chinese Communists in search
of ammunition killed five United
States Marines and wounded l6
today In raid on the Marines
principal North China depot, at
Hsinho, % miles east OF Tientsin. |
Most II not all of the Marine
deaths occurred when the raiders
blew up part Of the dump. The
Communists left six of their own
dead on the scene of the four -hour
and i5-minute battle and carried
away an estimated 100 wounded. No
prisoners we're taken on either side.
Four hundred Chinese govern
ment troops took UP the pursuit
northward while Marine observa-
ton planes kept the retreating
raiders under surveillance.
IA Require Surgery.
The Marines themselves organized
a heavily armed convoy under Col.
Julian N Frisbie, commandant of
the 5th Regiment.
(Thts dispatch thus implied.
but did not fatly state, that the
Marine convoy was q punitive
expedition)
A Marine statement said identifi-
cation of the dead Chinese left no
doubt that they we're Communists.
Fourteen Of the wounded Marines
required surgery and three were
critically hurt. However, the 1st
Divisions surgeon, Or. Eugene ".
Jobe, expressed hope that all would
recover.
Marine accounts gave this descrip-
ton of this bloodiest brush to date
with the Communists:
Presumably goaded by shortage
of ammunition and other supplies,
the Communists closed in on the s.
square mile area shortly after mid
night. The depot Is laid out IN a
triangle. with the road northward
to Peitang touching It's apex.
Shells Loaded Onto Mules.
One hundred attackers struck
across this road and a second group
of 100 raced in from the east, fol-
lowed by two waves Of 100 each.
The first shot from the diversion
ary force on the north was heard at
1920 am. The others penetrated
the dump and began loading an un-I
determined number OF artillery
shells onto pack mules.
Fleeing with their loads, the Com
nnunists exploded parts of the dump,
which was defended by a guard
company of the 18th Regiment under
Capt. Emil Radio of Hightstown,
N. j. !
Alerted by the explosions and
gunfre, another company quickly
came up by rail from Tangku, flve
miles east of Hsinhu, and leaped
into weapons carriers to reach the
scene of battle. 4
The lead vehicle was halted by
land mines laid by the Commu-
nists. While temporarily stalled the
vehicles were subjected to heavy
rife fire from an ambush beside
the road. Eight Marines were
wounded In this engagement.
ArmOred Train Arrives.
After the reinforcements arrived,
the two Marine companies fought
off the attackers and pursued them
Ave miles north, hating at dawn.
Four hundred Chinese govern
ment troops aboard an armored
train arrived from Tientsin at
am. and took up the pursuit.
A Marine observation plane spot
ted the fleeing Communists about
noon and reported that they were
carrying many stretchers.
Fourteen of the wounded Marines
were flown to Tientsin. The two
others received .nrst aid and stayed
on the spot.
The Navy listed five Marines
killed as: Pfc. Salvatore L. Di
Nenna, Dorchester, Mass; Pfc.
John T. Peloro, Bloomfield, N. j.;
Pvt. Joseph D. Powroznik, North
Jackson, Ohio; Pfc. Alfred E.
Perkey. w. Va; and Pvt. Frank
c. Spenser. jr., Norwood. N. Y.
Col. Frisbie few from Peiping to
take command of he Marine convoy
and Admiral Charles M. Cooke, jr.,
Naval commandant in the Western
Pacific. flew from Tsingtao to confer
with Mai. Gen. Samuel Howard,
commandant of the lst Marine Div-
sion.
Some account said the Marines
sent two light tanks to the defense