Evening star., 1948-12-13
Reds Reported
50 Miles .
From Nankinq
Early Withdrawal
, Of Chione's Forces
To Yongtze Likely
BY the Associated Press

C1AoAi oo,ooV eOopc Va GAlC SVVC4 IL
ment's long -encircled 18th Army
Group have been wiped out south
west Of Suhsein, about 145 miles
northwest of Marking.
Trap Closed Tighter.
The 18th, which originally mum.
bered some 10000, now has beer
compressed into an area of less
than square miles. It's critical
shortage of supplies is worsening
Pilots report difficulty in dropping
material into the shrinking target
area.
The 18th has been trapped Il
days. The Chinese Communist ra.
dio asserted last night. that the
governments 9Th Army had beer
stopped in its effort to break
through to the 18th. The 9Th moveo
north from the Hwai River line ano
its anchor at Pengpu, and once
was within % miles of joining the
18th. Pengpu is So miles south o1
Suhsien and 105 miles. northwest
of Nanking.
The Red radio asserted that rem.
nants Of the 18th Army Group ars
being mopped up Neutral OBJ.
servers said elimination of the 12tf
would free at least 10000 Red troops
for action against the understrengtt
9th and 9th Army Groups.
Rail Link Threatened.
Communist units crossing tht
Hwai east of Pengpu already art
threatening the vital rail link be.
tween Pukow, on the Yangtze, anc
Pengpu. TRAFFIC has been disrupted
frequently.
Gen. Ho Ying-chin, minister o.
war, told the Kuomintang Politica
Council that only two Communist
brigades were presently operating
against the railroad. He said the lint
had been repaired and traffic agar
was moving to Pengpu.
Despite uncertain weather, inten'
sifled air activity was noted o.
Markings airfield. Airborne supple.
to the 18th and the trapped Army
Groups southwest of Suchow wers
being stepped up. There was no new
of what Is happening to the lattel
forces except that they are suffering
heavy casualties.
(The darkening military pic
ture In North China was almost
equally bad. Associated Press
Correspondent Spencer Moosa
reported clashes only eight miles
from Peiping, China's ancient
capital.
CHe said 1t was reported with
out confirmation that the Ma
tionalists had abandoned Chang
ping and Nankou, only 20 and
Is miles northwest of Peiping.
The Communications Bureau
said no messages could be &C
cepted for Nankou0
Red Troops Infiltrating.
If Red radio claims are true
Communist Gen. Chen vi has tn,
potential strength to bring Nan.
king under cannon range by tht
end OF this year-or before.
1t depends on whether, as tn,
Communists say. they have com
pletely smashed the Nationalist 12tl
Army Group and halved the strength
OF the former Suchow garrison.
Competent observers look at /
this:way: Once the combined Com
munist armies have disposed O
four trapped Nationalist groups
they either can move southwar,
Immediately or pause for regroupin,
and resupply before pushing on to
ward Nanking.
Inflltration Of substantial Com
munist forces below the Hwai Rive
line on the east flank indicated tn,
Red military leaders were plannin,
to get their campaigns rolling righ
away.
Can official of the British
Chinese Kailan Mining Admins
tration confirmed that govern
ment- troops have quit the great
Tangshan coal mine area. Left
behind was a stockpile of 1,000,-
coo tons Of coal. Nothing was
destroyed at the plant)
Suchow Garrison Stalled.
The Communists, in striking a
bare so miles from Nanking, sew
cred the railway supply line to the
front near Ciashan. Informed
sources said they destroyed sew
eral sections of track, halting traffic
with the 9Th and 9th Government
Army Groups.
The inflltration was viewed by
neutral observers as the first step
in Communist plans to cut of the
last free Government force North
of the Yangtze. The marauders
appeared to come from the possibly
80, 900 Reds who crossed the Hwai
River 20 miles east Of Pengpu.
The governments Suchow gar
rison appears to be stalled so miles
south of the fallen city. It started
out December l with an estimated
250, 900 men ordered to the relief
of the trapped 18th Army Group
under Gen. Huang Wei. The gov
ernment .has acknowledged more
than 10000 casualties in the Su-
chow force led by Gen. Tu Lining
Official sources admitted the 18th
has lost 40 per cent of 10000 men
This force has been trying to fight
through q Red trap to the Sixth
Army Group Is miles to the south
east.
Hoffman Due i'm Marking.
The government military spokes-
man says Chen Yis and Gen. Liu
Pocheng's Communist troops are
being drawn into trap" The ma
tionalists' encircled Suchow columns
actually are said to be "mopping up
the Communists.
These statements continue to re.
ceive wide distribution through pro-
(see CHINA, Page A-63
p