Evening star., 1950-12-25
By the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
One of the most courageous and
bitterly fought retreats in United
States history stood high among
the events leading up to the evacu-
alton of the Hungnam beach
head.
The United States 1st Marine
Division, elements of the 31st and
32d Regiments of the United
States Arny's 7th Division and a
group of British Marine COM
mandos fought their way through
hordes of encircling Chinese Reds
for so miles from the area around
Changjin Reservoir to the port.
1t was a bloody action through
a frozen hell' of snow and
mountains. The cost was heavy
to both sides.
Still to be disclosed is the story
of just how the 17th Regimental
Combat Team of the 7th Diti-
sion managed a withdrawal OF
more than 100 miles from its ad-
vance position on the Yalu River
across from Chinese Communist
Manchuria.
/ On Thanksgiving Day, United
Nations hopes had been high Tor
Yuletide peace in Korea. Gen.
Macarthur said so. The North
Korean Communist army had
been shattered and routed. Pur-
suing its remnants, Allied forces
were deep inside North Korea.
The 18th Regimental Combat
Team was on the Yalu River in
Northeastern Korea, looking
across at the apparently peace
full countryside of Chinese Com
munist Manchuria. The Ameri-
cans held the Korean border town
of Hyesanjin.
China Reds Enter War.
Amid rumors of a negotiated
peace, the Allies launched an
"end-the-war" offensive.
Then the Red Chinese torrent
was unleashed. Waves of Chinese
swept down with crushing force
Within days, the vastly out
numbered U. N. forces were in full
retreat, from the Yellow Sea on
the west to the Japan Sea on the
east. The tide had turned, with
shocking suddenness.
The Allies battled to hold a line
across the Korean Peninsula. But
it was line with a gap between
the 9th Army in the northwest
and the 10th Corps in the north
east.
The Chinese drove an ever wild
ening wedge through the center
turned the right flank of the
United States 9th Army and cut
off any hope of relief for the 10th
Corps, scattered over most of
Northeast Korea.
The u. N. high command said
that only brilliant maneuvering
saved the 9th Army from entrap-
ment and destruction. This STRAIT
egy nonetheless involved retreat
a retreat which ended below the
38th Parallel in South Korea. The
fallback exceeded 100 miles. 49,
In the northeast, most U. N.
elements reached the Hungnam
beachhead only after blasting
their way through Chinese traps,
in weather so cold that guns
jammed and blood froze to the
skin of the wounded.
Sequence of Events.
The sequence of these events
can be divided in four general
stages:
l. The short Lived U. N. Of
fensive late in November.
2. The stunning surprise with
which thousands of Chinese Red
troops materialized in Korea.
3. The shrewdly planned en-
trapment by Communists who
travelled light and used disguise
infiltration and every other trick
of guerrilla warfare.
4. The orderly retreat of U. N
forces and their heroic battles OF
escape.
These are the highligf is in thi
chronology:
On November "a the 9th Arm,
launched the offensive which Gen
Macarthur had planned as tn,
final drive of the war. He watched
the takeoff. Initial gains, up tt
8 miles, were encouraging, ane
the general said:
II hope to keep my promise tt
the GIs to have them home by
Christmas.
The massive push, he said
should lend the war and restor,
unity and peace in Korea"
;, North Korean and Chimes,
troops in Korea at that time wer,
estimated at 100000. Earlier il
the week the Reds had begun {
series of mysterious Withdrawals
Plan Runs Into Trouble.
The new U. N. offensive raj
into trouble in two days. Stronl
counterattacks developed Novem
ber 26, hurting back ROK force
on the 9Th Army fan One Ret
unit reached the Chongchol
River, driving between the Unitet
States 25th and I'd Divisions.
1 In succeeding days, the Com