Evening star., 1950-09-26
Recopture of Seoul and Oson

The fall of Seoul to United Nations forces
is more than notable military victory. 1t is
an achievement that gives psychological lift
to the democratic world that has been sorely
needed. Even more dramatic psychologically to
American troops was the news few hours earlier
of the recapture of lesser objective, the town
of Osan, south of the capital.
The temperance of Seoul and Osan in the
headlines of the Korean war is significant OF the
tremendous comeback effected by American
troops since the dark days of their entry into the
conflict. Osan was the scene of the first defeat
of our courageous but ill-equipped forces early in
July. 1t was the starting point of long, grim
series of heartbreaking Withdrawals that brought
our battered and bloody units into the narrow
confines of their Pusan beachhead. At the lowest
ebb of our fortunes in Southern Korea the unin-
formed public shook it's head and wondered II
another Dunkirk was shaping up.
Then came the startling, hope-buoying news
of the amphibious operation at Inchon port OF
Seoul At first some fingers were crossed, in fear
of miscalculation of Red strength in the north
or Intervention from Manchuria. But our plans,
although drawn up in record haste, proved sound
The expected withdrawal of Communist troops
from the southern front has now approached ap-
pearances of rout in several sectors. Towns and
strong points which figured in the news only
few weeks ago as our out-numbered forces fell
back slowly before the armored onslaughts OF
the enemy have been retaken.
No greater satisfaction could come to vet
erans of the allied campaign than the recapture
of Osan, from which our pitifully overwhelmed
forces fed on July last That was where two
decimated battalions of the Twenty Fourth Divi-
sion were overpowered by Red drive spear
headed by 40 tanks. Our men had no armor to
pit against this formidable thrust. The honor
of retaking Osan fell to the Army's Seventh DiW-
sion after capture of the nearby Suwon airport.
From Osan there extends a steadily diminishing
gap between the allied landing forces in the
Inchon-Seoul area and outposts of advancing
United Nations troops who have broken out OF
the beachhead When this gap is closed-as
seemed an imminent possibility at latest reports
the supply and escape routes of the trapped
Red forces in the south will have been cut off.
That could mean only disaster for the North
Koreans, barring some unforeseen relief develop
ment-such as Russian or Chinese Communist
intervention. The likelihood of such intervention
fades with each passing day. The appropriate
time for action from north of the 3sth Parallel
was before the impending encirclement and
collapse of North Korean forces in Seoul and In
the beachhead theater.
It begins to look as though the problem OF
driving the Red invaders back across the North
South boundary may become more or less aca-
demic. II the present momentum OF the two-
pronged u N operations is maintained, there may
be no retreat across the border by the trapped
Communists. That is the primary aim of our
commanders: to throw a block across the line OF
retreat and pound the enemy from several sides
until he surrenders or is destroyed. That this
prospect today is a distinct possibility, so few
weeks after the Reds were threatening to drive
us into the sea, is remarkable tribute to Gen.
eral Macarthur and his men and to the Army,
Navy and Air Force strategists who helped to
plan and carry out the Inchon undertaking.