Evening star., 1950-08-19
-Four Red Divisions
Reported Preparing
For NeWAssau
Continued From First Page0

1OhCllOh "Ou4u NC AoOAA Oh
stopping point for such traffic
which must hide in the daytime
from Allied sea and air patrols.
This would be true of small craft
coming either from 1nchon or
from farther up the coast.
Gen. Macarthur intelligence
spokesman gave these estimates
of the whole Naktong battle pic
ture:
l, The threat to Taegu, aban-
doned this week as the provisional
South Korean capital, docs not
exist today as it did Thursday"
But three to five Red divisions,
possibly $4,000 men, still were
poised north of the city.
Red Divisions Badly Mauled.
2. United States Marines and
Army infantry mauled the elite
North Korean 4th Division so
badly in the Naktong bulge near
Changnyong that for the imme-
6iate future it can no longer be
considered a fighting division"
3. The enemy lost an estimated
1900 men Thursday along the
whole perimeter - the biggest
single days bag for the Allies.
Max Desfor, Associated Press
photographer, reported that many
Red troops yesterday withdrew
across the Naktong from their
Changnyong bridgehead under
cover of a Smokescreen.
1t evidently was planned with
drawal. The retreat was carried
out on the southern flank of the
Changnyong sector.
American officers said the Red
bridgehead had been reduced
effectively. They said there is no
longer 6 threat of Red break
out at that point.
Drive Toward Kumhwa.
In the critical area north of
Taegu, American and South
Korean troops continued to drive
toward Kumhwa. They ad-
vanced another half mile for a
total of two and one half miles in
their counterattack. The Allies
were just south of Kumhwa, Red
held highway town IL miles north
Of Taegu.
The tide of battle turned when
the United States 9th Regiment.
commanded by Col. John H.
Michaelis, rushed so miles fire
brieNde" fashion to team with
South Koreans who had been
falling back before a Red push.
The Allied forces knocked out
three or four Red tanks Friday
night while beating back North
Korean counterattack.
Gen. MacArthur's spokesman
said the Allies met moderate re-
Sistance.
The main mass of North Korean
troops still was reported grouped
in the area between Kunwi and
Waegwan, Is miles to the south
west and roughly in the center Of
the United Nations line.
Three North Korean divisions
the Sd, 18th and 13th-were 10
Gated there. They are possibly"
supported by two others-the LIST
and I'd.
Lose Most of High Ground.
The Reds had lost most of the
high ground in the Changnyong
sector and the American attack
has sliced in half their former
salient. The Communists were
thrown of strategic heights to
the fat ground on the east shore
of the Naktong. Gen. MacArthur's
spokesman said they are about
} miles from the river.
This was the scene of the great
est carnage.
American artillery, Army, Navy
and Marine planes shelled, strafed
and rocketed the Reds as they
tried to flee back across the river.
The spokesman said while re-
suits could not be wholly evaluated
vet. "for the immediate future
the 4th North Korean Division
can no longer be considered a
fighting force"
There was no indication of how
many remained of the 10000 men
the Reds had masSed in the bulge
when the United States 1st Ma
rine Brigade and elements of the
Gath Division smashed them back
in a week-long counter offensive.
Some who tried to escape threw
away their weapons in flight.
River CroSsers Caught.
Marine Corsair fighters and
planes of the 5th Air Force caught
some of the Reds swimming the
Naktong. Others were fording the
stream. Rockets, 20-millimeter
cannon fire and jellied gasoline
bombs were poured on survivors
of the Red 4th Division.
Maj. Gen. John H. Church said
his men were out to destroy that
DIVISION entirely.
An official release on the air
action tersely said:
"Retreating masses of enemy
troops fording and swimming the
Naktong River were caught and
strafed by carrier-based Marine
flyers yesterday with resulting Sc
we're losses"
Before the Allied push north
Of Taegu, the 9th Regiment, COM
manded by Col. MichaeliS, beat off
a Friday night attack by Com
munists riding trucks behind five
tanks.
On the south front west of
Masan, the United States 25th Di-
vision beat off Red attacks and
counted 300 enemy dead.
1dCT