Evening star., 1950-11-02
Rescue Of yanks
Fails in Reds
Suicide Stand
Troops Told to Escape;
Some Already Succeed
In Returning to Lines
BY The AsseeIofsd Press

can CaValrymen COnlgnC gave up
a day-long fight to rescue the
bulk of one 1st Cavalry Regiment
surrounded by Communist forces
in Northwest Korea.
The trapped men were ordered
to attempt a break-out on their
own. They faced terrific odds
and grinning, furiously fighting
Reds who turned captured Ameri-
can guns on the surrounded
United States foot troopers.
Some Americans already had
escaped the trap. It was clamped
shut last night by overwhelming
Communist forces including Chi
nese Red troops in strength.
(The number trapped was
not stated. A full-strength reg
iment would be about 5000
men, but casualties and escapes
made, the number considerably
smaller. A 1st Corps spokes-~
man earlier mentioned the
equivalent of a battalion, which
would be about 1000 men.
Cut off Near Unsan.
The. regiment-one third of the
United States 1st Cavalry Divi-
sion-was cut off near a dry
river bed 4 miles southwest Of
Unsan. This is the area where
the Reds have made their strong
est fight of the North Korean
campaign.
Unsan is 66 air miles north of
Pyongyang, former Red Korean
capital.
Mai. Gen. Hobart R. Gay, di-
vision commander. said the regi-
ment had been 'very badly hurt"
A spokesman told Associated
Press Correspondent Tom Lam
bert the rescue team ran into q
"stonewallr Of resistance.
Americans who escaped the trap
said there were many Chinese
Reds in the enemy force.
A Chinese prisoner said the
force included 5000 Chinese Red
soldiers.
Chinese Termed "Crazy." -
Correspondent Lambert, with
the division quoted an American
platoon sergeant as saying the
Chinese soldiers were crazy" The
sergeant added:
They would stand right up in
front Of you. laughing to beat
He'll. We killed them by the
hundreds. Still they kept coming"
That was a grim f1ashback to
World War II banzai attack BY
drink-crazed Japanese.
The Reds launched their attack
at sunset against the 1st Cavalry
Divisions lead regiment. A spokes-
man said the regiment was spread
out in a pursuit situation"
Communist forces smashed at
the Americans from the north.
east and west. They wers
equipped with bazookas. Brown
ing automatic rifles, Thompson
submachineguns sand grease
guns"
In two hours the escape road
to the south was cut.
Battle RACES All Night.
The battle ragged throughout
the night. At daylight an Allied
rescue team, including other 1st
Cavalry Division units. set out on
a rescue mission.
1t ran into heavy enemy fire at
Yongsong, about 5 miles southwest
Of Unsan.
Tank radios Of the surrounded
silent all morning, came
to life in the afternoon and di-
rected Allied warplanes in strikes
at the enemy. But the rescue team
could not break through.
The Reds hot onslaught was
their newsstand mightiest-in
their redoubled fight to block ap-
TO the Korean -Manchuri-
an border.
A United States 1st Corps
spokesman said the situation was
very serious" in the entire north
west sector.
Mr.. Lambert said the men who
escaped were regrouping sin an
atmosphere strikingly reminiscent
of the early days of the Korean
war when North Koreans were
battering United States forces
south Of Seoul"
Many Americans probably would
never come back. There were the
dead-one cavalry spokesman said
the regiment had been decimated
and the wounded who would
have trouble escaping.
The Red offensive also had
Continued on Page AS. Col. g.