Evening star., 1950-07-20

damage assessment was reported
satisfactory with numbers OF
trucks, other vehicles, troops and
buildings being brought under
attack.
I ,F80 fighters attacked an oil
dump at Kongju north of Taejor
and set it ablaze. The oil concen.
tration appeared to be of con.
siderable size. This estimate was
based on pilots reports of the
flames and smoke squirting from
the dump.
Pilots further reported tina
enemy troops were taking cover il
various warehouses and it was nee
essary to shoot UP the building
in order to neutralize the enemy
ground forces. One Texas flghte
pilot reported that in order tt
escape detection one group o
North Korean Red troops scurriet
to hide in small thatch and lum
ber building. This was of no avail
though because the jet pilots de.
stroyed the building with thei
rockets.
Belated reports from an All
Force F-51 Mustang base in Soutl
Korea revealed that in 81 .Sortie
Wednesday afternoon they de
Stroyed Is trucks, three gun EN-
placements and various othe
types of enemy weapons an,
equipment. These reports indi
Gated that most of the straf1ng ant
ground support by the fighters wa
performed around Taejon in orde
to keep most of the enemy in tina
area pinned to the ground.
One Mustang pilots plane wa
damaged by ground fire but, h
returned safely to his base il
South Korea.
TOKYO, July 20 (R.-Tert OF
Gen. MacArthur's conlnlurique
No. 106 issued at 2:.55 pm.
12:55 am. EDIT today:
( According to stories told by
hundreds of captured North Ko-
rean soldiers, life in a Communist
army is not all beer and skittles.
The North Koreans do not sur
render easily because they expect
to be executed. Once they finc
they are not going to be shot, they
become anxious to expose the tao.
tics the Communists used to en-.
list their support. The stories re.
veal startlingly low state o1
training and morale in some o1
the belatedly organized NORTH
Korean units.
A clear picture Of recently
formed North Korean infantry di.
vision. the 18th, has been assem-.
bled by United States intelligence
agencies. Battle-tested officer!
and commissioned officers
from Manchuria and China
formed the core of the division
which was activated at Kumhws
in Northwestern Korea. Special
lists, the tank crews, mortar arc
machine gunners and all the Other
skilled manpower trained in the
North Korean Army provided the
skeleton of the division. The vet
eran, well-trained cadre was
brought to division strength Ii
June of this year with drafted
men.
Most Conscripts Young Farmers
Most of the conscriptss Were
lyoung farmers called up in April
1850, for training in an organiza'
ftion called the Young Men
1Dernocratic Training School.
During the first month, the schoo
taught close order drill and TIN
second month was spent. IN th'
Efield but. la many cases, thl
trainees fired as little as thres
practice shots. The training pro-
gram wasn't as limited in politica
education" however, as at fire.
quent intervals. the unit politica
and cultural officer lectured the
men on Communist theory.
On June 26, the students of the
Young Mems Democratic Schoo
were issued arms and ammunition
and officially notified that they
were members of the 18th North
Korean Infantry Division. Tht
next day they Joined in the in
vasion of the Republic of Korea.
The drafted men feared thei
brutal, attle-hardened leaders
yet they were afraid to desert be
cause that meant sure death b,
execution if caught. AS a re
suit, they endured the har'
marches and the lack of food ant
rest until July 4, when they hat
their first combat contact witt
South Korean units near the Hal
River.
Trained Units Form Spearhead.
Better trained units had spear
headed the advance and screene'
the 18th from the United Nation
troops until this time. Their frs
contact with Republic of Korel
defenders brought heavy casual
| ties and panic spread through tn
ranks of this footsore and wear,
unit. Only the presence of thei
fanatic leaders kept them at tn
battle line-even then many de
serted or fled to the rear.
Since then the 18th Division
has been kept in the center O
the line, where they have ex
perienced moderate successes du
mainly to the fact that they fac
no armor or artillery. Also, the,
are supported on either flank b.
older, better trained North Ko
rean divisions able to carry mos
of the load in rough going.
i Those captured describe moral
in the division as extremely low
Already they are badly shaken b,
the attacks of the combined al
fleets flying under the banner O
! the United Nations.
The appearance of Australian
and American airplanes overhea,
was the first indication the Nortl
Korean soldiers had that Unite;