Evening star., 1950-07-22
American Planes
Strufe City and
B-2os Raid Again
By the Assoeiniad Press

American troops consolidated de-
fensive positions south and south
east of fallen Taejon today and
maintained constant contact with
the North Korean invaders in an
ticipation of new enemy assaults.
Gen. MacArthur'S communique
early today said the war situation
was relatively quiet" It specu-
lated that the Reds had suffered
such heavy casualties in their seiz-
ure of Taejon Thursday midnight
that they were having to regroup
before moving again.
American tactical air forces flew
90 sorties yesterday in frontline
support operations, including
straf1ng of Taejon. Twenty-Five
B-29s again bombed railway yards
and bridges at the enemy capital
Of Pvongyang.
Recaptured Towns Held.
East OF 'I'aeJon Cn the land front
the Americans held two towns
newly captured from the Reds.
Americans took over the ruins
of Yongdok Friday under cover
OF heavy Allied naval gunfire.
The town is on the East coast
Is miles north of the 1st Cavalry
Division beachhead at Pohang. It
was reported destroyed by Amer
lean and British naval guns We'd
nesday.
Negro troops of the 25th Infan-
try Division routed the invaders
from Yechon Friday after 16
hours Of artillery attack and
house-to-house fighting.
Reinf0rcements Gathered.
Yechon is so miles inland and
in line with the northern arm of
a Red pincer aimed at cutting
the American rail supply line from
the southeastern port of Pusan.
Pusan supplies the oath Infantry
Division fighting the holding war
on the Taejon front.
The northern point of this pin
Ger arm appears to be at Mung-
yong. 20 miles northwest of new
ly recaptured Yechon. There the
tank-led Red 18th Division was
reported gathering reinforcements
for a drive south to Kumchon, on
the Pusan-Taejon railroad 40
miles southeast of Taejon.
The southern arm of the Com
munist ptncer is formed by two
columns striking southwest of
Taejon.
Gen. Macarthur said in a COM
munique yesterday that one of
these moved Is miles from Kumje
south. to Chongup and the other
advanced in a parallel line 20
miles from Chonju to Imsil.
The points of the southern arm,
at Chongup and Imsil, are so and
60 miles southwest of Taejon.
Taejon Is Hinge.
The hinge of the pincer drive
is Red-held Taejon. The pres
sure there is greatest. American
troops gave up Taejon after two
days of heavy attack from over
Whelming numbers of Red armor,
1nfantrymen and guerillas.
The Americans made further
Withdrawals to better defense ter
ritory, Gen. Macarthur said. He
said the South Korean 1st Corps
on the American right flank
backed up in the same direction
at the same time.
Associated Press Correspondent
Left Erickson said Communist
forces were active yesterday near
new American positions southeast
of Taejon, but there was no pene-
tration of the American and
South Korean lines.
Mr.. Erickson said there was q
sharp lull across the Korean bat
tlefront. He said strengthened
American forces dug into a rail-
way line east of fallen Taejon.
CThe Army announced at a
Pentagon briefing today that
guerrilla activities had been re-
ported in two rather noun
famous areas of South Korea
behind the American and South
Korean lines. It could not re-
port the extent of these activi-
ties.
Zone of the areas was in East
ern Korea from Yongyang south
(See KOREA, Page A-3.)