Evening star., 1950-08-07
Marines and els Push Reds Back
2 Miles Along Front Of 20 Miles;
Enemy Suffers Heavy Casualties
5000 Troops
Engage Foe in
South Sector
By Russell Brines
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent

TOKYO, Aug. LIMITED States
Marines and Army infantrymen
cracked out on a 20-mile-wide
front today and rolled stubborn
Red troops back nearly Q miles in
Southeastern Korea.
It was the first American often
sive after five bitter weeks of
defensive retreat.
About 5000 Americans and some
Korean commando units were
thrown into the attack.
They clashed head-on with the
crack North Korean 9th Division.
1t is backed by the Red 1st Divi-
sion. The two total around $4,000
men.
In the latest official field report
today on the new Allied offensive
a United States 9Th Army COM
munique released at 8:35 pm.
(6:35 am. EDIT said:
THE attack launched this
morning by the 25th Division and
the Marine Brigade advanced
about 5000 yards today on a
broad front. Strong resistance was
met with United States forces in
flicting heavy casualties on the
enemy"
Exposed to Air Attack.
Gen. MacArthur'S headquarters
said he would not issue his usual
early morning Korean summary
tomorrow because there was no
new information beyond tonight'S
8th Army communique.
Qn Washington, a Defense
Department spokesman reiter-
ated today, despite news of the
first American advance in Korea,
that it will be a long time be-
fore a strong offensive action
can be mounted against the
North Korean Reds.
Gle predicted, however, that
United Nations forces will be
able to maintain their positions
on the peninsula until time for
the offensive comes. The
Americans face a tremendous
job Of building up construction
materials and manpower to
handle them, he went on.
(The big push will require
rebuilding of bridges, roads and
rail lines knocked out by the
North Koreans-a task that will
call for almost as many en-
gineerS as regular troopsO
Field reports said the American
attack forced Red infantrymen to
expose themselves to 5th Air Force
fighters and bombers.
One staff officer said:
The air boys had more and
better targets today than they
have had in long time"
Tank Advance Stopped.
Communist artillery fire, in turn,
stopped an advance of supporting
American tanks at a road bottle
neck and hit American artillery
positions. But the Americans
pushed ahead without armor.
North of the main battle area
United States oath Division troops
fought doggedly but without sue
cess to clear out about $50 sur
vivors of an 800-man Red force
that crossed the Naktong River
yesterday southwest of Chang
yong, 20 miles north of Hogan
jumping off place for the Allied
offensive.
A steady stream of American
replacementS, fully equipped
poured into Korea to aid the ad-
vancing ground troops. (This dis
patch did not say where they came
FROM
Reds Set for Own Drive.
The Reds, getting ready for a
thrust of their own. toward PuSan
35 miles east of the kickoff place
for the United Nations drive, hit
the American right flank hard.
On the northern front the
Communists began a new offen-
Sive south of Yechon, the 9th
Army communique said. Allied
South Koreans were engaged in
severe fighting there.
The big American push plowec
into two North Korean divisions ir
the rugged coastal country of the
southern sector. The attack was
(See KOREA, Page A-4.)