Evening star., 1950-09-20
Battle in Seoul Near
As Marines Close In
After Crossing Han
Continued From First Page.)

inland after the Reds hurled back
the earlier night-covered assault.
Ground artillery and warplanes
also pounded the Reds before the
dawn attack.
Associated Press Correspondent
Bill Ross, a World War II Marine
combat correspondent, said the
Leathernecks suffered their heavi-
est casualties of the second front
operation. Mr.. Ross gave this
account of the river assault:
The attack started at GAS am.
(5:45 pm. EDIT, yesterday. Am
tracks with Marines jamming
their steel bellies churned the
300-yard-wide stream.
In three minutes the Marines
secured a 100-yard bridgehead.
Heavy Red fire slammed into the
assault force.
Reds Knocked Out.
In less than 20 minutes,
Leathernecks had knocked out
Communists on the first ridge.
Ninety minutes after the first
crossing, Marines held dominat-
ing positions around the bridge
head.
Reinforcements Streamed across
the river. The Marines headed
for Seoul.
when we get to high ground
north of Seoul there won't be
anything to it," said Marine Col.
Lewis (Chesty) Fuller. He (the
enemy can't stand up against
our air and artillery"
Gen. MacArthur'S headquarters
reported in a communique signed
by the United Nations forces COM
mander:
Leading elements of the 1St
Marine Division, in considerable
strength, have crossed the Han
River west of Seoul this morning.
River-crossing equipment, includ-
ing amtracks, RATS and Bailey
bridges, was moved forward yes
terday to assembly areas in the
Marine sector.''
Preparing to Bridge River.
Bailey bridges are pre-fabri-
Gated portable spans. Engineers
were preparing to bridge the Han.
South Korean demolitions and
Allied bombing had mangled the
old spans.
Other Marine forces had
punched closer to Seoul-but on
the southwest bank of the Han.
They were massing in the cross
river suburbs of Yanghwa, l
mile west of Seoul, and Yong
dungpo, 2 miles southwest of the
capital.
South OF this Marine force, 7th
Division neutrality-suspicious. and
South Koreans-threw up a pro-
tective wall of great f1repower
against the Reds speeding north
to Seoul. Pershing and Sherman
tanks bulwarked the shield.
The Communist troops reported |
entering Seoul were f1anking this
force on the east.
Southeast Front.
On the old Southeast Korea bat
tlefront, Allied forces ground out
new gains.
South Korean troops recaptured
Pohang, East Coast port which
the Reds twice had occupied.
Other South Koreans, in the
Taegu sector, rammed within 5
miles of Kunwi, a town % miles
north of Taegu.
Between Kunwi and Taegu,
South Koreans drove into the
walled town of Kasan after Allied
fire bombs repeatedly killed $500
Reds.
A famed Hawaiian-American
regiment drove a firm anchor
north Of the Waegwan-T -Taejon
road "Heartbreak Highway"
down which the Americans re-
treated in their desperate summer
holding action.
The United States oath Divi-
sion-trail-blazerS in the Korean
war-drove into Waegwan from
the south. Associated Press Cor
respondent Benz Price reported the
weary infantrymen promptly
started a softball game.
He said most of Waekwan, IL
miles northwest of Taegu, was in
ashes.
Third Bridgehead Won.
South of WaegWan, United
States I'd Division infantrymen
pushed a third bridgehead across