The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-09-26
CAPITAL
IS BEING
BLASTED
Flames Leap from Build
ings-Defenders Raging
SHIPPER Campaign
-tsaA-
BY DON WHITEHEAD


BY DON WHITEHEAD
SEOUL, Sept. 26-tH-This is q
flaming. smoke-filled city of horror
today. -9i''
Great fires are raging and black
dome Of smoke hangs in the sky as
a fearsome signal Of destruction.
Street by street the Marines are
nearing the heart of the city behind
flame throwing tanks. heavy artil-
lery and air bombardment and the
rattle Of machineguns and rifles.
Seoul is not being spared. It is
fight to the death. with the Reds
defending from houses. ridges and
rooftops In a desperate stand.
(This dispatch was sent from
Seoul at 6 pm. Tuesday. am.
EST. General Macarthur In Tokyo
announced at 2:l0 pm. Tuesday
that United Nations forces had COM
pleted the development and seizure
Of the city" and liberated it lin
such Q manner ~ to nAues the least
possible damage to civil installa-
tions.') a-
Near US. Embassy
At 4 pm. the Marines had pushed
up Mapo street almost to the French
Consulate only short way from
the American Esmbassy and they
had captured the Seoul railway sta
ton and yards.
On their right flank Seventh In
fantry Division units were cleaning
up Namsan Hill, the big South
Mountain Park heights that dom1-
nate all of Seoul.
Debris Filled Streets
Not in two wars have seen any
thing to equal the battle for Seoul.
This fighting through smoke-filled
streets Is eerie and unreal, with
flames leaping from buildings and
licking out at the Marines as they
dash down the debris-filled streets
and past buildings crashing to the
ground after the fires. have Quilted
them. 49,
At dusk the sky was aglow with
the fires of Seoul---a great red mare
that silhouettes the dark mountains
for miles around. It is a bonfire Of
all the bitterness and hate of war
concentrated on one city.
Battered Terribly
The Reds chose to defend Seoul.
And the Americans are not sparing
any building where the Reds had
established defenses. Seoul Is being
SCARED and battered terribly but the
Allied high command is not sacti-.
ficing lives to save the face Of Seoul.
And strange things happen in the
battered streets. Such as the Ma
rine racing down street into battle
with two live ducks strapped to his
packs and quacking madly -. such
as the Red platoon that marched
out Of the flames and smoke
squarely into muzzles Of American
guns this was brief and wild
slaughter of Communists and
such as the Red attack before dawn
which came just as the Marines
we're preparing to attack.
Attack Well Timed
The Marines could not have or
dered an attack by the enemy at a
better time. American guns blasted
four Red tanks. destroyed an anti
tank gun, and routed the Red m
fantry in a three-hour battle.
In that fight before dawn US.
artillery poured 1905 rounds OF ex-
piosives into the Red positions-one
of the most concentrated artillery
barrages of this war. And the Ma
rines lines held fast.
1t. Col. Robert w. Rickert OF La
Jolla, Calf, said: by the grace OF
God and a long handled spoon we
were ready for them"
CAP Correspondent Bill Ross, also
in Seoul, said the Marines firing
3.5-inch bazookas ko'd II Red tanks
in the pre-dawn attack. He quoted
1t Col. Raymond Murray OF san
Diego.
owe may be able to take Just
about all of the city today-h the
Reds shot their main bolt last
night" Ross said Marine General
told him.