Evening star., 1950-12-22
Beochheod Struggle Goes On.
Amid Confusion and Death

! ABEEEO VEH USEOl
By Fred Sporks
Foreign Correspondent Of The star and
| the Chicago Daily News
TOKYO, Dec. 22.-In spirit and
in sympathy most Americans to-
day are with our GIs who-with
their backs to the sea-are hold
| ing that historic contested arc of
Korea known as Hungnam beach,
head.
I have just returned to Tokyo
from that beachhead. I have seen
savage Chinese daily trying to
lance the irritating pimple of
Hungnam. the only spot on the
Northeast Korean coast they do
not dominate.
Let me take you on word-tour
| of our small plot of expensive real
estate five miles across.
Battleship HurlS Shells.
Well begin some miles off shore,
leaving the quarterback of the
great battleship Missouri. AS our
small boat pulls away from the
Missouri and tools into choppy
Hungnam Harbor the battleship
belches shells. Together with
destroyers, cruisers and rocket
ships, she drops a partially pro-
tective curtain around our perrin
eter.
Near shore are several large
landing craft engaged in mercy
mission. They're loading, pack
ing in friendly Koreans-pathetic
refugees, children. shabby bun
dies.
Flee Communist Revenge.
These people will be taken from
the scene of battle. their safety
assured-away from the vicious
Communists who would pay them
eff. in torture and death. for CO.
operating with our forces. BY
their remova, we also further aid
the food situation inside our
perimeter, which might grow
short.
Near panic accompanies one
loading. AS ship fills, the land
ing ramp raises several feet and
people are dumped into the icy
waters where they swim around
the side and try to scramble
aboard.
A few of our sailors drop their
peacoats and Jump in to save
three who are sinking and bring
them back to the beach, back to
a fair place in the long. nervous
line. They are comforted; they
fear that there will not be room
for all.
Traffic Is Intense.
We find walking alongside the
sturdy piers difficult-muddy ooze
clutches our boots. Traffic is in
tense with complicated military
tackle to aid the defenders.
A mud-specked MP, his car
bine strapped to his back. directs
1.-The flow, which even includes
tprimitve carts, piled with modern
igear and drawn by oxen, reined
/ by huge rings in their nostrils.
| We peep for minute into the
press shack where our colleagues
work by candle light and sleep
Ion straw mats to keep the news
@of this noble effort feeding to
1.-THE anxious world.
/ "Who Can Be Trusted?"
| Now we ride to the perimeter
with a Shotgun" rider next to
1.-The driver, his tommy gun ready
! for even inside our perimeter-
what man can be trusted? This
was a Communist port until short
weeks ago. Certainty, there's 9
5th column within. When will 1t
strike?
| All around our tight arc are
GIs in various types of dugouts
~. defense in depth. Two tanks
guard short plain. A machine
gun faces hill-manned by a
! fuzzy faced kid thumbing super
comics book.
I In the midst of all this history
on the very perimeter itself, life
goes on. Citizens of Hungnan
run their pitiful little stores, sell
ing apples and eggs to GIs, repair
ing watches. mending shoes.
Now the perimeter itself. Lines
Iof foxholes, barbed wire. trip
flares. One bridge over a partial
Ily frozen trickle slumps into the
water-blasted to prevent enemy
I transport. Another bridge-a bit
Iback-heavy with boxes of dyna-
mite-a CT stands by ready te
throw the switch.
Mere yards ahead daring tree
Iskirting fighter pilots strafe re-
ported Chinese positions. 1t is
because of these planes-and the
proved courage of our rif1emen-
that the foe avoids us during the
day and attacks only at night.
So our lads in houses, in straw
lined fox holes, are resting, SNUG
in their zippered sleeping bags
Here one shaves out of his helmet
gets heated water over a bon
fire. There one pens a note using
a broken door panel on his knees
as a desk.
Soon it's dark, and the skies
light up as Illuminating shells
least weird shadows around ouI
r,a,.i,,nntar and seek To Snnfliqhi