Evening star., 1951-01-30
Red Chino's Military Position

Red Chino's Military Position
Last November, after their first savage attack
on our American and allied United Nations forces
in Korea, the Chinese Communists resorted to
mystifying military conduct While the advan-
tage was still theirs, they disengaged themselves
from battle, Withdrew slowly toward the Yalu
River, and permitted the U. N. to regain the
initiative But events soon proved that this
seeming disinclnation to fight far from indicat-
ing that their intervention would be strictly
limited was merely tricky prelude to the mas
SlVe offensive that has since carried them south
of the 38th Parallel into shattered Seoul.
This bit of recent history is worth recalling
at this time For the Chinese Communists have
once again become militarily mystifying They
have not been putting up real fight during the
past several days. They have been eluding our
forces. They have been letting the U. MS "lim-
tied offensive" roll on In fact, their conduct has
been non-resistant enough to give rise to the
speculation that they may be undertaking gen.
eral northward withdrawal That may be so.
Yet, even if it is so, prudence suggests-in view
OF what happened in December-that we had
better keep our fingers crossed and reckon with
the possibility of some sudden surprise counter
blow
With that reservation made however, it
must be added that the situation in Korea today
seems to differ substantially from the one that
obtained when the Chinese Communists first cut
loose with their criminal armed intervention in
November. To begin with they were then close
to their home base in Manchuria, but they are
hundreds of miles from it now Their supply
lines have been greatly heightened, and those
llneS-roads and railways-have been so battered
by our day -and-night attack from the air, and
are so vulnerable to continuing nterdiction, that
the Red armies in the field are said to be receiv-
ing possibly as little as 10 per cent of the am
munltlon, weapons and other things they need
to keep on fighting south of the 38th Parallel
Above all, the indications that they have been
suffering grievous casualties
These casualties, wholly apart from those in
hlcted on the reconstructed but apparently badly
mauled North Korean Red forces, have been
truly fearsome if official figures may be regarded
as reasonably accurate. Thus, during his week
end visit to the Korean front, General Macarthur
was told by General Ridgway, commander of
our 9th Army, that the Chinese Communists
since January 1, have lost 10000 dead and 12O.-
goo wounded, not counting losses from frostbite
ana dlSeaSe. Some people may choose to doubt
the tgureS, but to doubt them is to question the
veraclty OF the United Nations Command whose
military secretary has stated fatty that they
have been placed conservatively low
Actually, considering the superior firepower
OF our U. N. ground forces, and considering the
deadly effectiveness of our air arm and napalm-
bomb attacks on troops, there is ample reason to
believe that the Chinese Communists have been
paying very heavily for their aggression in Korea
Moreover, assuming that we continue to be COM
pletely dominant in the sky and at sea- there is
ample reason to believe that they will keep on
paying very heavily. Indeed the prospect in that
sense seems sufficiently in favor to lend sub
stance to the speculation that Peiping, having
run into something much worse than it had
expected, may now feel impelled to break off the
battle and withdraw northward
In any case if it is true that 40 900 of Red
Chinas troops have been killed and 10000
wounded in less than month in Korea, then
Red China despite the fact that it has about
1000 men under arms can hardly afford to
nave the same thing happen in February, and
again IN March, and again in April and so on
throughout the year. For such sustained rate
OF loss, especially If the side in1ctng it suffers
relatively minor casualties, would seem to make
little military sense, and the morale of the men
subjected to it must sooner or later take nose
dive In the circumstances it is not inconceivable
that the Peiping regime is considerably worried
right now and perhaps eager to extricate itself
To say this, of course, is to give voice to
surmise which events-as in November and De-
cemoer-may quickly dscredt. Nevertheless
unless the Kremn is willing to risk a fu-scale
war by helping Red China to break the naval
and air dominance of the United Nations in
Korea, sound case can be made for the idea
that Mao Tse-tung may even now be beginning
TO rue the day that he sent his armies marching
across the Yalu River for an adventure in ag-
gression. Though purely speculative and possibly
ill-founded, here is point not to be overlooked
oy statesmen intent upon persuading him to
agree to a ceaSe-fire
Monnerheim
Field Marshal and former President Baron