Evening star., 1951-04-24
Reds Bend Back u. N. Right Flank
After Collapse Of South Koreans
Opens Big Gap in Center Of Line
Enemy Striking
Sovogely to Cut
Up Allied Army
BY the Assoc:atsd Press

TOKYO. April 24.-Nearly one
half million battle-tested Reds
smashed a hole in the center of
the United Nations line today in
their third invasion of South
Korea.
Communist troops streamed
through the gap and bent back
the right flank of the Allied line.
They were striking savagely
with the aim of breaking up the
international 9th Army into
piecemeal units.
South Korean units manning
the center of the 100-mile line
crumbled before the fury of the
Red spring offensive. Their retreat
exposed other Allied divisions.
Commanders Confident.
Frontline officers considered the
situation serious. But headquar-
ters commanders were confident
the rejuvenated Allied forces
could stem the offensive.
1t. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway.
the grenAde-packing paratrooper
VINO shored up the morale of Al
lied forces before he succeeded
Gen. Macarthur as supreme COM
mander, visited the front. He said
the great battle well may prove
decisive"
On the eastern flank Red Ko-
reanS overran Inje. They struck
with surprising strength. Defense
of the town. 4 miles north of the
border. collapsed.
South Koreans gave way before
a similar Chinese assault in the
center. The Korean retreat ex-
posed the f1anks of other U. N.
units.
Reds rammed through, deepen
ing their wedge south of the 38th
Parallel Censorship withheld the
precise distance. Earlier in the
day the Chinese had pushed 4
miles into South Korea. And
they were still pressing forward
over the dusty hills on foot and by
horseback.
Central Situation Critical,
An 9th Army spokesman said
Red casualties we're 10 times those
of U. N forces. On the Eastern
trout, an officer said Red losses
there were 20 times those of the
Allies.
Field commanders described the
situation on the central front as
critical. Gut Gen. Ridgway said,
Il have complete confidence"
Korean officials were not so con-
f1dent. Great columns of refugees
clogged the highways south of the
central and western front.
Associated Press War Corre-
sondent Jim Becker on the central
front said the tired. dispirited
people" didn't even raise their
heads to see what was happening
along the roads they plodded.
Twice before they had fed along
the same routes from the Com
munist advance - always in de-
creasing numbers.
They walked down roads threat
ened by a great Red pincer move
ment. Arms of the pincer were
formed by Chinese pushing down
the mountainous center of the
peninsula, and reinforced Reds
boring across the Imjin River in
the west.
U. n. Troops Hit Back.
Elements of two attacking Chi
nese divisions forced U. N. troops
to withdraw near Korangpo at
the western end of the front.
Korangpo is south of the 38th
Parallel and 80 miles north of
Seoul, South Korean capital.
U. N. troops hit back. Asso-
ciated War Correspondent John
Randolph reported they were
still fighting savagely at dusk"
today.
The other arm Of the pincer
threatened the Chuncheon-S Seoul
highway. This road leads to the
capital from the northeast.
Only around Hwachon Reser-
voir, east of the breakthrough, did
the U. N. line hold firmly. Out
(See KOREA. Page A-3)