Evening star., 1951-04-15
Allies Pressing
On Red Base in
'3-Prong Drive
Communists Put Up
Heavy Resistance
Before Chorwon
BY the A.seeiated Press

1Oh1O, SUNDAY, April To-
Allied troops under a new field
commander crunched forward
yesterday in a powerful three
prong advance on the big Chinese
Communist base of Chorwon in
side North Korea against heavy
Red resistance.
In the center of the 120-mile
broad battle front. other United
Nations tank infantry forces ham,
mered at the gates of Yanggu.
Eastern anchor of the Communist
defenses in this sector.
On the west coast, far behind
enemy lines. 200 heavily armed
South Korean marines aided by
friendly guerrillas had gained all
most complete control of the light
ly defended Ongjin Peninsula.
They seized positions within II
miles southwest of Chinnampo,
Yellow Sea port for the Com
munist capital Of ,Pyongyang.
Van Fleet Takes Command.
Some 500 sympathetic civilians
were freed, after the Korean ma
rines landed April 7 on the south
ern tip of the peninsula under
cover Of Republic of Korea naval
bombardments.
There was no indication how
long the marines would remain
in the absence of large Red con-
centrations on the peninsula.
1t. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway
turned over his 9th Army COM
pany yesterday to 1t. Gen. James
A. Van Fleet. husky 59-year-old
veteran of the Normandy beach,
head in World War II and the
postwar anti-Communist CAM
paign in Greece.
Gen. Van Fleet took over the
9th Army at critical time. Chi
nese and North Korean Conn
munists fought desperately to
stem the Allied offensive north
OF the s8th Parallel long enough
70 launch a major counter -offen-
sive.
Eighth Army headquarters re-
ported that Red casualties Fri-
day through ground action alone
We're Asl5 killed or wounded.
|. This was up to four times the
number Of daily casualties in
f1icted on the Reds during the
past week. It indicated much
heavier resistance was being Of
Tered In lighting that was still
tonscured by censorship.
Progress Slow But Steady.
associated Press War Core
spondent John Randolph said the
Allies made slow but steady prog
ress in their three-way drive
toward Chorwof, II miles north
OF the 38th Parallel.
The Allies now stand before the
last mountain barrier to the devas-
tated city. A week of savage fight.
ing was required to approach
those heights, Mr.. Randolph said.
Allied air strikes and furious
artillery bombardments by deadly
accurate Long Toms" rubbed
Chorwon itself, but even the ruins
had military Importance. The
town controls five road functions.
ChorWon was the southern point
OF massive Communist buildup
OF 100000 or more troops wedged
across the narrow 10-mile neck
of North Korea.
Eighth Army headquarters iden.
tified for the first time six new
Chinese Army Corps - 100 900
troops - previously reported
streaming south into Korea from
the Manchurian border. The Red
reinforcements were located south
lot Pyongyang in positions just
above the western front.
They were the 18th Army
Group. composed of the 63rd. 64tt1
and 65th Armies corps in posi-
tion Is miles north Of the 38th
Parallel; and the 18th Army
Group, composed Of the 6oth, 6lst,
and 62nd Armies, believed to be
20 to 35 miles above the old
boundary line.
Million More Massed.
Unofficial Chinese Nationalist
sources on Formosa asserted that
more than million more Chinese
Red troops were massed in Man
churia, ready to pour into Korea.
However. these reinforcements
were minimized as new recruits
with little field training and gen.