Evening star., 1951-02-25
U. n. Troops InfIict
133,76O Casualties
On Reds in "a Days
sy the Associated Press

An 9th Army spokesman esti-
mated in Korea yesterday that
United Nations ground forces
alone inflicted 133,76o casualties
on the enemy in the 34-day period
from January II through Febru-
ary 20.
At the same time, the Far East
Air Force in Tokyo announced
its airmen had accounted for at
least 100000 Chinese and North
Koreans in the eight months of
the war-more than two-thirds
of them in the last three months.
The Army official pointed out
the 133,760 total of Reds killed,
wounded or captured in the 35-
day period is merely a good guess
based on the most reliable counts
available. and does not include
Air Force or Navy claims, or the
thousands of enemy troops report
ed to have died from typhus or
other diseases.
$4,000 Figure Unconfirmed.
The ground forces spokesman,
according to the Associated Press.
could neither confirm nor deny an
announcement from the Defense
Department in Washington that
enemy casualties since the war be-
gan have totalled 624,000 through
February 20. "We have no such
total here" he added
Military men in Korea shrink
from the mention of enemy casu-
alties, protesting that no figures
can be more than guesses.
Here are some of the reasons
behind their belief:
/. In the early confused days of
the war. there were many days
when no estimates of enemy casu-
alties were made at all.
2. Both Chinese and North Ko-
reans. especially the Chinese, try
to bury their dead. The graves are
not disturbed by Allied forces.
8. Aside from bodies left on the |
battlefield, the count of enemy
dead for an average day consists
of adding together the guesses of
perhaps 200 men. These men in
clude forward artillery observers,
patrol leaders and platoon SER
geantS.
Task Almost Impossible.
4. Even in daylight it is highly
difficult to estimate the size of an
enemy force. The Allies commonly
resort to such rules of thumb as
figuring that an enemy company
has two machine ne-guns-since it is
easier to count firing machine
guns than hidden soldiers. When
even the size of an enemy is a
tough estimates the task of ac-
curately estimating his casualties
Is almost impossible.
5. All estimates are vastly more
difficult and improbable at night.
but such nighttime estimates
continue to be made-despite the
fact that Orientals invariably at
tempt to withdraw all their dead
and wounded under cover of dark
ness.
Our soldiers do the best job
they can of estimating enemy
casualties" the spokesman said,
"but anyone familiar with the
circumstances involved knows
how unreliable their estimates
must necessarily be.
152 i'm Air Force Killed.
American air losses were listed
as total of 152 killed, 206 miss
ing, three captured and 178
wounded.
Plane losses due to enemy ac-
ton were given as 1870 fighters. Is
bombers. eight transports and II
miscellaneous craft, making
total of 165.
Gen. George E. Stratemeyer,
commander of the Far East Air
Force, said more than 10000 in
dividual flights have been made
by FEAT pilots through Febru-
ary 81 in 241 consecutive days of
air fighting. In the last 80 days
of that period, more than $4,000
sorties were flown, including 1855
successful attacks on bridges.
The Air Force also destroyed or
damaged 139 of the enemy's al
ready-scarce locomotives, LILO
rail cars and 5.575 trucks and We
hicles which were attempting to
use the road network"
Ninety-one rail or highway tun-
nels were sealed off or damaged