Evening star., 1951-04-14
Fierce Fighting
By Reds Slows
Allied Advance
South Korean Marines
Seize Nearly All of
Ongjin Peninsula
BY the Associated Press

Ridswoy Tokes Over New Duties os SCAr
10 rress tor Ireoty. Poee A.
United Nations naval units-wer
in control of virtually all of tn
IOngjin peninsula in North Korea
T The peninsula juts into the Vel
low Sea south of Chinnampo, por
for the Korean Communist cap
ltal OF Pyongyang. A South Ko
rean Navy announcement said tn,
Republican Marines landed Apri
7 and seized the towns of Kumsa1
and Hwasan.
Eighteen additional Chinese Ret
dlvisions-up to 10000 men in 81,
army crops if at full strength
were reported pouring into tn,
Western Communist defense sec.
tor below Pyongyang.
New Strength Located.
The sizeable buildup had beer
reported April II by an Army
spokesman in Washington, but to.
days report generally located the
new strength. If the estimate is
right. it means the Reds have
more than 100000 troops mass
ing on the western and centra,
fronts.
A late front dispatch said Allieo
infantry and tank patrols cross
ing the Pukhan River valley west
Of Hwachon Reservoir drew wide
spread enemy reaction"
The Reds were reported burn
ing houses behind their lines. This
was not explained, but Associated
Press War Correspondent Tom
Bradshaw reported it might be
an effort to screen some Rec
activity.
On the West coast, the South
Koreans landed with the aid OF
the Korean Youth Corps ano
drove northward almost to Chin
nampo.
Chinnampo is about go miles
north Of the landing site.
Allied Troops Advance.
Allied troops under a new COM
mand advanced generally along
the 120-mile front in North Korea
yesterday, but counted their gain.
in yards. 1t. Gen. James A. Var
Fleet took over command of Alliec
ground forces from 1t. Gen. Mat
thew B. Ridgway.
Gen. Ridgway relinquished COM
mand of the 9th Army after his
troops smashed eight heavy Red
counterattacks. Chinese and North
Koreans pulled back from their
futile assaults Friday on the
central and western fronts after
losing an estimated 4,275 killed
and wounded. 1t was the heaviest
Red loss in single day for weeks.
American troops on the central
front drove Reds from one of the
key hill masses south of the
HWachon Reservoir.
The GIs, supported by a thun-
dering air and artillery lombard
ment, seized Gibraltar Hill'' and
routed remnants Of Red Korean
division from strong entrench-
Powerful U. N. forces followed
up the attack and chased the flee
ing Reds to the outskirts of
Yanggu. Then they poured a hail
of rifle bullets into the city, 7
miles north of Parallel 38 on the
southeast tip of the Hwachon
Reservoir.
Roadblocks By-passed.
A reinforced tank-infantry COL
umn rumbled toward Yanggu from
the south. The column clanked
through mine fields and by-passed
roadblocks.
Yanggu had been crowded with
Red troops and supplies. It once
was considered the east-central
anchor of an extensive Red con-
centration.
Allied artillery caught two boat
oads OF Reds trying to escape
across the reservoir. The shells
sank the boats and about 100
Reds were drowned.
South Korean troops stabbed
lorth Of Inje, 10 miles southeast
II Yanggu, against stiff resist
ance.
The United States 9Th Army
said the, Reds were putting up
'tiff opposition north and north
vest of Yongong on the Western
'ront. The Communists battled
desperately for dominating ridge
positions.
Ten B-29 Superforts blasted the
aangdong airfield 20 miles north
east OF Pyongyang yesterday with
30 tons of high explosives.
1t was another strike in the
Far East Air Forces campaign to
keep North Korean air fields in
operational.
1t. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer.
Allied air commander, has said
the Reds were building new fields
and repairing others in prepara-
ton for strong air attacks against
Allied ground troops and install
ations.
Red China's radio at Peiping
said the Red air force must GER
Lalnly retaliate" for claimed
oombings of Manchurian terri