Evening star., 1951-05-26
u. N. Striking
Daring Blow
For Victory
BY the Associated Press

infantry columns swarmed into
Red Korea all along the l25-mlle
battlefront today in hot pursuit
of beaten and fleeing Communists.
SThey were stepping up hourly
the pace of the all-out offensive
proclaimed yesterday by their
commander, 1t. Gen. James A.
Van Fleet.
Associated Press Correspondent
Jim Becker said it appeared the
Allied commanders were striking
a daring blow for victory"
Communists were surrendering
in unprecedented" numbers, Mr..
Becker reported in a front dis
patch.
Red troops jammed the roads
to the north in pell-mell fight.
They had abandoned their tactic
of waiting until nightfall to move.
Allied planes hammered at these
wide-open targets.
We've never seen anything like
it before" a United States 9th
Army briefing officer said. He
added, Amazing
Allies Cease Slow Advance.
The Allies, too, had abandoned
their maneuver of the slow ad-
vance. They slammed across the
border into Red Korea in a half
dozen places. Allied troops were
shifting into high gear in their
northward thrust from the Yellow
Sea to the Sea of Japan.
Commanders expressed concern
over $4,000 fresh Chinese troops
known to be close to the front.
But they appeared to be relying
on Allied high mobility to meet
any possible thrust. One officer
said:
ANY time you 60 out for the
whole pot you've got to take a
chance"
Allied troops were across the
border-from east to west-at
Yangyang, Inje, near Hwachon
and northwest of Chunchon, and
northeast of Uijongbu.
In the extreme west. United
Nations forces were strung along
the border at several points.
There were SO many Chinese
dead on some hills, one officer
said, "You have to be careful not
to step on them"
Advance in Pouring Rain.
United States doughboys
rammed up the main central Ko-
rean highway northwest of cap
tured Chunchon in pouring rain
and rolled about 2 miles beyond
the 38th Parallel.
Red opposition was light as the
infantry column stabbed within
6 miles of Hwachon, former key
Chinese bastion miles north of
the prewar political boundary.
To the east, American and
French troops smashed through
Chinese screening forces and
swept up the Hongchon-Inje road.
The thrust opened a direct supply
route to the Allied bridgehead
across the Choyang River on the
east-central front.
Trap on Reds frightened.
The linkup with the bridgehead
frightened the trap on suicidal
Chinese fighting rearguard actions
to keep open a 6-mile escape route
In the mountains near the road.
The American-French linkup
column knocked out Red resist
ance along the important Hong
chon-Inje road. The infantrymen
captured six important hills COM
manding the route.
A United States task force
reached Inje and South Korean
forces to the east were reported to
have occupied Yangyang. 6 miles
north of the 38th Parallel on the
east coast.
Chinese Surrender.
FaSt-moving Allied units ad-
vanced against almost no opposi-
ton from Chinese, who, an Of
flcer said, surrendered "in num-
bers."
United States Marines took
many" prisoners who refused to
fight.
No estimate has been made If
the number of captured Chinese.
The officer said Allied forces
"are taking more prisoners now
than ever before"
A tank-infantry unit crossed
36 north of Changgo Or the west
central front today FOR the Sec
end straight day
South Korean unIts On the east
central front advanced nearly 6
miles today with My light enemy
contact.
Rain Fails 10 Slow Allies.
Aerial spoilers sighted 5000
Communists retreating northwest
into Inje on the east-central front
and sighted groups of Reds fleeing
northwest of Hwachon on the
central front.
Twenty-four hours of rain
failed to slow Allied troops on
the western front. They moved
their main line almost to SO and
sent a tank patrol beyond it.
The patrol reported it had de-
stroyed an enemy tank or self
propelled gun just south of the
parallel.
If it should be verified as a tank
the action will have been one OF
the extremely rare tank-to- tank
clashes since the U. N. knocked
out the North Korean armored
force last fall.