Evening star., 1952-01-01
FIareup Of JET Battles
And Artillery in Korea
Launch New Year
BY the Associated Pres.


and Fed flyers and artillerymer
exchanged explosive New Yeal
greetings today but infantrymer
took a holiday.
United Nations artillery wei.
coined 1852 with a thunderou,
barrage clear across the 145-mile
front.
A few hours later three old
communist biplanes bombed In.
chon and Kimpo airfields nea,
seoul. The Allies said the planes
Old no damage. They escaped
oesplte spectacular anti-aircraft
barrages.
American Sabre jets started out
the New Year by damaging two
Red M1G-15s in a 30-minute bat
Tie over Northwest Korea,
No Sabres Damaged.
Ihe United States 5th Air Force
SAID no SabreS were hurt in the
oogflght between 81 American
planes and so Communist Jets.
But two United States pro-
peller-driven planes were shot
down by Communist anti-aircraft
guns. They were an F-51 Mustang
and a Marine Eau Corsair. Both
We're brought down behind Com
munist lines.
Both Red jets damaged in the
New Years Day battle were
claimed by Col. Harrison r.
Thyng of Pittsfield, N. H. His
record now reads two MICS shot
down, three damaged.
The 5th Air Force said nobody
was hit in an earlier jet battle
involving 70 MICS.
The Reds said in a COM
munique broadcast over Pyong-
yang radio that their planes
two formations of our night
pomoers"-destroyed "a u. N. air.
craft at Kimpo and scored direct
hits on ships at anchor and NUM-
tlonS warehouses and dumps at
Inchon.
Red Account Differs.
Large fires were started" at
1nchon, said the broadcast heard
IN Tokyo. Great explosions re-
suited"
Our brave bombers on their,
way home swooped down on an
enemy motor convoy, straf1ng and
bombing it. Scores of enemy
motorcars were left burning. ALI
our planes returned safely to-
base"
On the ground the United
States 9th Army said the only
action New Years Day up to noon
was a 40-minute fight against a
lone squad of attacking Reds
northwest of Yonchon on the
western front.
Despite the twilight war, the
9th Army said. the Communists
lost 1856 men last week, including
2,305 killed, 1902 wounded and
Il taken prisoner.
Fntn Ar FOrce Busy.
Reviewing the work of his 5thI
Air Force planes during December,
1t. Gen. Frank F. Everest an
nounced Communist transporta-
ton and supply facilities were left
badly battered at the end of 1851. u
During the month, he said, 5thI
Air Force pilots destroyed 4,296I
Red supply trucks, 1889 supply
and troop buildings, SO locomotives
and 318 boxcars. Red rail lines
we're reported cut 2,46l times. AirI
attacks were credited with killing
Or Wounding 1929 Communist
troops.
The 5th Air Force lost IS planes
10 the Reds in December. Seven
were shot down in air battles and
28 by Red anti-aircraft gunners.
Allied jet pilots shot down 80
MICS, probably destroyed five
more and damaged 36 other
planes, the summary said.
The repeatedly harmless New
Years Day attack by three planes
was comparatively heavy strike |
Tor the Reds.
Anti-Aircraft Fire Heavy.
A single bi-plane glided at 800
feet across Kimpo Airfeld, IL miles
from Seoul, at am. It dropped
q string of eight mortar shells.
They hit no planes, not even
8 runway" said airdome officer 1t.
D. c. Hamer of Winston-S Salem,
N. C.
After the bombs dropped, the
planes engine coughed into action.
"A few seconds later the ex-
hausts glowed up and our anti
aircraft boys had a target" 1t.
Hamer said.
The ack ack was the heaviest
seen at the field since the Allies
recaptured Kimpo last spring.
Two other planes repeatedly
dropped three bombs around IN
chon, 26 miles from Seoul. The
U. N. command said they did no
damage"