Evening star., 1953-07-11
U. 5. Troops Ordered.
From Porkchop Hill !
Under Furious Fire
BY the Assoeiated Press

Or InS HSSoSioIeo FTeSs
SEOUL, Sunday, July l2.-
United States 7th Division troops
under furious Red artillery fire.
withdrew from Outpost Pork
chop on the western front last
night on orders from superior
officers, an 9th Army briefing
officer said.
The expression ION orders"
meant the withdrawal was a.,
command decision and that the,
troops were not forced off by di-
rect Red attack. v-..,.
Earlier Chinese troops report
edly had stormed the crest in
daylight. The Army spokesman
said it was not known immedi-,
ately if the Chinese had occupied,
the battle-scarred height, only
40 miles north of Seoul.
The withdrawal brought to at
least a temporary end the five
day battle for Porkchop, guard
ing the Chorwon Valley supply
routes to the south. The fight
began with a Red attack late
Monday and continued with un-
abated fury until last night.
Allied Fire Also Heavy.
One of the reasons undoubt-
edly for the withdrawal was the
heavy Red barrage rained by the
Reds on the outpost. In five days
the hill absorbed up to $4,000
rounds of exploding steel.
Allied artillery equaled or sur
passed the Chinese fire during
the battle and rose in intensity
as the 7th Division troops pulled
back.
The Chinese earlier had.
launched a heavy n'idmorning
daylight attack when they sprang
from bunkers on the western and
northern tips of the ridge.
Just before noon allied big
guns killed or wounded $50 Com
muniSts moving toward Porkchop
to reinforce Red ground forces,
the 9th Army said.
Becomes 37th Ace.
In the air a Marine, Maj. John.
F. Bolt of Sanford. Fla. shot.
down two Communist MIG jets
deep in North Korea and be-
came the 37th jet ace of the
war, the Air Force said.
He nailed his fifth and sixth
MICS just after they roared
from their Manchurian sane.
tuary to tangle with Thunderjets
bombing targets along the
Chongchon River.
1t was the first time MICS and
Sabres had tangled since June
80, when Is of the Russian-built
fighters were destroyed by sharp
shooting allied pilots for a one.
day record.
Fifth Air Force said 145 Thun-
derjetS. from the 51st Fighter
Wing raked Red transportation,
routes in a 30-mile area that
was also pounded Friday. ..
.ROKs Repulse Reds.
Other fighter -bombers hurled
36 tons of high explosives at
Communist positions east Of
Kumsong. where earlier in the
day South Korean troops slam
med back 1000 Reds who as
saulted ROK mainline positions
along a four-mile stretch.
The Air Force said it lost
| three planes during week
an F-84 Thunderjet to ground
fire, an F-3B Marine night fight
er and a T-6 Mosquito to "other
causes" probably engine failure.
Red night fighters came up to
challenge allied B-29s bombing
newly repaired bridge network
spanning the Chongchon River.
All Bombers Return. =.
All the bombers returned to
their base in Japan, the Air
Force said.
Two Chinese battalions-total-
ing up to $500 men-swept past
a ROK outpost on the east-cen-
tral front, then rammed Allied
lines 900 yards apart in a pincer
movement.
The assault hit the ROK 9Th
Division guarding the front
southeast of Kumsong. ...
The Reds reinforced one side
OF the attack force with about
300 men, but the last Chinese
battalion withdrew after seven
hours of furious fighting.
The ROK 9th Division ham.
mered back a stiff Red attack
just west of Finger Ridge while
other South Koreans with fame
throwers burned out Chinese
dug in on an outpost on Arrow
head ridge five miles from Pork
chop.
Elsewhere on the curving front
Allied patrols reported 26 minor
SkirmiShes with the Reds