Evening star., 1953-03-27
Marines Retake
Korea Outpost
In Bitter Fight
Loss to Foe Earlier
Avenged; Reds Still
Another Position
BY the Associated Press

SEOUL, Saturday, Mar. o.
Grim United States marines, re-
coiling from a surprise 3,500-man
Chinese Red onslaught against
10 outpoStS, last night regained
one of the two western front
hills where other Marines had
died to the last man.
Recapture of bloody Vegas,
one of two outpostS yielded in
Thursdays Chinese human SEQ
attack, came after 10 hours of
fierce hand-to-hand combat.
The outpost hills are 25 miles
southwest of Old Baldy, which
the Reds seized in the first round
of their drive earlier this week.
The hills are just to the north
east of Bunker Hill, which also
was hit in yesterdays assaults.
Only Is miles northwest of the
Marine action, Red MIG-15 jets
made their deepest penetration
of the year before being taken
on in sky battles by Australian
twin jet Meteors. The Aussies
claimed one MIG probably
doWned and another damaged
in dogfights south of Sohung.
Planes Moved Closer.
Earlier yesterday there was an
other indication the Reds were
trying to move their air arm
closer to the front line. United
States Marine pilots of propel-
ler-driven planes said they dam
aged a MIG in an encounter
near Chinnampo, the port for
the Red Korean capital of
Pyongyang.
A Marine regimental COM
mander said the Chinese killed
or captured every Marine in
small holding forces on Vegas
and nearby Reno outposts when
$500 Reds seized the positions in
q surprise night attack.
The commander of the 5th
Marine Regiment said that at
GAS pm. last night (7:45 am.
EST. his men were in firm con-
troll of Vegas. They had sent
for supplies to dig in and rebuild
the shattered outpost.
MOpped Up in Two Hours.
The 1st Marine Division troops
secured the hill at 7:30 pm, but
hopping up operations con-
tinued two hours more on the
upper slopes.
The Marines reported they de-
stroyed the effectiveness of from
IL to Is Chinese companies
more than 1000 troops, in the
bloody, hand to hand fighting.
The commander leading the
Marine assault on Vegas mes
saged:
I'VE are on the top, situation
we'll in hand. Enemy has tried
several attempts to reinforce and
cOunterattack."
whitening Red machine gun
fire had ripped at the Marine
attackers on their way up the
slope. Marine tanks hammered
at the Communist machine gun
nests. Smoke from exploding
shells shrouded the outpost.
Casualties Heavy.
Col. L. w. Walt, a Marine
regimental commander disclosed
that every Marine on Vegas and
Reno when the Reds hit was
presumed dead or captured.
The number was not reported,
but presumably was small.
Frontline reports said casual
ties in the fight back up the
slope were far greater.
The Marines smashed through
a ring of trenches circling the
hill to regainsVegas, after a day
of bloody, hand-to-hand COM
bat with the Red defenders.
Before the Marines regained
Vegas, Col. Walt, of Ft. Collins,
Colo, said:
The Chinese took the posi-
ton by mass force and mass
formation which they can al
ways do on an outpost like that
when they want to pay the price.
We are going to get it back.
It's only a matter of when"
The Reds still clung to Reno
and to Old Baldy, So miles north
of Seoul. Old Baldy was cap
tured Wednesday from the
United States 7th Infantry Di-
vision. Allied warplanes since
have dropped hundreds of tons
of bombs on the height in a
virtually steady stream.