Show Lost Loaf Battalion Reports Red Tank Armor Defied r Everything U. U S. S Used i i Editors Editor's note For 2 2 days United Press War Var Correspondent Correspond Correspond- ent nt Peter Kalischer I and a a. group roup of American troops iJ In defense outposts below Suwon were cut off from the rest of the American forces on the Korean front by Communist tanks and infantry The Communist Communist Com Corn t radio reported Thursday Thursday Thurs Thurs- I day that Red forces had captured captured cap cap- Kalischer The broadcast broadcast broadcast broad broad- cast was in error Kalischer I got back bark to the American lines and this is his Jus story 1 II By fly y Peter Kalischer I ADVANCE U U. S S. li l j Korea orea July 7 UP UP-I UP I have just returned from from 2 days behind the North Korean lines with a troop of American soldiers from this wars war's almost lost bat bat- tallon The battalion had barely maneuvered maneu- maneu I vered ered into position in the farthest American outpost some three d 1 1 1 miles north of Osan 11 miles south I Il i l of Suwon at am a.m. Wednesday i when the North Korean arm army launched its strongest tank attack l of the war American artillery a half mile i back opened up on the tanks just justas justi i as I reported in to the battalion I commander Lt Col Charles B BSmith B. B Smith of Lambertville N N. J. J I Ten minutes later from a foxhole foxhole foxhole fox fox- hole I saw the first Russian-made Russian tanks rumble over the road I had taken to the command post First one then 10 then 20 Com Com- tanks rumbled past The They completely cut us off from our lines I lost count after that The tanks began firing tiring at the American a art artillery r t i 11 e r y batteries which had the range of the road But so far as I could tell the they scored no hits The Communist tanks were in single file ile like Jike ducks in a shooting shooting shooting shoot shoot- ing gallery But they knew what they were about They would pause before the target spot wait until American batteries fired then spurt on ahead The American battalion only I two companies strong opened up with everything it had from dominating dominating dominating domi domi- heights north south east and southeast of the road The soldiers fired mortars bazookas bazookas bazookas ba ba- ba- ba and new 75 recoilless 75 millimeter millimeter milli milli- meter s. s But for or the most part the missiles bounded bounced off like pong ping balls In the next five fi terrible hours before the withdrawal order only three tanks were crippled And it took daring teams running up within 50 yards of the iron monsters to do it it Four hits hils on the treads put them out of action The gravity of the battalions battalion's position became evident ident an hour after the attack started By then tanks backed by North Korean artillery were challenging the American big gun positions to the south Officers told me the Communist tanks fired SS 88 millimeter meter guns the purpose all-purpose guns with which the nazis punished U U. S S. troops during World orld War Var II They said the thc tanks had new and I tougher tough r armor which made them virtually imper impervious imperious ious to the American American Ameri Ameri- can antitank equipment used that day At a an am m it began to rain rain I My foxhole companion Robert Robert Robfrt Rob Rob- ert frt J. J Kahley 20 of ol Garrets Hill Pa said jocularly Nice weather were we're ha having hang ng- ng But an hour later he no longer felt like joking We Ve were com com- I cut off by the Communist tanks Kahley prayed But the tanks i ignored our battalion battalion bat hat at first in their toward Osan As soon as the red led vanguard was around a bend in the road Capt A A. H H. Nugent of Merrill Wis Vis ordered ordered or or- orI I dered a headquarters company to bring up aP ammunition cached on the j side of the road The men hesitated Then by twos t and threes thc they slithered down the hill grabbed an m armful of ammunition and climbed up again On the thc batt battalion llon telephone Col for air support But with ceil ceiling n zero he must have known he couldn't get it At i a am nr m. durin during a lull inthe inthe in inthe the firing Smith called on companies companies companies compa compa- nies B Band and C to lo form a perimeter defense on the saddle of oC the hillI hill bill I left my foxhole and helped the medics dig a trench of their own You c got hot to dig Nugent told the men Your lives depend on it Our holes filled felled with water up to the ankles within 25 minutes About the same time we saw to North Korean troops debarking from trucks trucks' on the road north of the battalion hill Smith ordered Capt Will ill Corder of Carthage Mo an adviser to the Korean military group and his sergeant ergeant to make a break for help down the east side of the hill By 11 a am m. m five tanks tank had re returned returned returned re- re turned to support the North Korean Korean Korean Ko Ko- rean infantry The hill began beg rocking with wilh artillery artillery ar ar- ar- ar tillery Ullery hits mortar shells and the of small arms bul bul- lets At 1 ocl o'clock ck the enemy began II flanking flanking- the hill to the cast of our one escape route Smith gave the withdrawal order half an hour laterI later I grabbed a helmet and started to run lun down alon along a slope lope overlooking overlooking overlooking over over- looking a rice paddy A mortar shell burst about 7 75 yards away and in hitting the dirt I dislocated my trick shoulder I rc reset et it on the run Soon the battalion was strung out in a single irregular file marching south through pouring rain Pretty soon oon Allen n Palmer of Mendon lendon Ill staggered up ex- ex h hausted He was supported by another another another an an- other man Gordon York of Tremonton Utah We e passed through several eral Korean Korean Korean Ko Ko- Ko- Ko rean ghost villages All the inhabitants inhabitants in inhabitants in- in habitants had fled led south to join the long columns of refugees T TREMONTON R E 1 0 N TON Box Elder County July 7 Special Word Special Word Friday that their son Gordon York had escaped a North Korean encircling movement cased eased the fears of his parents Mr and Mrs Ray York Tremonton The Yorks had last heard from their soldier son six weeks ago when he wrote them he was going to Korea from Japan to check equipment at outposts there and teach Koreans how to use communications communications com com- facilities They had been fearful for the young joung mans man's safety since the advent advent advent ad ad- vent of the Korean crisis A navy veteran of World War Var II York reenlisted in the army in July 1917 1947 because navy ratings had been frozen He had held the rating of motor machinIsts machinists machinists machin machin- mate first class while in the navy |