Third Round?

U.N. armored forces overran the Communists' "iron triangle" without much trouble, capturing large enemy stores of ammunition, fuel, rifles, burp guns, mines, grenades, TNT, and medical supplies. Two U.N. columns of more than 100 tanks closed in on Pyonggang* at the triangle's northern point, and found it empty. But when enemy resistance stiffened to the north and east, the allies pulled back out of the town. The U.N. offensive stalled.

The enemy had transferred his central-front base of operations to Kumsong, and he stopped the allies cold on the approaches. Every ridge seemed to be swarming with Chinese. Both in the center and in the west, the Chinese brought up reinforcements. More Red artillery appeared, dueled with U.S. guns. The Chinese moved back into Pyonggang and shelled U.S. patrols in the triangle area.

On the extreme western flank, the Eighth Army was still hanging back below the 38th parallel: General Van Fleet seemed unwilling to give up his useful water anchor on the Imjin (which flows into the Han estuary); a forward move in that area would widen his front painfully.

On the eastern flank, the Reds also held their ground doggedly. In that sector the North Korean troops, badly beaten earlier in the war, made a comeback, fought well.

The allied advance in the center and the Reds' tenacious stand in the east had left them with a huge salient bulging into the Eighth Army's right flank. Last week, hopeful dispatches mentioned the possibility of cutting off this salient by a thrust from the Pyonggang area north to the port of Wonsan. On the map, another allied move seemed to be possible: an invasion of the Wonsan area from the sea. If a beachhead could be established there, the base of the enemy salient could be squeezed from both sides and .would probably become untenable. It would also stand a good chance of rolling up to the Reds' next best defense line across the peninsula, which runs from Wonsan to a point below Pyongyang.

Whatever the U.N. forces did, they had virtually no hope of ending the war soon. The enemy's will to fight seemed unbroken. General Van Fleet predicted that the Chinese would attack again. Said he: "The Communists' declared intention is still to throw us into the sea. We do expect a third round of the Chinese spring offensive."

* Not to be confused with Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, 90 miles northwest.

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