 On 20 December, there are two fronts in Korea. Main concern at this time is the Hongnam Beachhead, where evacuation has been in progress since 12 December. On the western front, U.N. forces have withdrawn to a general line near the 38th parallel. The enemy continues to mass-strength here. 105,000 troops and 100,000 refugees are evacuated from the Hongnam Beachhead to the Pusan-Pohang area to the south, plus vast quantities of supplies and equipment. The Navy and Air Force lay down a curtain of steel until the last man is removed. In the west, there is a gradual strengthening of the battle line. As General Matthew V. Ridgway becomes the new commander in the field, the Chinese are preparing for an all-out attack on Seoul. It comes on New Year's Day. The Allies abandon Seoul on 4 January. With the entire U.N. line pulling back, the Chinese suffer 10 to 1 casualties, but continue to push south with overwhelming odds. The Navy evacuates thousands at Incheon. On 9 January, the railroad center of Wanju falls. By this time, U.N. forces have withdrawn 60 miles south of the parallel. Here, a relatively stable situation is set up, although no definite line is drawn. From the 9th to the 20th of January, there are few gains by either side. The city of Wanju exchanges hands several times in bitter local engagements. Air action continues to harass red concentrations. Both sides have paused to mass strength for the crucial battles impending. The perimeter of blood and steel about the port of Hongnam is shrinking fast. Hard pressed by an invading Chinese Communist Army that swarms forward with reckless disregard for its casualties, the last of the United Nations troops carry out their orderly withdrawal from military positions that are no longer tenable. The delaying actions which have exacted such a high toll of the pursuers are finally drawing to a close. Most of these men who have stuck it out until the last hours before boarding the waiting ships are elements of the third division. Groups evacuated are being shipped to Hohang and Busan. A nitrate factory smokestack is blown up by an engineer demolition team to prevent its use as a landmark by the Reds to pinpoint vital targets in the beach area. Floating artillery holds back an enemy which will finally be allowed to take possession of the heap of rubble for which it is paid so dearly. Tons of demolition charges are lowered under the piers and pilings that line the harbor front. It will be a long time before the occupying enemy troops will be able to put these harbor facilities to any good use. Around the warehouses on the docks, engineers lay out a hose that is filled with TNT. Many lengths of the explosive hose are coupled together and laid close to the foundations of the buildings. In the UN's new scorched earth tactics, few buildings are left in which the Chinese Reds will be able to hide from observation or air attack. Primer cord is attached to the hose and paid out to the last safe position at the water's edge. The last remaining troops board landing craft that are armed with machine guns. Detonation devices left in the abandoned city are ticking off their last seconds. An ammunition dump goes up, thundering and crackling as it illuminates the sky with a spectacular display of fireworks. Docks are destroyed. Mains of Pungnam are left to the enemy. A few miles north of Seoul, other UN troops are also pulling back in the face of overwhelming Chinese military manpower. The situation requires the entire Eighth Army to be redeployed. Men and machines moved back from positions which they had occupied before the vast Chinese hordes had swarmed across the Manchurian border and precipitated an entirely new war. As UN troops withdraw below the 38th parallel, it is estimated that a force of fully 100,000 Chinese are preparing to close in on Seoul. The new lines, which will be commanded by General Ridgway, are regrouping well to the south, where our troops can avoid the danger of entrapment. South Korean guerrilla troops act as the rear guard as they move along in the withdrawal. The once proud capital city of Seoul is soon to be occupied by the enemy. Its last remaining inhabitants are frightened, discouraged and depressed during a Christmas season in which the words peace on earth, goodwill toward men, become a mockery. The Far East Air Force Combat Cargo Command takes on a mission of mercy. At Kimpo Airfield near Incheon, a precious cargo is assembled for evacuation from battle-torn Korea. Nearly 1,000 Korean orphans and wafes of war are taken aboard C-54s for transfer to an island refuge off the South Korean coast. Aced six months to 11 years, these helpless victims of war were to have been settled at a model child welfare center in Seoul under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel R.L. Blaisdell, Fifth Air Force Chaplain. But with the fall of Seoul now imminent, they are hurried off by air to a sanctuary far from the scene of any future hostilities. With the help of Red Cross, YMCA and mission officials, the youngsters were gathered up from many points in the war-torn nation. The tiny passengers, many of whom are suffering from starvation, whooping cough, tuberculosis and other serious illnesses, are cared for with special tenderness by the airmen and nurses. Last minute evacuation by air is necessary because a Korean ship, which was to have removed the children from Incheon, failed to make its appearance. On the southern outskirts of Seoul, United Nations troops pull back across the Han River. The South Korean government has already moved to Busan. The carefully planned withdrawal from Seoul is orderly and without unnecessary haste, as British and American units fight delaying rear-guard actions within the burning city to delay the oncoming Reds, who during the last few days have been attacking with fanatic disregard for their own high losses. A section of a cotton bridge is dismantled after the main body of troops have crossed in that area. Whatever is usable and readily transportable, the troops take with them. There will be other rivers and streams to cross. Demolition charges are prepared to blow up the portions of the bridge that are impractical to salvage. Explosives attached, the order is given to destroy the floating span. Incheon, the seaport for Seoul is evacuated. After the fall of the South Korean capital on 4 January, Incheon once again sees her beaches crowded with soldiers. It is a scene which is reminiscent of the United Nations landing here last September. But this time the situation is more grim. Incheon has been isolated by the Chinese advance through the abandoned city of Seoul. And the communist reoccupation of Incheon is expected within a few hours. Chief difficulty in carrying out the embarkation here is the unusually high tide, which have a 30-foot rise and fall, limiting the place and time at which landing craft can safely come in. When UN troops spearheaded by the first U.S. Marines landed here on 15 September, the approaching end of the Korean War was hailed. But then the Chinese intervened to bring about what General MacArthur described as a totally new war. The final outcome of this new phase in Korea is still in doubt as UN soldiers retrace hard-won steps along the roads and sea lanes to Busan. Throughout the evacuation, the United States heavy cruiser Rochester stands by in case the Chinese should appear before they are expected. The evacuation is to be completed by midnight. As the landing craft pull away, the island of Wolmi stands in the background patched with snow. When the Marines had made their landing last September, Wolmi Island was the beachhead for the first wave of the salt boats. Now Wolmi is the last coastal landmark the troops see as they make their reluctant departure. Thousands of civilian refugees from the same area jammed the railroad station at Incheon, patiently waiting their turn for any kind of transportation which offers a chance for escape from the oncoming red terror. The civilians from this section of Korea that has been in UN hands for a number of months appear better clothed than fed than the refugees evacuated from Hongnam in the east. The patient and enduring populace prayerfully waits for a chance to ride on something, anything that moves. Compared to walking day and night over the icy ground, a freight car is luxury travel. The harbor area is equally crowded with fleeing civilians. These refugees are the families of the factory workers or the families of dock workers. Many refugees arrange for their own transportation. Fishing boats and freighters are pressed into service. The fare is 10,000 won or about $30 for the 36 hour sea journey to Busan. Darkness comes. At first there are only a few fires visible. Then, Incheon is destroyed in the face of the advancing enemy. Dawn breaks over the suburban town of Ascom. Debris burns in the deserted streets. This is the site of a former arsenal. Abandoned locomotives have received a final going over from the air. Kimpo airfield, 12 miles inland, lies in smoking ruin. Typical of Incheon's total devastation are the locks which once protected its tidal basin. To the troops of Communist China are left these remains of a Korean city. The great trek southward goes on by land as well as by sea. Up to the last, every bridge across the Han River is taxed to its capacity. A million civilians have already started southward from Seoul, but still the stream of refugees continues, slowly making its way over frozen rivers and fields. A serious problem for UN authorities, these people must somehow be cared for in the already overcrowded southern refugee centers. Farther south, near Suwon, British Commonwealth forces of the 29th British Brigade move to new defense positions in the course of the general redeployment of all United Nations forces. Units of this brigade were among the last to leave the rubble that had once been Korea's capital. On its way back, the convoy passes the rusting skeleton of a Russian tank, one of those knocked out during last year's UN offensive. North of Suwon, US forces, supported by tank units, prepare to dig in to fight further delaying actions in support of the redeployment. By holding the Chinese forces at bay from a series of selected defense positions, the Eighth Army's withdrawal from above Seoul is successfully completed with extraordinary order and precision, as Chinese and North Korean ground forces occupy the ruined land for which they are paying so dear a price. Fighter bombers of the UN Air Force fly constant sorties to harass and impede their movements and to destroy their supplies. The merciless blasting is in line with our determined efforts to prevent the enemy from marshaling sufficient troops or a major push before the UN forces have time to consolidate their strength in their new positions. That was to have been pitted against the outnumbered UN troops. Disappears in flashes of flame and pops of smoke. After identifying their targets, our planes swoop down like avenging shadows of death and destruction. North Korean prisoners indicate that the incessant air attacks are wreaking havoc with troops around. The enemy has kept off balance and prevented from holding the tactical initiative.