 As of 20 March, UN ground forces on all fronts are pushing slowly and methodically northward toward the 38th parallel. They meet only light resistance as the Chinese communists fall back. On 21 March, Chun Chun falls without a fight. In an attempt to speed up the offensive and trap the large enemy force, guarding the approaches to Pyongyang, the 187th regimental combat team parachutes behind enemy lines in the Munsan area just 12 miles below the parallel. At the same time, other UN forces drive northward along a 15-mile front above Seoul to meet them. However, the main body of the communist troops escaped the trap. By 31 March, South Korean forces in the east have already crossed the parallel and are moving inland from Pyongyang. In the west, a U.S. tank column crosses the 38th parallel north of Seoul. Meanwhile, UN naval forces patrol the east Korean waters, harassing enemy transport and troop movements along the coast, and bombarding key communist traffic hubs. Allied ground troops continue their cautious advance into enemy territory, and on 18 April, after days of bloody fighting, UN troops in the central sector capture the strategic Wachan Dam and enter the town of Wachan. As of 20 April, the Chinese communists are continuing to fall back all along the front with heavy casualties. But their resistance becomes stronger as UN troops approach the huge enemy concentrations that have been masked below Wansan for the long-expected counteroffensive. During this 30-day period, the greatest aerial battle of the Korean War took place with over 225 bombers and fighters involved. Eight enemy jets are destroyed, no friendly fighters are lost. On this map of Korea, a crudely improvised tomahawk marks the jump area for a parachute operation beyond our front lines. The airborne mission is named Operation Tomahawk, objective to seize an area deep in enemy territory on the Imjin River near Munsan, and hold on until ground forces move up to consolidate the position. Equipment of the parachutist gets a pre-loading inspection. Any loose dangling gear may injure the jumper or snap off and get lost when the shoot opens. 3,300 parachutists of the 187th Regimental Combat Team will participate in the operation. Into the C-119 flying boxcars, heavy equipment is loaded. 4.2-inch mortars, 105-millimeter howitzers, and jeeps are prepared for the drop to support the parachute infantrymen. Air Force crew members get last-minute briefings. Pilots carefully recheck jump areas on maps, get latest weather report, and then prepare to take off. Troop carrier planes rendezvous over Taegu and fly northward. Fighters and bombers have preceded these planes to soften up enemy resistance. Here's the jump area, 10 miles south of the parallel. At 0900 on Good Friday, 23 March, Brigadier General Frank S. Bowen's 187th Airborne RCT hits the silks over the rice paddies and rolling terrain of the jump area. The parachutists leave the troop carriers in sticks of 42 men from each plane at an altitude of 800 feet. As soon as all parachute personnel have jumped, the flying boxcars start delivering the heavy equipment. In this plane, jeeps and trailers are being dropped. A small parachute is released to aid in pulling the heavy cargo from the plane. More equipment and supplies are dropped as the parachutists quickly assemble and organize on the ground. The North Korean First Corps believed to be in this area had vanished. No serious opposition was encountered. Operation Tomahawk gains 20 miles in one day. Just before nightfall, the first tanks of the 24th Infantry Division link up with the parachutists. Tank drivers poke their heads up through their ports to have a look around. The task force reorganizes and moves out. While foot troops move up, tactical air makes a coordinated strike against the enemy's hastily constructed fortified positions in the hills. Jets deliver one of the most feared of our weapons, napalm bombs. These jelly gasoline bombs have proved highly successful in flushing the enemy from prepared positions. Air and artillery preparation completed. Riflemen take up the assault and overrun the enemy's defensive lines before the communists can recover from the shock of the bombardment. This assault moves the United Nations forces one step closer to the communist violated border of the Republic of Korea. The enemy increases his defensive fires resisting stubbornly, sometimes fanatically, as the area of the 38th parallel becomes a battleground for the fourth time since the war started last June. A rifle platoon passes through an area burned out by napalm bombs. The only enemy found in this area was charred. An automatic rifleman spots a target of opportunity and opens fire, and a 3.5 inch bazooka team is engaged in neutralizing defensive positions. As always, there is just one more hill to take before the assault is completed. After the objective is overrun and the units reorganize, the men fight off the chill of the mountain climate. The serpentine route of the Imjin River creates a land pocket with a natural water barrier on three sides near the 38th parallel. Communist elements withdrew across this river after abandoning Seoul without a fight. Here on the south bank of the river, units of the first ROK division prepare to cross the Imjin. South Korean troops assemble for the Imjin crossing while their combat engineers bring up the assault boats. Brigadier General Paik Sun-yup, commanding general of the first ROK division, supervises the operation which was planned by his staff officers. Areas suspected of containing hostile forces are plotted by artillerymen. The South Koreans request a fire mission from U.S. forces to support the river crossing. The mission is coordinated and artillery pieces fire as requested. Immediately following the softening up artillery fire in the area north of the Imjin, the ROK troops load into assault boats and paddle across the river as enemy small arms fire harrasses the operation. Enemy forces on the north bank, scouted earlier by a patrol, are estimated to be in company strength. This crossing is being made near the site where the main allied supply road spanned the Imjin last year when United Nations forces were fighting in the Pyongyang area to the north. United Nations liaison officers observe the activities as the river crossing is executed. The Imjin is crossed successfully against ineffective resistance from North Koreans and elements of the Chinese Third Field Army. In the shadow of Paris's famed Arc de Triomphe, General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower takes command of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe at his temporary headquarters in the Hotel Astoria. Shape is a functional unit of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. For many months, the nations of NATO have been engaged in erecting for themselves a wall of security against any possible aggression. They have no aggressive intent or purpose of their own. They intend only to see to it that they may live peaceably and secure behind the arrangements that they collectively make. Today, another significant step was taken in this process of ensuring our collective security. This headquarters, formally and officially, assumed operational control and command of all forces allocated by our several countries to the defense of Europe. General Eisenhower executes the first order issued by Shape. By signing this historic document, the General assumes formal command of all Allied land, sea and air organizations assigned to him by NATO. On a 60-acre plot of Marley Forest, which has been cleared in this area, construction of a permanent headquarters for Shape is begun. This location, 20 miles west of Paris, was once a secluded retreat for Louis XIV, who built an ornate palace here. In contrast to the king's palace, the new Shape buildings will be modest, constructed of prefabricated materials to house 600 military and civilian headquarters personnel. Foundations are poured as top priority is given to the project. The task of forging a North Atlantic military force for the defense of Western Europe eventually will be centrally located here. This is the beginning of a tank infantry team assault deep into enemy-held territory. Here in an undisclosed area north of Seoul, an attack order is issued for a tank infantry patrol. After the order is given, extra H.E. grenades are distributed. During the early dawn of the following morning, armor rendezvous with riflemen. Men of the 3rd Division mount tanks to ride during the initial phase of the patrol's advance. Mission of the tank infantry team, cross Imjin River, probe communist defenses beyond the 38th parallel, and report back on his dispositions and equipment, test his strength, but to not become decisively committed, withdraw when information is secured. This is a reconnaissance in force. All roads leading into enemy territory are heavily mined. Tanks take to the Imjin River bed, shallow here where it crosses a 38th parallel to avoid red mines. Abandoned communist trucks are found in the river. On the far side of the Imjin, the infantrymen dismount onto North Korean soil and prepare to move out. The patrol moves forward over the innumerable hills into which the enemy forces are dug in. Red fields of fire are not yet brought to bear on the assaulting troops. An enemy position is engaged. Extra grenades issued the night before now come in handy as the riflemen close with a defensive outpost. After the outpost defenses are overrun, the tank infantry team reorganizes and continues the advance. Incoming small arms fire and mortar rounds are beginning to slow down the speed of the patrol's forward movement. The troops are cautious not to become decisively engaged. Red resistance increases as the patrol fights into a small village located on the Kaigen mainline railroad, which runs between Seoul and Pyongyang. Making sure their flanks are protected, the tank infantry team punches into the village and destroys communist installations. By late afternoon, this reconnaissance in force completes its mission and returns safely to its base. After receiving an order to clear an area near the 38th parallel of communist snipers and to search roads for land mines, a detail of a reconnaissance company prepares for its mission. Weapons are loaded and a final check of equipment is made. The tank convoy gets underway. This roadway has already been cleared of mines. The men keep alert for enemy snipers. All bridges over streams and rivers have been destroyed by the withdrawing communist forces. Tanks forward screams at the shallowest points. Foot troops precede the tanks, searching for land mines. A culvert bridge blasted by retreating reds halts the advance momentarily, but not for long. Engineer troops measure the distance to estimate bridging materials required to span the gully. In no mood to wait, a tank bypasses the wrecked bridge and presses out a detour. The tonnage of the tank smashes a new road that leads through a small village on the far side. This jeep in four-wheel drive and shifted in low-low, bogs down despite a persistent attempt to move through the giant rocks. The much heavier tank returns to smooth out the steep approaches and the rocky terrain. Now the jeep moves over the detour and out the other side over the tank-made path. Teamwork pays off. Remember the sign on the American roads that said, beware, soft shoulder? Well, here's what it can mean in Korea. Another tank moves up to the disabled one but can be of no assistance. Crew members sweat it out while their tank balances precariously. Chinese surrender leaflets are found in the vicinity of the disabled tank and tankers read the propaganda through curious but distrusting eyes. The usual reaction to these propaganda leaflets is the traditional but appropriate nuts. After radioing for a tank retriever, the recon detail moves on to accomplish its mission.