Gettysburg on the Naktong?

The North Koreans who were described by General Walton Walker last week as making the "last gasp," still had some wind left. Despite the fact that they showed marked signs of hurt from incessant U.S. air attacks, the North Koreans last week managed to mount a heavy general attack all along the U.S. beachhead in Korea. It was an impressive and dangerous enemy effort, the fourth major Red try in one month to achieve a breakthrough (see below).

For the first time in the Korean fighting, General Walker had sizable ground reserves. U.S. commanders were able to launch early, effective counterattacks.

There was no conclusive evidence that last week's Red offensive was an act of "desperation," as some observers reported. The enemy, who still holds the initiative in Korea, fought in good order and with disciplined deliberation. However, signs of weakening that the Reds had shown earlier were increasingly visible last week. The North Koreans were finding it harder & harder to regroup for offensives and to bring up supplies. U.S. observers believed that, while many months of hard fighting and a bitter winter were still ahead for the U.N. forces in Korea, last week's Red offensive was the high-water mark--the Gettysburg--of the North Koreans.

One event that could still upset the balance of war against the U.S. was direct intervention by Red China or Red Russia. Said one U.S. officer last week: "I am not sweating out the North Koreans anymore. I am sweating out the Chinamen."

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