Year of Immunity

A fleet of Matt Ridgway's B-29 bombers, escorted by Navy jets from off-shore carriers, bored into extreme northeastern Korea one day last week and dropped 300 tons on the important communications town of Rashin, which lies on the rail line from Manchuria's Harbin down Korea's east coast. The bombers smashed warehouses, a locomotive repair shop, a marshaling yard. There was no flak and no enemy interception. It would have been a routine raid if it were not for Rashin's peculiar history in the war.

Rashin had not been hit by U.N. planes for more than a year. Since Aug. 12, 1950 Rashin had been forbidden to U.N. flyers because it is only 17 miles from the narrow strip of Soviet-Korean frontier (see NATIONAL AFFAIRS). Rashin had grown fat on its year of immunity.

Last week the airmen were instructed to bomb only visually in clear weather--to avoid the possibility of a mistake. They were instructed to stay south of the Tumen River, which marks the Russian boundary, and also to avoid a prisoner-of-war camp less than a mile from the Rashin station.

Without a hitch, the 35 Superforts escorted by Navy jets moved in and reduced their targets to splinters, twisted steel and rubble.

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