Korean War:  The Fighting 51st - 1952

​I have been in contact this summer (2017) with Keith Fannon, historian of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing.  I was trying to fill in gaps in my memory after 65 years about two men who were  in the 51st Intelligence unit which was in the  same building as Combat Operations where I worked and I am interested in  other things about the 51st and men in the Group Headquarters Squadron.  One member of the Group Headquarters Squadron was Kenneth Hogan and I don't remember that of the other in the 51st Intelligence unit.

Here is a poor still pulled out of a 1952 8mm movie of the friend in Air Force Intelligence whose name I have forgotten:
​

All three of us flew to Itazuke AFB in 1952 and then to Fukuoka on R and R, and once Hogan and I went to Kokura, on Kyusku in Japan by way of Itazuke AFB. I was 20 years old in 1952.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ospZlJi16g

Korean War : The Fighting 51st - 1952 United States Air Force Educational Film - S88TV1

These links do not seem to work.

Try this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ospZlJi16g

Activities of the 5lst Fighter Interceptor Wing under the command of Col Francis S. Gabreski. Shows Korean…

youtube.com

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/51st_Fighter_Wing#Korean_War

" The group operated a detachment at Suwon AB, Korea, beginning in May 1951, and relocated there in October 1951, with maintenance and supply elements remaining in Japan until August 1954. The wing ceased combat on 27 July 1953. The 51 FIW's war record was impressive. Wing pilots flew more than 45,000 sorties and shot down 312 MiG-15s ; this produced 14 air aces including the top ace of the war, Captain Joseph C. McConnell . The ratio of aerial victories to losses was 10 to 1."

In the Korean War the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing had only one Group and until later in 1952 the Group had only two squadrons. The photo here is a still shot from my 8mm movie I made in 1952 on Suwon Air Base, also known as K-13.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/51st_Fighter_Wing#Korean_War ......."In May 1951, the 51st FIW moved to Suwon Air Base, southwest of Seoul, but retained maintenance and supply elements at Tsuiki AB, Japan, to provide rear echelon support. In November 1951 the 51st FIW transitioned to the F-86 Sabre with two squadrons (16th, 25th), adding a third squadron (26th) the following May."

"Decorations

Two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations for periods
September 20, 1950-June 30, 1951 and July 1, 1951-March 31, 1953.

I was at Suwon during the period of the second ROK Presidential
Unit Citation, from July 1, 1951 to march 31, 1953, since I was there
from December 1951 to September, 1952,

Decorations

Distinguished Unit Citation for actions covering November 28,
1951-April 30, 1952. Two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations
for periods September [22], 1950-June 30, 1951 and July 1, 1951-March
31, 1953.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Service_Medal

KOREAN SERVICE MEDAL

The Korean Service Medal is the primary United States medal for
participation in the Korean War and is awarded to any U.S. service
member, who performed duty in the Republic of Korea, between June 27,
1950 and July 27, 1954.[2] The United States Department of Defense
declared thirteen official campaigns of the Korean War, all of which
are annotated by service stars on the Korean Service Medal. Some
campaigns apply to all branches of the U.S. military, while others are
branch specific. Service stars are authorized to the Korean Service
Medal for participation in the following campaigns.

North Korean Aggression (USMC, Navy): June 27 to November 2, 1950
United Nations Defensive (Army, USAF): June 27 to September 15, 1950[3]
Inchon Landing (USMC, Navy): September 13 to 17, 1950
United Nations Offensive (Army, USAF): September 16 to November 2, 1950[3]
Chinese Communist Forces Intervention (Army, USAF): November 3,
1950 to January 24, 1951[3]
Communist China Aggression (USMC, Navy): November 3, 1950 to
January 24, 1951
First United Nations Counteroffensive (USMC, Army, Navy, USAF):
January 25 to April 21, 1951[3]
Chinese Communist Forces Spring Offensive (USMC, Army, Navy,
USAF): April 22 to July 8, 1951[3]
United Nations Summer-Fall Offensive (USMC, Army, Navy, USAF):
July 9 to November 27, 1951[3]
Second Korean Winter (USMC, Army, Navy, USAF): November 28, 1951
to April 30, 1952[3]
Korean Defense Summer-Fall, 1952 (USMC, Army, Navy, USAF): May 1
to November 30, 1952[3]
Third Korean Winter (USMC, Army, Navy, USAF): December 1, 1952 to
April 30, 1953

"On 17 June 1951, at 01:10 hours, Suwon was bombed by two Korean People's Air Force Polikarpov Po-2s . Each biplane dropped a pair of fragmentation bombs. Two bombs burst on the flight line of the 335th Fighter Squadron. One F-86A, AF Ser. No. 49-1334 was struck on the wing and began burning; the fire took hold, gutting the aircraft. Eight other Sabres were also damaged in the attack.^"

I got to Suwon Air Base in November of 1951,