More On the Air Force In the Korean War
Bernard Pyron
See: See: http://www.historynet.com/korean-war-the-boeing-b-29-superf …
"When U.N. troops retreated from North Korea, FEAF aircrews were called upon to provide tactical interdiction. Using conventional bombs, the aircrews greatly delayed the southward advance of the Chinese Fourth Field Army, giving the U.S. Eighth Army time to prepare defenses. The FEAF inflicted an estimated 40,000 causalities on the advancing Chinese, decimating a force equivalent to five divisions."
The Far Eastern Air Force (FEAF) aircrews were flying B-29s stationed on Okinawa.
"By January 1951, it was necessary to restrict B-29 operations to steer clear of ‘MiG Alley’–the area between the Chongchon and Yalu rivers where MiG-15s based in the Antung complex in Manchuria constituted a particular threat. B-29s were withdrawn after Chinese troops captured the U.S. Air Force fighter airfields at Kimpo and Suwon, compelling the Americans to withdraw their North American F-86 Sabres to air bases in Japan. Since the B-29s were highly vulnerable to MiG attack, they required supporting fighters."
In January of 1951 the U.S. Air Force at Suwon was flying F-80 Fighter-Bombers, not F-86s. The 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Suwon got its first F-86s in November of 1951. I was there then and remember that Lt Col George L. Jones flew in the first F-86 to the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Suwon Air Field in November of 1951. The Wing had before been the 51st Fighter-Bomber Wing flying F-80s. In November of 1951 Lt. Col. George L. Jones was commander of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group, while full Bird Colonel Francis S. Gabeiski, a World War II Ace, was the Wing Commander.
See: https://books.google.com/books …
"The 51st FW's 25th FS received its first 20 F-86Es at Suwon in Mid November 1951, while its sister squadron - the !6th FS - was issued with the next 19 to reach the Wing shortly afterward."
"Nevertheless, the B-29s continued to pound other Communist targets with effective results. During November 1952, B-29s attacked three airfields that the Chinese were trying to build at the southern end of MiG Alley, north of the Chongchon River. Repeated B-29 attacks forced the Chinese engineers to stop work on those three airfields, as well as their attempts to repair previously damaged airfields."
After the Korean War I was in contact with a few Veterans of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, such as Fred Hensey, Fred Engelking and Keith Fannon, historian of the 51st.
I had a friend in 1960 to the seventies who was another Korean War Veteran, Raleigh Williams, who I had thought flew light observation planes over the front lines.
See: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=gBTubOgn5M0
"Dennis Murphy was the leader of a group of art and music majors who
met regularly at our house at 5710 Bittersweet Place in Madison’s
Crestwood, a few blocks north of Frank Lloyd Wright’s prefab house of
1956, the Van Tamelen House.. We improvised on oriental, renaissance, medieval and
American folk music. The regulars of the group were Dennis Murphy, Raleigh Williams, a math
teacher, musician, singer and instrument maker, Monona Rossol, who was
a pottery student like Clayton Bailey and myself, and she was also a
classical singer. My wife Gail, a piano major, and I were also
regulars."
Once or twice Raleigh Williams briefly mentioned that he flew observation planes in Korea. I assumed he meant that he flew light air planes over the front lines when the Korean War was going on.
About 58 years later Raleigh Williams told me in a March 2018 E Mail that " I can add a tiny bit to this. I was sent to Korea from jet training in 1953, class Baker. We were stationed at Chunchon, about 20 miles south of the DMZ. After a couple of uneventful missions, the cease-fire was engaged. After that time,American aircraft, including us at K47 (Chunchon) did nothing but patrol the DMZ in T-6's. The cease-fire remained in effect at least until we were sent back to the US. F86's also patrolled the cease-fire zone. I don't know what happened after we left, as all info, even for Air Force pilots was classified. North Korea and some Soviet planes patrolled the DMZ just as we did. We would "wag" our wings in greeting to them and they to us."
K-47 at Chunchon was in central South Korea, northeast of Seul and Suwon.
T-6s are advanced Army Air Force trainers, also called Texans. I grew up in SW Bexar county, Texas and when I was about 8 to 13 the T-6s out of Randolph Air Force Base north of San Antonio flew overhead regularly. They were training pilots for World War II. I remember once when a flight of three or four of them flew very low right over our house. Another time a T-6 crashed burning up both men about two miles west of us and I went with my Uncle and Grandmother to see the crash.
Bernard Pyron
Me In Jeep 292, K-13, Suwon Air Base, Korea, 1952
Bernard
Pyron, By the River In Kokura, Japan, 1952. I am wearing an Army Dress
Uniform which we are allowed to wear if we wanted to.
"When U.N. troops retreated from North Korea, FEAF aircrews were called upon to provide tactical interdiction. Using conventional bombs, the aircrews greatly delayed the southward advance of the Chinese Fourth Field Army, giving the U.S. Eighth Army time to prepare defenses. The FEAF inflicted an estimated 40,000 causalities on the advancing Chinese, decimating a force equivalent to five divisions."
The Far Eastern Air Force (FEAF) aircrews were flying B-29s stationed on Okinawa.
"By January 1951, it was necessary to restrict B-29 operations to steer clear of ‘MiG Alley’–the area between the Chongchon and Yalu rivers where MiG-15s based in the Antung complex in Manchuria constituted a particular threat. B-29s were withdrawn after Chinese troops captured the U.S. Air Force fighter airfields at Kimpo and Suwon, compelling the Americans to withdraw their North American F-86 Sabres to air bases in Japan. Since the B-29s were highly vulnerable to MiG attack, they required supporting fighters."
In January of 1951 the U.S. Air Force at Suwon was flying F-80 Fighter-Bombers, not F-86s. The 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Suwon got its first F-86s in November of 1951. I was there then and remember that Lt Col George L. Jones flew in the first F-86 to the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Suwon Air Field in November of 1951. The Wing had before been the 51st Fighter-Bomber Wing flying F-80s. In November of 1951 Lt. Col. George L. Jones was commander of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group, while full Bird Colonel Francis S. Gabeiski, a World War II Ace, was the Wing Commander.
See: https://books.google.com/books …
"The 51st FW's 25th FS received its first 20 F-86Es at Suwon in Mid November 1951, while its sister squadron - the !6th FS - was issued with the next 19 to reach the Wing shortly afterward."
"Nevertheless, the B-29s continued to pound other Communist targets with effective results. During November 1952, B-29s attacked three airfields that the Chinese were trying to build at the southern end of MiG Alley, north of the Chongchon River. Repeated B-29 attacks forced the Chinese engineers to stop work on those three airfields, as well as their attempts to repair previously damaged airfields."
After the Korean War I was in contact with a few Veterans of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, such as Fred Hensey, Fred Engelking and Keith Fannon, historian of the 51st.
I had a friend in 1960 to the seventies who was another Korean War Veteran, Raleigh Williams, who I had thought flew light observation planes over the front lines.
See: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=gBTubOgn5M0
"Dennis Murphy was the leader of a group of art and music majors who
met regularly at our house at 5710 Bittersweet Place in Madison’s
Crestwood, a few blocks north of Frank Lloyd Wright’s prefab house of
1956, the Van Tamelen House.. We improvised on oriental, renaissance, medieval and
American folk music. The regulars of the group were Dennis Murphy, Raleigh Williams, a math
teacher, musician, singer and instrument maker, Monona Rossol, who was
a pottery student like Clayton Bailey and myself, and she was also a
classical singer. My wife Gail, a piano major, and I were also
regulars."
Once or twice Raleigh Williams briefly mentioned that he flew observation planes in Korea. I assumed he meant that he flew light air planes over the front lines when the Korean War was going on.
About 58 years later Raleigh Williams told me in a March 2018 E Mail that " I can add a tiny bit to this. I was sent to Korea from jet training in 1953, class Baker. We were stationed at Chunchon, about 20 miles south of the DMZ. After a couple of uneventful missions, the cease-fire was engaged. After that time,American aircraft, including us at K47 (Chunchon) did nothing but patrol the DMZ in T-6's. The cease-fire remained in effect at least until we were sent back to the US. F86's also patrolled the cease-fire zone. I don't know what happened after we left, as all info, even for Air Force pilots was classified. North Korea and some Soviet planes patrolled the DMZ just as we did. We would "wag" our wings in greeting to them and they to us."
K-47 at Chunchon was in central South Korea, northeast of Seul and Suwon.
T-6s are advanced Army Air Force trainers, also called Texans. I grew up in SW Bexar county, Texas and when I was about 8 to 13 the T-6s out of Randolph Air Force Base north of San Antonio flew overhead regularly. They were training pilots for World War II. I remember once when a flight of three or four of them flew very low right over our house. Another time a T-6 crashed burning up both men about two miles west of us and I went with my Uncle and Grandmother to see the crash.
In
Korea during 1952 the Air Force enlisted men at Suwon Air Base did not
do any fighting. The F-86 pilots did all the fighting. Their Mig-15
opponents were mostly Chinese and North Koreans, with a few Russian
pilots we called the "honchos." The Russian Honchos were generally
better pilots and more dangerous for the American F-86 pilots. But - I
was around a number of American F-86 pilots who actually did fight the
Communists. Some of the American F-86 pilots stationed at Suwon were
World War II Air Force veterans. One of these World War II Veterans who
was an F-86 pilot, flying for the 25th Fighter Squadron - Major
Courtney R Broussard - is seen above at right with his arm outstretched
toward Captain Iven C. Kincheloe, one of the 51st Aces, also of the 25th
Squadron. Kincheloe was one of the younger fighter pilots, and too
young to have been in World WarII. They named an Air Force Base after
Kincheloe in Upper Michigan. Note that Kincheloe has a six-shooter on
his right hip in this somewhat bleary still shot from an 8mm movie.
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