MiG Alley
"MiG Alley" was the name given by
History
1950
The North Koreans began their war against
During October, the major Communist powers – China and the
While the Soviet Union never officially entered the war, on November 1, 1950, the
In response to the deployment of MiG-15s, the UN's P-51 squadrons began to convert to jet fighters. In the case of the USAF, this was the
On the morning of December 22, a Sabre was destroyed by a MiG-15 pilot for the first time. Captain Lawrence V. Bach's F-86 was hit in the wing root by cannon fire from an unknown MiG pilot and Bach was captured after ejecting. That afternoon, eight Sabres from the USAF 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing (4th F-IW), operating out of a forward base at K-14 Kimpo (Gimpo), attacked an estimated 15 MiGs at 30,000 feet (9,100 m) and pursued some to the Yalu, claiming six without loss.
1951–1953
On January 1, 1951, a Communist offensive drove UN forces out of the Kimpo area; K-14 was overrun and the 4th F-IW was withdrawn to Japan.[4] In March 1951, the first two Sabre squadrons, from the 4th F-IW, returned to Korea, just in time to meet a new build-up of Communist air strength designed to secure air superiority over northwest Korea, in a prelude to a major ground offensive.[4]
While the Australian government had attempted to order the F-86, to replace Mustangs operated in Korea by No. 77 Squadron RAAF, North American was required to prioritize re-equipping the USAF. The British Gloster Meteor F.8 was the only viable alternative. 77 Squadron began converting to Meteors in Japan during April 1951.
USAF pilots nicknamed April 12, 1951 "Black Thursday",[citation needed] after 30 MiG-15s attacked 48 B-29 bombers escorted by approximately 100 F-80s and F-84s. The MiGs were fast enough to engage the B-29s and extend away from their escorts. Three B-29s were shot down and seven more were damaged, with no casualties on the communist side.[5] Following this, USAF bomber sorties over Korea were halted for approximately three months. Bomber commanders were forced to discontinue daylight raids, and changed to night missions by small formations.
In the first five months of 1951 the 4th F-IW flew 3,550 sorties and claimed 22 victories. No F-86 Sabres were shot down by MiGs, although a number were lost due to accidents.[6]
On July 10, 1951, truce talks between North Korean and UN representatives opened at Kaesong. The ground forces were virtually stalemated at the 38th parallel, but in the air the two squadrons of the 4th F-IW were flying the only Sabres in the theater.[7] Some intelligence source estimated that 500 MiGs were being operated by the 1st United Air Army.[8]
Although 77 Squadron RAAF had previously operated in Korea as a ground-attack unit, many of its pilots were veterans of World War II fighter units and it was expected that the Gloster Meteor would allow it to return to its previous role of interception. With 22 Meteors, 77 Squadron was attached to the USAF's 4th F-IW at Kimpo at the end of July.[9][10] For a few weeks, MiG-15 pilots scrutinized the performance of the Meteors and used their superior speed to avoid engaging the Meteors.[11][12] The first Meteor fatalities occurred on August 22, when two aircraft collided in mid-air as they returned to Kimpo after a sweep.[11][13]
Meteor and MiG-15s pilots engaged each other for the first time on August 25, without either side scoring hits. Four days later, eight Meteors and 16 Sabres fought 12 MiGs; one Australian ejected after his aircraft was shot down, and a second Meteor was damaged. The following week, a Meteor suffered severe damage in a dogfight with MiGs.[14][15] As a result of these losses, senior RAAF commanders decided to focus on escort and air defense sorties.
Flight Lieutenant R. L. "Smoky" Dawson registered No. 77 Squadron's first jet combat claim when he damaged a MiG during an escort mission near
On December 1, 1951,
The F86-As and F86Es of the 4th F-IW were now getting decidedly battle-worn and it was decided that the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing (51st F-IW) was able to commence operations from Suwon on December 1 under Colonel Francis S. "Gabby" Gabreski.[24] Nonetheless, the 4th F-IW claimed 13 MiGs in air battles on December 13.[25]
On December 26, 1951, the RAAF reassigned 77 Squadron to ground attack sorties,[26][27] a role it would pursue until the end of the war. Its pilots continued to encounter MiGs and claimed two more victories over them, both in the Pyongyang area, on 4 and May 8, 1952.[28][29]
By August 1952, the tide of battle above "MIG Alley" had turned in favor of the United Nations. During that month 63 MiGs were shot down for the loss of only nine Sabres. An important reason for the increasing superiority of UN air power was the new F86-F, which had been issued to two squadrons of the 51st Wing in June and July and began reaching the 4th Wing in September. This Sabre development had a more powerful J47 engine developing 5,910 lbf (26,300 N) thrust, wing shackles for 200-US-gallon (760 L; 170 imp gal) drop tanks (raising the combat radius to 463 miles or 745 kilometres) and a simplified A4 radar gun sight that was more efficient than the MkXVIII gyro sight used on most of the F86-As and easier to maintain than the rather unreliable A1CM radar sight fitted to late F86-As and Es.[30]
One Meteor was shot down and another damaged by MiGs following a ground-attack mission on October 2, 1952.[31][32] No. 77 Squadron was credited with downing its last MiG southeast of Pyongyang on March 27, 1953.[33]
A special fighter-bomber variant of the F86-F arrived in Korea during January 1953 – the F86-F-30 with dual stores mountings under each wing. This Sabre could carry either a 120-US-gallon (450 L; 100 imp gal) drop tank or a 1,000-pound (450 kg) bomb on the inner fittings, together with a 200-US-gallon (760 L; 170 imp gal) drop tank on each of the outboard points. The new fighter-bombers were issued to the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing, which included 2 Squadron, South African Air Force (previously a P-51 unit). In February the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing began to replace its F-80s with Sabre fighter-bombers.[30]
On July 27, 1953, the ceasefire came into effect. By that time there were 297 Sabres in Korea facing an estimated 950 Sino-Korean MiGs. During the conflict the F-86 pilots claimed to have destroyed 792 MiGs in air-to-air combat for a loss of 78 Sabres – a phenomenal 10 to 1 kills-to-losses ratio. In September the defection of a MiG-15 pilot (with his aircraft) enabled US pilots to assess their erstwhile opponent at first hand. The MiG that Lieutenant No Kum-sok flew into Kimpo on September 21 was one of the later MiG-15SDs.[34]
More recent research by Dorr, Lake and Thompson however has claimed the actual ratio is closer to 2 to 1. However, this ratio does not include the number of aircraft of other types (B-29, A-26, F-80, F-82, F-84...) were shot down by MiG-15s.
Soviet role
According to Budiansky, "In late March 1951, the 1st RSM (
The Soviet Union kept the participation of their aircrews in the Korean War secret for many years, though it was widely suspected by UN forces. Soviet aircraft were adorned with North Korean or Chinese markings and pilots wore either North Korean uniforms or civilian clothes, to disguise their origins. For radio communication, they were given cards with common Korean words for various flying terms spelled out phonetically in
Soviet MiG-15 regiments were based on Chinese fields in Manchuria, where, according to existing UN rules of engagement, they could not be attacked. Many Soviet regiments underwent preliminary training at Soviet bases in the neighboring Soviet Maritime Military District. Soviet air defense troops also began to arrive along the Yalu, setting up radar installations, ground control centers, searchlights and large numbers of anti-aircraft guns to deter any attacks on the Chinese airfields.
While UN pilots chafed at the restrictions imposed on attacking the MiG's Chinese airfields, it wasn't known until many years later that the MiG pilots themselves operated under tight restrictions. To preserve the impression that Soviet pilots were not fighting in Korea, they were prohibited from flying over non-Communist-controlled territory or within 30 to 50 miles (50–80 km) of the Allied front lines. One Soviet pilot who was shot down in UN-controlled territory shot himself with his pistol rather than be taken captive. Another pilot who bailed out into the Yellow Sea was strafed to prevent him from being captured. Soviet pilots were not allowed to pursue UN aircraft over the UN-controlled Yellow Sea.[42]
In spite of the restrictions, many US pilots took advantage of a "hot pursuit" exception to flying over China to pursue MiGs across the Yalu River. Later, "hot pursuit" became active MiG hunting over Manchuria, with US pilots maintaining a "code of silence" about the patrols. Flight leaders chose wingmen who would keep quiet, and many rolls of incriminating gun camera footage "mysteriously" disappeared.
The UN conducted Operation Moolah to entice Communist pilots, especially Soviet pilots, to defect to South Korea with a MiG-15.[citation needed] The operation was intended to gain an analysis of the MiG-15's flight performance, as well as serve a psychological purpose undermining the Soviet pilots.
With the end of the Cold War Soviet participation in the Korean war became widely recognized as pilots who participated in the conflict revealed their role.[41]
Aftermath
The MiG Alley battles produced many fighter
The top UN ace of the war, Captain Joseph C. McConnell, claimed 16 MiGs, including three in one day. His story featured in a film called The McConnell Story, starring Alan Ladd and June Allyson.[43] The second-highest-scoring UN ace, Major
Aces also emerged from the newly established People's Liberation Army Air Force of China. Among them was Zhao Baotong, the first Chinese pilot to achieve ace status.[45]
Over thirty Sabre pilots were claimed to have been shot down behind enemy lines and their fates have never been definitively established. Surviving pilots, captured and later repatriated after the armistice, reported being interrogated by Koreans, Russians, and Chinese. For years after the Korean War ended in 1953,
A number of computer video games based on the combat in MiG Alley have been produced, amongst them MiG Alley Ace, released by MicroProse in 1983.[47][48]
See also
- List of Korean War flying aces
- MiG Alley (video game) – flight simulation computer game based on the air combat in MiG Alley
References
Citations
- ^ a b "MiG-15". Docstoc.com. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Honchos". Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Rodney Steel, MiG v Sabre War Monthly (1976), p. 41.
- ^ a b War Monthly (1976). MIG V Sabre, by Rodney Steel (p. 41).
- ^ B-29 in Korean War
- ^ War Monthly (1976). MIG V Sabre, by Rodney Steel (p. 42).
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 231–233
- ^ War Monthly (1976). MIG V Sabre, by Rodney Steel (p. 43).
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, pp. 119, 126
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, pp. 126, 142
- ^ a b Hurst, The Forgotten Few, pp. 143–145
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, pp. 126–127
- ^ a b RAAF Historical Section, Fighter Units, p. 58
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p. 234
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, pp. 147–151
- ^ "Nose of Meteor jet fighter". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, pp. 132–133
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 136
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, p. 152
- ^ "Recommendation: Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, p. 167
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, pp. 171–172
- ^ Krylov; Tepsurkaev, Soviet MiG-15 Aces of the Korean War, pp. 48–49
- ^ Gabreski was a World War II aces with 28 victories over the Luftwaffe to his credit. War Monthly (1976). MiG V Sabre, by Rodney Steel (p. 44).
- ^ War Monthly (1976). MIG V Sabre, by Rodney Steel (p. 44).
- ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 236–237
- ^ Wilson, The Brotherhood of Airmen, pp. 181–182
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p. 241
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, pp. 194–195
- ^ a b War Monthly (1976). MIG V Sabre, by Rodney Steel (p. 46).
- ^ RAAF Historical Section, Fighter Units, p. 59
- ^ Eather, Odd Jobs, p. 152
- ^ Hurst, The Forgotten Few, pp. 215–216
- ^ War Monthly (1976). MIG V Sabre, by Rodney Steel (p. 48).
- ISBN 1-85532-501-2.
- ^ Sewell, Stephen L. "Russian Claims from the Korean War 1950–53." Archived November 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine korean-war.com. Retrieved: July 19, 2011.
- ISBN 1-58544-201-1.
- ^ Stillion, John and Scott Perdue. "Air Combat Past, Present and Future." Archived October 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Project Air Force, Rand, August 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
- ISBN 978-1909384415. Page: 554.
- ISBN 9780385352666.
- ^ a b Zaloga (February 1991)
- ^ a b c Dogfights: MIG Alley (Television series). United Kingdom: The History Channel. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
- ^ sargeollie (December 2, 1955). "The McConnell Story (1955)". IMDb. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Frederick Boots Blesse – Interview with the Korean War Ace and Fighter Pilot". Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ISBN 1-58544-201-1.
- ^ NOVA: Missing in MiG Alley, produced by WGBH, Boston (broadcast December 18, 2007)
- ^ "Review – MiG Alley Ace". www.cyberroach.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2019.
- ^ "Page 6 – Issue 18 – Mig Alley Ace". Retrieved February 4, 2015.
Sources
- Cull, Brian and Newton, Denis. With the Yanks in Korea. Volume One. Grub Street, 2000. ISBN 1-902304-49-7
- Davis, Larry. MiG Alley Air to Air Combat over Korea. Warren, Michigan: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1978. ISBN 0-89747-081-8.
- Francillon, René. Dans les Cieux de Chosen. Air Fan No. 317 April 2005
- Gordon, Yefim and Davison, Peter. Mikoyan Gurevitch MiG-15 FAGOT. Speciality Press Publishers and Wholesalers. 2004.ISBN 1-58007-081-7
- Krylov, Leonid and Tepsurkaev, Yuriy. Soviet MiG-15 Aces of the Korean War. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publications, 2008. ISBN 1-84603-299-7.
- Kum-Suk, No and Osterholm, J. Roger. A MiG-15 to Freedom: Memoir of the Wartime North Korean Defector Who First Delivered the Secret Fighter Jet to the Americans in 1953. McFarland & Co. Publishers, 1996.
- Mesko, Jim. Air War over Korea. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 2000. ISBN 0-89747-415-5.
- Thompson, Warren. F-86 Sabre Aces of the 4th Fighter Wing. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publications, 2006. ISBN 1-84176-996-7.
- Thompson, Warren. F-86 Sabre Aces of the 51st Fighter Wing. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publications, 2006. ISBN 1-84176-995-9.
- Thompson, Warren. F-86 Sabre Aces of the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publications, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-287-3.
- Thompson, Warren. Korea The Air War (2). London: Osprey Publishing Ltd, 1988. ISBN 1-85532-234-X.
- Thompson, Warren and Dorr, Robert. Korean Air War. St Paul, MN: Motorbooks International, 2003. ISBN 0-7603-1511-6.
- Thompson, Warren; Dorr, Robert; Lake, Jon. Korean War Aces. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publications, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-501-2.
- Werrell, Kenneth. Sabres Over MiG Alley: The F-86 and the Battle for Air Superiority in Korea. Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute Press, 2005. ISBN 1-59114-933-9.
- Xiaoming, Zhang. Red Wings Over the Yalu. Texas A&M University Press-College Station, 2002. ISBN 1-58544-201-1
- Zaloga, Steven J. "The Russians in MiG Alley: The nationality of the "honcho" pilots is no longer a mystery. The Soviets now admit their part in the Korean War" Air Force Magazine, volume 74, issue 2, February 1991. [1]