P-51 Mustang in the Korean War
Lieutenant Colonel Robert "Pancho" Pasqualicchio, commander of the 18th FBG, circles his Mustang named "Ol 'NaD SOB" ("Napalm Dropping Son of a Bitch"); September 1951 The aircraft shown (45-11742) was created as the P-51D-30-NT and was the last Mustang produced by North American Aviation.
The Mustang, the legendary fighter that went down in history as the one who broke the power of the Luftwaffe in 1944-1945, a few years later in Korea played an ungrateful and unsuitable role for him as an attack aircraft. His participation in this war is interpreted even today - undeservedly! – more like a curiosity than a factor that influenced or even influenced the outcome of this conflict.
The outbreak of war in Korea was only a matter of time, since the Americans and Russians arbitrarily divided the country in half in 1945, presiding over the creation of two hostile states - a communist one in the north and a capitalist one in the south, three years later.
Although the war for control of the Korean Peninsula was inevitable, and the conflict flared up for years, the South Korean army was completely unprepared for it. It had no armored vehicles, and practically no air force - the Americans preferred to dump the huge surplus of aircraft left in the Far East after World War II than transfer them to the Korean ally so as not to “disturb the balance of power in the region” .” Meanwhile, the troops of the DPRK (DPRK) received from the Russians, in particular, dozens of tanks and aircraft (mainly Yak-9P fighters and Il-10 attack aircraft). At dawn on June 25, 1950, they crossed the 38th parallel.
"Flying Tigers of Korea"
Initially, the Americans, the main defenders of South Korea (although the UN forces eventually became 21 countries, 90% of the military came from the United States) were not ready to repel an attack of this magnitude.
Parts of the US Air Force were grouped into FEAF (Far East Air Force), i.e. Air Force of the Far East. This once powerful formation, although administratively still consisted of three Air Force armies, as of May 31, 1950, had only 553 aircraft in service, including 397 fighters: 365 F-80 Shooting Star and 32 twin-hull , twin-engine F-82 with piston drive. The core of this force was the 8th and 49th FBG (Fighter-Bomber Group) and the 35th FIG (Fighter-Interceptor Group) stationed in Japan and part of the occupying forces. All three, as well as the 18th FBG stationed in the Philippines, converted from F-1949 Mustangs to F-1950s between '51 and '80 - some just months before the start of the Korean War.
The retooling of the F-80, although it seemed like a quantum leap (shifting from a piston to a jet engine), pushed it into a deep defense. There were legends about the range of the Mustang. During World War II, fighters of this type flew from Iwo Jima over Tokyo - about 1200 km one way. Meanwhile, the F-80, due to its high fuel consumption, had a very small range - only about 160 km in reserve in internal tanks. Although the aircraft could be equipped with two external tanks, which increased its range to about 360 km, in this configuration it could not carry bombs. The distance from the nearest Japanese islands (Kyushu and Honshu) to the 38th parallel, where hostilities began, was about 580 km. Moreover, tactical support planes were supposed to not only fly in, attack and fly away, but most often circle around, ready to provide assistance when called from the ground.
The possible redeployment of F-80 units to South Korea did not solve the problem. For this type of aircraft, reinforced runways 2200 m long were required. At that time, even in Japan there were only four such airports. There were none in South Korea, and the rest were in a terrible state. Although during the occupation of this country, the Japanese built ten airfields, after the end of World War II, the Koreans, having practically no combat aviation of their own, kept only two in working condition.
For this reason, after the start of the war, the first F-82s appeared over the combat zone - the only US Air Force fighters available at that time, the range of which allowed such long campaigns. Their crews made a series of reconnaissance flights to the area of the capital of South Korea, Seoul, captured by the enemy on June 28. Meanwhile, Lee Seung-man, the president of South Korea, was pressuring the US ambassador to arrange combat aircraft for him, allegedly wanting only ten Mustangs. In response, the Americans flew ten South Korean pilots to Itazuke Air Base in Japan to train them to fly the F-51. However, those that were available in Japan were a few older aircraft that were used to tow practice targets. The training of Korean pilots, within the framework of the Fight One program, was entrusted to volunteers from the 8th VBR. They were commanded by a major. Dean Hess, veteran of operations over France in 1944 at the controls of Thunderbolt.
It soon became apparent that the Mustangs would require much more than ten Koreans trained. Johnson (now Iruma) and Tachikawa air bases near Tokyo had 37 aircraft of this type waiting to be scrapped, but they all needed major repairs. As many as 764 Mustangs served in the US National Guard, and 794 were stored in reserve - they, however, had to be brought from the USA.
World War II experience showed that star-powered aircraft such as the Thunderbolt or the F4U Corsair (the latter were used with great success in Korea by the US Navy and US Marine Corps - read more on this topic). Aviation International" 8/2019). The Mustang, equipped with a liquid-cooled inline engine, was exposed to fire from the ground. Edgar Schmued, who designed this aircraft, warned against using it to attack ground targets, explaining that it was absolutely hopeless in this role, because one 0,3-inch rifle bullet can penetrate the radiator, and then you will have two minutes of flight. before the engine stalls. Indeed, when the Mustangs were aimed at ground targets in the last months of World War II, they suffered heavy losses from anti-aircraft fire. In Korea, it was even worse in this respect, because here the enemy was accustomed to shooting low-flying aircraft. with small arms, such as submachine guns.
So why were the Thunderbolts not introduced? When the Korean War broke out, there were 1167 F-47s in the United States, although most of the units in active service with the National Guard consisted of only 265. The decision to use the F-51 was due to the fact that all units stationed at that time on In the Far East, US Air Force fighters used Mustangs in the period before they were converted to jets (some squadrons even retained single examples for communications purposes). Therefore, they knew how to manage them, and ground personnel how to handle them. In addition, some of the decommissioned F-51s were still in Japan, and there were no Thunderbolts at all - and time was running out.
Shortly after the start of the Bout One program, a decision was made to transfer the training of Korean pilots to their country. That day, on the afternoon of June 29, General MacArthur was also there to hold a conference with President Lee in Suwon. Shortly after landing, the airport was attacked by North Korean aircraft. The General and the President went outside to see what was going on. Ironically, it was then that four Mustangs, piloted by American instructors, arrived. Their pilots immediately drove the enemy away. 2 / l. Orrin Fox shot down two Il-10 attack aircraft. Richard Burns alone. Lieutenant Harry Sandlin reported on the La-7 fighter. An overjoyed President Rhee, referring to the American volunteers who fought in the previous war for Burma and China, called them "the flying tigers of Korea."
On the evening of the same day (June 29), the Prime Minister of Australia agreed to engage the Mustangs of 77 Squadron. It was the last RAAF fighter squadron remaining in Japan after the end of World War II. It was commanded by Air Force Commander Louis Spence, who at the turn of 1941/42, flying Kittyhawks with the 3rd Squadron RAAF, made 99 sorties over North Africa and shot down two aircraft. He later commanded a Spitfire Squadron (452 Squadron RAAF) in the Pacific.
The Australians began operations on 2 July 1950 from their base at Iwakuni near Hiroshima, escorting US Air Force bombers. They first escorted B-26 Invaders to Seoul, which were targeting bridges over the Hangang River. Along the way, the Australians had to dodge a sharp turn from the line of attack of the American F-80s, who mistook them for the enemy. They then escorted Yonpo Superfortece B-29s. The next day (July 3) they were ordered to attack in the area between Suwon and Pyeongtaek. V/Cm Spence questioned the information that the enemy had gone that far south. However, he was assured that the target had been identified correctly. In fact, Australian Mustangs attacked South Korean soldiers, killing 29 and injuring many more. The squadron's first loss was on July 7, when the squadron's deputy commander, Sergeant Graham Strout, was killed by air defense fire during an attack on the marshalling yard at Samchek.
Armament "Mustangs" 127-mm HVAR missiles. Although the armor of the North Korean T-34/85 tanks was resistant to them, they were effective and were widely used against other equipment and anti-aircraft artillery firing positions.
Excellent improvisation
Meanwhile, on July 3, the pilots of the Fight One program - ten American (instructors) and six South Korean - began combat operations from the field airfield in Daegu (K-2). Their first attack targeted the lead columns of the DPRK 4th Mechanized Division as it advanced from Yongdeungpo towards Suwon. The next day (July 4) in the Anyang region, south of Seoul, they attacked a column of T-34/85 tanks and other equipment. Colonel Keun-Sok Lee died in the attack, presumably shot down by anti-aircraft fire, although according to another version of events, he did not manage to get his F-51 out of a dive flight and crashed. In any case, he was the first Mustang pilot to fall in the Korean War. Interestingly, during World War II, Lee, then a sergeant, fought (under the assumed name Aoki Akira) in the Japanese Air Force, flying Ki-27 Nate fighters with the 77th Sentai. During the battle on December 25, 1941 over Rangoon (ironically, with the "Flying Tigers"), he was shot down and captured.
Shortly thereafter, a decision was made to temporarily withdraw the Korean pilots from combat strength and allow them to continue their training. For this, they were left with six Mustangs and Maj. Hess and the captain. Milton Bellovin as Instructors. In battle, they were replaced by volunteers from the 18th FBG (mostly from the same squadron - the 12th FBS), which was stationed in the Philippines. The group known as the "Dallas Squadron" and the pilots numbered 338, including 36 officers. It was commanded by Captain Harry Moreland, who during the Second World War (serving in the 27th FG) flew 150 Thunderbolt sorties over Italy and France. The group arrived in Japan on July 10 and left for Daegu a few days later, where it included former Bout One instructors (except for Hess and Bellovin).
Squadron Captain Morelanda adopted the designation 51. FS (P) - The letter "P" (Provisional) meant its improvised, temporary nature. He began fighting on July 15, having only 16 aircraft in service. The squadron's first task was to destroy railroad ammunition wagons abandoned at Daejeon by the hastily retreating Americans. Captain Moreland, the squadron leader, recalled one of his early days in Korea:
We flew in two planes on the road from Seoul to Daejeon with the intention of attacking everything wrapped in our barrels. Our first target was a pair of North Korean trucks, which we fired on and then napalm-pelled.
There was heavy traffic on the nearby roads. A few moments after we turned south, I noticed a large haystack in the middle of the field with footprints leading to it. I flew low over it and realized it was a camouflaged tank. Since by that time we had used up all the napalm, we decided to see if our half-inch machine guns were capable of anything. The bullets could not penetrate the armor, but set fire to the hay. When this happened, we flew several times over the haystack in order to kindle a fire with a breath of air. The flame literally boiled in the tank - when we circled over it, it suddenly exploded. Another pilot remarked, "If you've shot a haystack like this and it sparks, you knew there was more to it than hay."
The squadron's first airman to die was 2/Lt W. Bille Crabtree, who detonated his own bombs on 25 July while attacking a target at Gwangju. By the end of the month, No. 51 Squadron (P) had lost ten Mustangs. During this period, due to the dramatic situation at the front, he attacked enemy marching columns even at night, although the F-51 was completely unsuitable for him - flames from machine gun fire and rocket fire blinded the pilots.
In August, Moreland Squadron was the first in Korea to introduce 6,5-inch (165 mm) ATAR anti-tank missiles with a HEAT warhead. The 5-inch (127 mm) HVAR shells usually only immobilized the tank, breaking the tracks. Napalm, transported in underwing tanks, remained the most dangerous weapon of the Mustangs until the end of the war. Even if the pilot did not hit the target directly, the rubber in the T-34/85 tracks often caught fire from the fiery splash and the entire tank caught fire. Napalm was also the only weapon feared by North Korean soldiers. When they were fired upon or bombed, even those armed only with infantry rifles lay on their backs and fired straight into the sky.
Capt. Marvin Wallace of 35. FIG recalled: During the napalm attacks, it was surprising that many of the Korean soldiers' bodies showed no signs of fire. This was probably due to the fact that the gasoline thickened in the jelly burned very intensively, sucking out all the oxygen from the air. In addition, it produced a lot of suffocating smoke.
Initially, Mustang pilots attacked only randomly encountered targets, operating in extremely difficult conditions - at low cloud base, in mountainous terrain, guided by compass readings and their own intuition (a rich collection of maps and aerial photographs was lost when the Americans retreated from Korea in 1949. ). The effectiveness of their operations has increased significantly since the American army re-mastered the art of radio targeting, which seemed to have been forgotten after the Second World War.
As a result of a conference held on July 7 in Tokyo, the FEAF headquarters decided to re-equip six F-80 squadrons with F-51s, as the latter are available. The number of Mustangs repaired in Japan made it possible to equip them with 40 FIS from the 35th detachment. The squadron received the Mustangs on July 10, and five days later began operations from Pohang on the east coast of Korea, as soon as the engineering battalion finished laying the steel perforated PSP mats at the old ex-Japanese airfield, then designated K. -3. This haste was dictated by the situation on the ground - the UN troops, pushed back to Pusan (the largest port in South Korea) in the Tsushima Strait, retreated along the entire front line.
Fortunately, the first foreign reinforcements soon arrived. They were delivered by the aircraft carrier USS Boxer, which took on board 145 Mustangs (79 from the National Guard units and 66 from the warehouses of the McClelland Air Force Base) and 70 trained pilots. The ship sailed from Alameda, California on July 14 and delivered them to Yokosuki, Japan on July 23 in a record time of eight days and seven hours.
This delivery was used primarily to replenish both squadrons in Korea - the 51st FS(P) and the 40th FIS - to a regular fleet of 25 aircraft. Subsequently, the 67th FBS was re-equipped, which, together with the personnel of the 18th FBG, its parent unit, went from the Philippines to Japan. The squadron began sorties on the Mustangs on August 1 from the Ashiya base on the island of Kyushu. Two days later, the unit headquarters moved to Taeg. There he took control of the 51st FS(P), which operated independently, then changed its name to the 12th FBS and unceremoniously appointed a new commander with the rank of major (Captain Moreland had to be content with the post of operations officer of the squadron). There was no place for the second squadron in Daegu, so the 67th squadron remained in Ashiya.
As of July 30, 1950, FEAF forces had 264 Mustangs at their disposal, although not all of them were fully operational. It is known that the pilots made sorties on aircraft that did not have individual on-board instruments. Some returned with damaged wings because worn-out machine gun barrels burst during the firing. A separate problem was the poor technical condition of the F-51s imported from overseas. There was a belief in the squadrons of the fronts that the units of the National Guard, which were supposed to give their aircraft to the needs of the ongoing war, got rid of those with the greatest resource (not counting the fact that Mustangs have not been produced since 1945, therefore all existing units, even completely new ones, which are not never used, were “old”). One way or another, malfunctions and failures, especially engines, turned out to be one of the main reasons for the multiplication of losses among F-51 pilots over Korea.
First retreat
The struggle for the so-called Busan foothold was exceptionally fierce. On the morning of August 5, the commander of the 67th FPS, Major S. Louis Sebil, led a guardhouse of three Mustangs in an attack on a mechanized column located near the village of Hamchang. The cars were just fording the Naktong River, heading for the bridgehead from which the DPRK troops were advancing the attack on Taegu. Sebill's plane was armed with six rockets and two 227 kg bombs. On the first approach to the target, one of the bombs got stuck on the ejector and the pilot, trying to regain control over the staggering F-51, momentarily became an easy target for fire from the ground. After being wounded, he informed his wingmen about the wound, presumably fatal. After persuading them to try to get to Daegu, he replied, "I can't do that." I'll turn around and take the son of a bitch. It then dived towards the enemy column, fired rockets, opened machine-gun fire, and crashed into an armored personnel carrier, causing a stuck bomb under the wing to explode. For this act Mei. Sebilla was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Shortly thereafter, the airport in Daegu (K-2) was too close to the front line, and on August 8, the headquarters of the 18th FBG, along with the 12th FBG, was forced to withdraw to the Ashiya base. On the same day, the second squadron of the 3th FPG, 35th FIS, visited Pohang (K-39), picking up their Mustangs just a day earlier. In Pohang, they joined the 40th FIS stationed there, but also not for long. The ground crew, who served the aircraft during the day, had to fend off attacks by guerrillas trying to break into the airport under the cover of night. In the end, on August 13, the enemy offensive forced the entire 35th FIG to withdraw through the Tsushima Strait to Tsuiki.
The 8th FBG was the last of the Mustangs to change gear without losing a day's work. On the morning of August 11, the pilots of two composite squadrons - the 35th and 36th FBS - took off from Itazuke for the first F-51 sortie over Korea and finally landed in Tsuiki, where they have been since then. On that day, Captain Charles Brown of the 36th FBS targeted a North Korean T-34/85. He responded with fire and precision. It is not known whether it was a cannon shell, because the crews of the attacked tanks of the KRDL troops opened all the hatches and fired at each other from machine guns! In any case, captain. Brown had the dubious honor of being perhaps the only pilot in this war to be shot down by a tank (or its crew).
By the way, the pilots were not particularly enthusiastic about re-equipping in the F-51. As the historian of the 8th VBR noted, many of them saw with their own eyes in the previous war why the Mustang failed as an aircraft close to supporting ground troops. They were not thrilled to demonstrate it again at their own expense.
By mid-August 1950, all regular F-51 units returned to Japan: the 18th FBG (12th and 67th FBS) in Asia, Kyushu, the 35th FIG (39th and 40th FIS) and 8th FBG. 35th FBS) at the nearby Tsuiki base. Australians from No. 36 Squadron were still permanently stationed at Iwakuni on the island of Honshu, from Daegu Airport (K-77) only for re-equipment and refueling. Only the aviation school of the But One project under the command of a major. Hessa, from Daeeg to Sacheon Airport (K-2), then to Jinhae (K-4). As part of the training, Hess took his students to the nearest front lines so that their compatriots could see aircraft bearing South Korean markings, which boosted their morale. In addition, he himself flew unsanctioned sorties - up to ten times a day (sic!) - for which he received the nickname "Air Force lone".
Chinghe Airport was too close to the then front line surrounding the Busan bridgehead to maintain a regular air force there. Fortunately, a few kilometers east of Busan, the Americans discovered a forgotten, former Japanese airport. As soon as the engineering troops rebuilt the system of drainage ditches and laid metal mats, on September 8, the 18th Mustang VBR moved. Since then, the airport has been listed as Busan East (K-9).
