Remembering the Korean War

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES - A Korean youth, Kim Pak Soon, is taught one of the fundamental lessons of baseball--"get your glove up, and keep the fingers out of the way." His instructor is S/Sgt. James W. Black, Chicago, Ill., member of the Fifth Air Force's 49th Fighter Bomber Wing. As warm weather approaches, members of the 49th plan to expand the sports program, even in war-torn Korea., ca. 03/1951

Remembering the Korean War

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES - Ignoring a Korean snow storm, two ground crew memebers of the 3rd Bomb Wing work on an engine of a U.S. Air Force B-26 Night Intruder. These light bombers, carrying out "Operation Strangle," hit Communist troop supply lines every night in all kinds of weather. Armed with tons of bombs and ammunition, attacking visually or by radar, the twin engined B-26s have taken a heavy toll of enemy rolling stock since the 3rd Bomb Wing entered the war in June 1950., ca. 01/1952

Remembering the Korean War

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES - Bombs Away-Regardless of the type of enemy target lying in this rugged, mountainous terrain of Korea, very little will remain after the falling bombs have done their work. This striking photograph of the lead bomber was made from a B-29 "Superfort" of the Far East Air Forces 19th Bomber Group on the 150th combat mission the 19th Bomber Group has flown since the start of the Korean war., ca. 02/1951

Remembering the Korean War

Published June 28, 2010
By Airman 1st Class Jarad A. Denton
28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- It was June 25, 1950 and a group of U.S. B-29 bombers stationed at the base in Guam began bombing targets in North Korea.

The action was a direct response to the North Korean People's Army crossing the 38th parallel into democratic South Korea, in an attempt to reunite both halves of the country into a single, communist nation.

"President Harry Truman referred to the operation in Korea as a 'police action," in order to avoid an official declaration of war, which required approval from Congress," said Ryan Warner, 28th Bomb Wing historian. "In 1986 Congress retroactively declared the conflict an official war."

Mr. Warner said although the B-29 strategic bombing of industrial targets wasn't as effective as the leadership at the time had hoped, the use of aircraft to attack other ground targets was vital in destroying the few roads and railroads leading from the north to the south. Their destruction helped to cripple North Korean transportation of reinforcements and supplies.

According to the U.S. Centennial of Flight commission, when the NKPA's 13th Infantry chief of staff was captured in Sept. 1950, he said "half of our personnel had lost the stamina necessary to fight in mountainous terrain."

Not only did the Air Force perform close air support and interdiction raids during the Korean War, but it also matched itself in the air against the North Korean MiG-15 fighter, designed by the Soviet Union.

"The MiG-15, which debuted on Nov. 15, 1950, had an excellent design and performance," said Mr. Warner. "It was quickly matched up in high-speed dogfights against the American f-86 Sabre. The two jets were pretty equal, as far as performance and capability - so the deciding factor in most dogfights came down to pilot skill, which the United States held the advantage in."

The U.S. CoF commission said, "The American pilots were well-trained, mostly World War II veterans. The North Korean and Chinese pilots had received cursory training in the Soviet Union and had no combat experience."

After more than three years of conflict an armistice was signed on July 27, 1953 between the United States, North Korea and China - to date there is still no peace treaty.

Several years after the armistice signing, Far East Air Forces commander General Otto Weyland said, "We are pretty sure that the Communists wanted peace, not because of a two-year stalemate on the ground, but to get air power off their back."

However, with no official resolution to the conflict, Korea still remains a divided nation with U.S. servicemembers stationed along its borders.