CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE MiG KIND

Flight Journal, Aug 2005 by Thompson, Warren E

Not all air kills happened during the Korean War

The Korean War officially ended on July 27, 1953; unofficially, it continued for several years past that date. Close encounters between F-86 Sabres and MiG-ISs were frequent, and on a few occasions, the two tangled in fast, vicious duels along the coast of North Korea. U.S. aircraft were not permitted to enter North Korean airspace after the armistice had been signed. The F-86 pilots who flew with the 4th Fighter Wing (FW) in late 1954 and early 1955 had missed their chance to mix it up with the MiGs during the war. They always hoped that enemy fighters would make the first move and give them a chance to test their aerial skills. On February 5, 1955, pilots from the 335th Fighter Squadron (FS) were given their chance.

During the winter of 1954/'55, the Chinese communists threatened the islands of Matsu and Quemoy between Taiwan and the mainland. The U.S. Marines and USAF responded by sending fighter aircraft to Taiwan. This tense situation affected the U.S.'s always strained relations with North Korea, and the 4th FW sent its famous "MiG-killer" squadron-the 335th-from Chitose AB in Japan to Osan AB in South Korea. Lt. Robert "Stoney" Stonestreet recalls the move:

"We deployed up to Osan in January 1955, and I remember how bitterly cold it was. We slept by flight-six to eight of us-in a Quonset hut heated by a central fuel-oil space heater. During our deployment there, we conducted training flights and maintained an alert status with four F-86s on five-minute alert. On February 5, 1955, 12 F-86Fs from the 335th were scheduled to fly escort for a jet-powered RB-45 on an airfield photoreconnaissance mission up and down the west coast of North Korea.

"Owing to truce agreements that dated back to the war's end, neither the North nor the South was supposed to increase its inventory of aircraft, but there was no doubt that the North was breaking the agreements, and our aim was to catch them at it. The RB-45 would fly at approximately 30,000 feet along the international boundary, which was three miles off the coastline. The F-86s would fly 2,000 feet above and behind the photo ship and would themselves maintain a 2,000-foot vertical separation. There were usually three flights of four fighters on such an escort mission.

"The RB-45 flew at a slower airspeed than the F-86s, so we had to weave continuously to maintain position. We had to keep our airspeed at about 0.82 Mach. Our call sign was 'Shark,' and I flew wing for Lt. Charles Salmon. Shortly after taking off, we were passed off to a radar station with the call sign of 'Badger.' As we went farther up the coast, we were handed over to another radar station that had a greater reach-past the Chinese bases at Antung and Mukden-and they gave us a fairly accurate count of how many MiGs were in the air. Whenever U.S. aircraft appeared to be heading up the coast, the Chinese and North Korean fighters would scramble and climb to an advantageous altitude. On most of the missions like this one, the MiG-ISs would fly alongside the F-86s at a safe distance, and they always stayed over land."

On this mission, the three flights of F-86s were to hold their positions off the coast, and when they reached the mouth of the Yalu River, they would turn west and hold that position for about 50 miles. They would then execute a 180-degree turn and head back towards the YaIu estuary. At that point, they would set up a southerly course at the required distance from the enemy coastline and over international waters. When they were close to the North Korean capitol of Pyongyang, their radar site warned them that there were many MiGs nearby. At that moment, all hell broke loose."

Lt. Stonestreet continues, "My Shark flight was in a shallow turn to the right in our weave and was just about to cross directly behind the RB-45 when someone shouted 'Hey! There are MiGs up here!' Another pilot yelled that they were shooting at us. I looked over my right shoulder and saw four MiG-ISs swooping down behind us at about 2,500 feet away and closing very fast. Their leader fired at the RB-45, and his wingman targeted me. In about two seconds, our radio chatter went from being highly professional to using nicknames, and I particularly remember one radio transmission: Salmon calmly said, 'Shark lead, this is Shark 3. May I take the bounce?' He was immediately given the OK, and with his next breath, he radioed me and asked, 'Stoney, are my tanks clear?' as he punched off both external fuel tanks. As I answered him, I released mine, too. In a split second, he rolled and pulled downwards in an inverted dive. As his wingman, I had to stay with him, and it proved to be very difficult."

Salmon rolled out and came in quickly behind the two MiG-ISs. This caused them to break hard to the left, and that took them back over land and into dangerous territory. Salmon was in excellent shape and immediately fired a lengthy burst of .50-caliber that hit the trailing MiG. Both bogeys reversed and made a hard climbing turn to the right. This proved to be a bad move on their part because Salmon could now easily pull lead. He fired another burst that impacted the MiG's fuselage and tail area. A second later, the MiG, trailing smoke, broke left again and rolled level in a shallow dive. During all this maneuvering, Stonestreet stayed close to his wingman. During the hectic fight, Shark 1 and Shark 2 had stayed with the RB-45 to guard against other MiGs.