About the champion, his records and the air war in Korea. Soviet aces pilots in the Korean War Losses of American aviation in Korea
The confrontation between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea, capital - Pyongyang) and South Korea (Republic of Korea, capital Seoul) was marked by a collision in the sky of the Korean Peninsula between two allies in the An-Hitler coalition - the Soviet Union and the United States. As is known, both Korean states arose as a result of the division of the Korean Peninsula into two territories approximately equal in area. The artificial border, running along the 38th parallel, was created, as announced by order of the commander-in-chief of the American armed forces in the Far East, to facilitate the acceptance of the surrender of Japanese troops by the two allied powers participating in.
In the conditions of the Cold War, the former allies in the anti-Hitler coalition saw the future of the Korean states in their own way. With the withdrawal of their occupying troops from the Korean Peninsula, the governments of the USSR and the USA, however, left a certain number of military advisers on its territory. For example, an advisory group of 500 military personnel (led by General J. Roberts) remained on the American side in South Korea, the 7th Fleet remained in the water area (North and South Korea), and two air forces remained at the nearest air bases in Japan and the Philippines. armies: tactical 5th and strategic 20th.
In turn, on February 8, 1948, the institute of Soviet military advisers was approved under the Korean People's Army (KPA) of the DPRK. By the end of 1950, their staff strength had reached 246 people. Most of them were at the headquarters of the front and the commander-in-chief of the KPA, Kim Il Sung (they were forbidden to cross the 38th parallel).
By the beginning of hostilities in 1950, the KPA Air Force had 172 combat aircraft against 1,100 aircraft operated by the UN multinational force with the active role of the United States. Considering that China's place in the United Nations was occupied by Taiwan, and the USSR boycotted the meetings of the Security Council because of this, the United States passed a resolution allowing the use of "UN troops" under the leadership of the Pentagon on the Korean Peninsula.
By this time, the military influence of the USSR in the Far East had noticeably weakened as a result of the withdrawal of the bulk of Soviet troops from the territory of China and North Korea. A limited military contingent continued to remain in Port Arthur (Far), leased from the PRC, and in the area of Shanghai.
Initially, the participation of Soviet troops in the Korean War was not supposed to be based on the transience of hostilities in favor of the KPA. However, the significant superiority in the enemy's air forces markedly complicated the plans of the military leadership of the DPRK. The main US tactical aviation (TA) force was concentrated in the 5th Air Force (Japan): tactical bombers, fighters and reconnaissance aircraft.
Strategic aviation (SA) was included in the specially created Provisional Bomber Command. In addition, in the Far East there were associations, formations and units of transport, airborne, carrier-based aviation and air defense aviation, which were also involved in combat missions. The South Korean Air Force, although it existed organizationally, practically had only a small number of T-6 training and transport aircraft. By the end of the war, the US air fleet in the Republic of Korea had increased to 2,400 combat aircraft.
On June 27, 1950, the American aviation (ground and deck) that entered the fighting, as a result of the passivity of the KPA Air Force, managed to gain complete air supremacy. During the air offensive operation, the US Air Force attempted to disable strategic facilities on the territory of the DPRK and defeat large groupings of KPA troops (17% of the bomber flight resource for the entire campaign was spent).
However, until mid-September, the coalition forces of the "southerners" did not succeed in achieving success in the land and sea theater of operations. In turn, the armed forces of North Korea (up to 75 thousand people), developing the offensive, took control of up to 90% of the territory of the Republic (South) Korea.
The Incheon landing operation ("Chromite") of the US Armed Forces, which began on the morning of September 15, made a radical change in the course of hostilities. The “northerners” did not have time to prepare this South Korean port for defense in time. Air support for the naval forces involved in the operation was provided by more than 500 combat and transport aircraft and helicopters. The next day, the port city of Incheon came under the control of the US Marines. On September 26, KPA units left the capital of South Korea, Seoul.
Having suffered “exceptionally heavy losses in manpower, and especially in artillery and tanks, the armed forces of the “northerners” retreated north in disorder, unable to stop and organize a line of defense. Multinational UN troops invaded the territory of the DPRK and on October 19 took its capital, Pyongyang. Throughout the operation "Chromite" and the subsequent offensive of the coalition forces, its aircraft carried out numerous bombing and assault strikes on the KPA troops, on the military and industrial facilities of North Korea, as well as its ally, the PRC.
With the transfer of hostilities to the territory of North Korea, its government turned to the leadership of the USSR with a request to send "international flying forces" to cover the battle formations of the Korean army from the air. Soon, the formation of "cover means" began on the territory of China, united in the 64th Fighter Air Corps, which took an active part in the war. Initially, the flight personnel of the corps covered strategic objects of the PRC from American air raids: the area of Mukden, Andong, Ji'an, Dongfeng, bridges over the river. Yalujiang and a power plant in the Andong region.
Briefing of Soviet fighter pilots at the airport before departure.
Later, in accordance with the order of the USSR Council of Ministers of August 28, 1951, part of the corps units were redeployed to the territory of North Korea, and its pilots began to conduct active hostilities.
The basis of the air corps was 3 fighter aviation divisions: the 28th IAD (67th and 139th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiments), the 50th IAD (29th and 177th IAP), the 151st IAD (28th and 72nd IAP). The office of the 64th IAC was located in the city of Mukden.
On November 1, 1952, there were 441 pilots in the corps, the number of aircraft fleet reached 321 aircraft (MiG-15bis - 303 and La-11 - 18). In the future, some of them were replaced with more modern modifications, including MiG-17 fighters.
According to the results of the first air battles, the high performance characteristics of the MiG-15 jet fighters were noted, which was reflected in the memorandum of the Air Force Commander, Colonel-General of Aviation P.F. Zhigarev to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR I.V. Stalin. According to this document, “in 5 air battles with a numerically superior enemy MIG-15 aircraft, ten American B-29 aircraft and one F-80 aircraft were shot down. There were no losses of MIG-15 aircraft in these battles.
Organizationally, the 64th Iac until November 1951 was part of the Operational Group of the Soviet Air Force in the territory of the PRC under the command of the chief military adviser to the PLA, Colonel General S.A. Krasovsky. Then he was included in the United Air Force (JVA), commanded by the Chinese General Liu Zhen. In December 1952, the OVA consisted of 3 Soviet, 4 Chinese and 1 Korean air divisions. In addition, 4 more Chinese air divisions were used in the second and third lines to build up forces and cover airfields. The Soviet pilots were dressed in Chinese uniforms, had special Chinese pseudonyms, and the PLA Air Force identification marks were applied to the aircraft.
During the conduct of hostilities, the formations of the corps made 19,203 sorties. During the daytime, 307 group air battles were carried out, in which 7986 crews participated, which accounted for 43% of the total number of those flying on a combat mission. In total, during the period from November 1950 to January 1952, 564 enemy aircraft were shot down in air battles. Their losses during the same time amounted to: pilots - 34, aircraft - 71. The active actions of Soviet aviation and anti-aircraft artillery essentially disrupted enemy air strikes, dispersing his battle formations and reducing the accuracy of bombing.
Simultaneously with the fighting, the corps carried out the task of commissioning the fighter units of the United Air Army. Back in October 1950, with the introduction of Chinese volunteers into the territory of the DPRK, a group of Soviet military advisers began to work at the headquarters of the joint (Korean-Chinese) command. At the end of the summer of 1951, the first OBA air formations appeared at the front-line airfields. The adviser to the commander of the OBA was Major General D.P. Galunov. The North Korean Air Force was headed by General Wang Leng, Colonel A.V. became his adviser. Petrachev ((Aviation and Cosmonautics, 1991. No. 2. S. 32.)).
For 7 months in 1953, 139 enemy aircraft were destroyed in air battles. The losses of the 64th Corps were: pilots - 25, MiG-15bis - 78. The overall ratio of losses of the US and Soviet air forces in 1953 was 1.9:1.
Since July 1951, units of anti-aircraft artillery took an active part in the hostilities, the grouping of which was built with the task of all-round cover of the object and ensuring the maximum density of fire in front of the probable bombardment line.
The 52nd zenad for the period September - December 1951 conducted 1093 battery fires and shot down 50 enemy aircraft. In general, from March 1951 to July 1953, anti-aircraft artillery shot down 16% of enemy aircraft destroyed by the forces and means of the 64th Iak.
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During the war, Soviet pilots flew 63,229 sorties, participated in 1,790 air battles, and shot down 1,309 enemy aircraft, including 1,097 with aviation fire and 212 with anti-aircraft artillery fire.
The Soviet side captured and then handed over to the Chinese and Korean troops 262 American pilots.
"For the successful fulfillment of the government task" by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, orders and medals were awarded to 3504 servicemen of the corps, and 22 pilots received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The most productive Soviet pilots were recognized: Heroes of the Soviet Union E.G. Pepelyaev, D.P. Oskin, L.K. Schukin, S.M. Kramarenko, A.P. Smorchkov, S.P. Subbotin and others. On June 18, 1951, the MiG-15 aircraft of the latter collided with an American F-86A fighter pursuing it on June 18, 1951 during an air battle. During the collision, the Soviet pilot managed to eject, the enemy pilot (Captain William Kron) died. In a number of sources, this episode is mentioned as the first air ramming on a jet aircraft in the history of domestic aviation.
Losses of Soviet aviation from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953 amounted to 125 pilots and 335 aircraft.
The composition of the 64th IAC changed periodically. New air defense and air defense divisions of the USSR Armed Forces arrived at the airfields of China and North Korea to replace the withdrawn divisions. In total, during the war in Korea, 12 fighter aviation and 4 anti-aircraft artillery divisions, 30 fighter aviation, 10 anti-aircraft artillery and 2 anti-aircraft searchlight regiments, 2 aviation technical divisions and other support units received combat experience. All division commanders and most regimental commanders were participants in the Great Patriotic War and were well versed in operational leadership skills.
A total of about 40,000 Soviet servicemen passed through the 64th Fighter Air Corps.
After 10 years, our aviators met again with American pilots - when.
According to the publication: 100 years of the Russian Air Force (1912 - 2012)/ [Dashkov A. Yu., Golotyuk V. D.]; under total ed. V. N. Bondareva. - M.: Fund "Russian Knights", 2012. - 792 p. : ill.
NOTESThe war in Korea in 1950-1953 was the first clash between yesterday's allies in the anti-Hitler coalition - the Soviet Union and the United States. The main confrontation between the great powers unfolded in the air: for the first time, jet fighters fought for dominance in the sky. Soviet pilots emerged victorious from this war.
38th parallel
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 - the DPRK troops crossed the border with the southern neighbor, which ran along the 38th parallel, and began a rapid advance inland. The aggression of the northerners came as a complete surprise to the Western countries, the troops of South Korea and the UN contingent (mostly Americans) were constantly retreating. By August, 90 percent of the country was under the control of the DPRK, the southerners held only the so-called Busan bridgehead.
North Korean fighters.
However, the North Koreans did not succeed in taking it, and in the meantime the allies regrouped their forces, received reinforcements, and already in September launched a counteroffensive. It was as swift as the advance of the DPRK before. In just a month, most of North Korea was under the control of enemy forces. This was largely due to the total Allied air superiority.
Before the start of the war, the DPRK Air Force, according to various sources, had 150-200 aircraft, mainly Soviet Yak-9 piston fighters and Il-10 attack aircraft. At the same time, only the Americans at air bases in Japan, aircraft carriers had more than 1,500 aircraft. A significant part of them was represented by jet fighters of the F-80 "Shooting Star" type. Considering that the training of American pilots was much better than that of the North Koreans, it is not surprising that by August 1950 their air force was almost completely destroyed. After that, US pilots could freely bomb enemy positions, raid cities and strategic targets. With such cover, the Allied ground forces easily pushed the enemy back to the very north of Korea.
After that, China decided to enter the war, he also asked to send his troops to Korea and the Soviet Union. However, Stalin was afraid of an open confrontation with the United States, which could escalate into the Third World War. Therefore, for a long time, Soviet assistance was limited to sending instructors who trained Chinese and North Korean pilots, as well as several aircraft for training flights, in particular the MiG-9.
As Igor Seydov writes in the book "Red Devils" in the Sky of Korea, the patience of the Soviet side was overwhelmed by two incidents that occurred in the autumn of 1950. First, the Americans shot down a Soviet A-20 reconnaissance aircraft over the Yellow Sea - all three crew members died. A month later, two US Air Force F-80 fighters attacked the Soviet military airfield Dry River, 100 kilometers from the Soviet-Korean border. Fortunately, none of the pilots was injured, but eight aircraft were damaged. The Americans only apologized, calling it a mistake by young pilots who "accidentally" flew into Soviet territory and mistook the airfield for North Korean.
In the sky incognito
MiG-15.
In October 1950, Soviet aviation units began to cross over to China. They participated in the counteroffensive of the Chinese forces, however, at first only as a cover for strategic facilities. Since the USSR did not officially participate in the war, Soviet pilots wore the uniform of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV, in fact, they were soldiers of the regular army, but China also did not want to officially declare war on the United States).
According to Seydov, upon arrival at the place of service, documents were taken away from our pilots, in addition, they were ordered to speak only Korean in the air. “To do this, they were trained within a week in two dozen Korean phrases necessary for conducting a battle. True, the last ban - not to speak Russian in battle - did not last long: when the battle began, Soviet pilots completely forgot the Korean "folklore" necessary in battle and gave commands in Russian, thereby saving their lives more than once in battle," the researcher writes. Also, initially, Soviet pilots were forbidden to cross the Yalu River, behind which was the front line, and fly into the West Korean Gulf of the Yellow Sea, so as not to be captured: the US 7th Fleet and their allies dominated the sea.
American P-51 fighters.
On November 1, Soviet pilots were allowed to cross the Korean border for the first time to search for and destroy American aircraft. On the same day, the first battle of the MiGs took place - five of our planes flew to the Antung region and soon discovered a trio of P-51 Mustangs. As a result of a fleeting battle, one enemy aircraft was shot down, another one was shot down. So the account of the victories of Soviet pilots in the Korean sky was opened. On the same day, the MiG-15s showed themselves for the first time in combat with American jet aircraft. Three of our fighters met a dozen F-80s and suddenly attacked them from above. As a result, one "Shooting Star" was hit, the rest, after an unsuccessful counterattack, hurried to retreat.
It should be noted that in the first month and a half of air battles, only three Soviet MiGs were shot down, while enemy losses were many times greater. And the American pilots later called the zone of action of our fighters along the Korean-Chinese border "MiG Alley", thereby recognizing that the sky in this part of the Korean peninsula was confidently controlled by Soviet aces. The President of South Korea made a proposal to the DPRK on joint development.
equal opponent
An American P-80 fighter before taking off from a base in Japan.
The entry into battle of Soviet air divisions made a turning point in the course of the war. It turned out that American planes could not fight on equal terms with the MiG-15, which is why they had to drastically reduce the number of sorties. Naturally, the US military command could not accept this state of affairs and sent new F-86 "Saber" fighters to the front. It was the rivalry between the MiG-15 and F-86 that became a classic of the air war in Korea, largely because the aircraft had approximately similar characteristics.
As Vladimir Babich writes in the article "MiGs in Local Wars", our aircraft was noticeably lighter than the "American", but the "heaviness" of the "Saber" was offset by greater engine thrust. Their maximum speed near the ground was 1042 and 1093 kilometers per hour, respectively. At high altitude, the MiG-15 gained an advantage in acceleration and rate of climb, and the Saber maneuvered better at low altitude. He could also stay in the air longer, having 1.5 tons of "extra" fuel. The practical altitude ceiling was higher for the MiG - 15100 meters, however, the US Air Force fighter was not much inferior here either, its indicator was 14300. The difference was obvious only in armament. The MiG-15 had one 37 mm and two 23 mm guns, the Saber had six 12.7 mm machine guns.
One of the strengths of the MIG-15 was a higher destructive potential. In addition, having a large excess of thrust (especially at high altitude), he could shorten the distance faster than the Saber and approach the enemy. But if the Saber noticed the MiG at a safe distance, then it tried to impose on it a maneuverable battle (especially at low altitudes), which was unprofitable for our fighter. Here, much depended on the flight of a pair of fighters in the link, when one attacked, and the second covered. The two experienced pilots were practically invulnerable in close combat.
F-86 Saber.
As Seydov writes, the first battle between the MiG-15 and the Sabers took place on December 17, 1950. Military cunning helped the Americans win. In the Antung area, four of our aircraft found four fighters with red noses, which was reported to the leader of the group. He replied: "I see, these are ours!" - and continued the flight along the route. But unexpectedly, the group was fired from behind and from above. The leader's car caught fire, the engine stalled, and the pilot had to eject. By the way, this was the first ejection from the MiG-15 in combat conditions in the Soviet Air Force. As it turned out later, in order to mislead the enemy, the first Sabers were painted red in the nose of the fuselage, just as the MiGs had red circles around the nose of the fuselage. Therefore, after the battle, all of our red noses were erased by technicians.
Soviet pilots won their first victory over the new American fighter only a week later, after a dozen battles. Our pilots were still studying the enemy and at first they fell for the bait from one group of Sabers, not noticing another group of F-86s following it and exceeding it, and fell under its blow. During this time, the USSR lost three MiG-15 fighters.
American bomber B-29.
Black Thursday and Black Tuesday
1951 was the most successful year for the Soviet Air Force in the Korean War, it was then that the Americans suffered the most painful defeats. So, April 12 went down in history as the "black" Thursday of US aviation. On this day, the Americans carried out a massive raid on bridges across the Yalu River in the Wujiu region. They were to be destroyed by 48 B-29 Superfortress bombers, escorted by 76 cover fighters.
Only 44 MiGs operated against them. However, they also had an advantage: American escort planes were flying at the speed of bombers - only 700 kilometers per hour - and at an average altitude of 7000 meters. Soviet pilots met them at an altitude of 10 kilometers and dived at full speed at different angles of attack. As a result, 10 "Superfortresses" and three enemy fighters were destroyed. After that, the leadership of the US Air Force for almost a month did not risk sending large groups of aircraft outside the 38th parallel.
Another "black" day for American aviation was October 30 of the same year. This time, 21 flying fortresses went to bomb the Korean airfield in Namsi, which were supposed to cover almost 200 fighters of various types. From the Soviet side, 44 MiGs took part in the battle, another 12 vehicles remained in reserve to cover the airfields. The fate of the battle was decided by the fact that the barrier of F-86 fighters was late with the exit - the Sabers planned to intercept Soviet aircraft in a slightly different area, but miscalculated. The lower class vehicles remained to protect the B-29.
As a result, 12 B-29 bombers and four F-84 fighters were destroyed, the Americans were put to flight, and not a single bomb fell on the Namsi airfield that day. Soviet pilots missed one MiG. After this battle, the US Air Force leadership abandoned the use of "Superfortresses" in the daytime and transferred them to night flights.
MiG-15.
Americans do not recognize losses
There is still no exact data on the total losses of aircraft in air battles of the Korean War. The fact is that not every victory described by the pilots could be confirmed by photographs or the remains of an enemy aircraft. The Soviet command made it a rule to keep strict statistics, when the victory was counted only if there was such evidence. Aces were called pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircraft. And then our military turned out to be stronger than the Americans, the best aces of the Korean War were Captain Nikolai Sutyagin and Colonel Evgeny Pepelyaev, who destroyed 21 and 19 enemy aircraft, respectively. For the Americans, the highest figure was 16 Soviet cars.
The Americans are bombing the railway bridge.
According to Seydov, during the fighting in the skies of Korea, Soviet pilots conducted 1872 air battles, in which they shot down 1097 enemy aircraft, of which 642 were F-86 fighters and 69 were B-29 bombers. The losses of the USSR in battles amounted to 319 MiG-15 and La-11 aircraft. It is curious that the American data not only differ from the Soviet ones, but give a radically different picture. It is alleged that in air battles they shot down more than 700 MiGs, while they themselves lost only 147 aircraft! Such a gross juggling of facts causes only a smile from experts, apparently, the American command really wanted to justify the huge military spending in the eyes of taxpayers.
West and East on the role of strategic aviation. World War II ended at the moment of an obvious increase in the role of aviation, which had learned to solve many problems, both on the battlefield and in the theater of war as a whole. The Enolla Gay raid on Hiroshima convinced many in principle that the war could be won solely by strategic air power. In the United States of America and Britain, this opinion began to be considered a truth that does not require proof. Soviet experts treated the Western axiom with caution. Aviation was highly valued in the USSR, mindful of the invaluable assistance provided by flocks of attack aircraft and dive bombers to our tank avalanches.
But at the same time, domestic experience reminded us of the difficulty with which the cities of Germany were taken, which seemed to be completely destroyed by allied aviation. Proceeding from these considerations, the Soviet doctrine considered the development of powerful ground forces traditional for a continental state, which had the role of the main foreign policy instrument, to be a priority task. But at the same time, the need was recognized for creating for them a powerful air shield and strategic deterrence forces, built on the basis of the possession of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery, as the main guarantors of stability and balance.
Very soon Western and Eastern doctrines clashed, holding a strict test of the correctness of the conclusions drawn. The political conjuncture of the "cold war" already in 1950 led to a "hot" clash between the two military schools on, or rather, over the Korean Peninsula. It is worth focusing on the battle in the sky, where the nature of the confrontation between world leaders loomed with the greatest clarity.
A variety of American aircraft. At the beginning of November 1950, the nature of the fighting in the air, and, consequently, on the ground, began to change dramatically. In the previous period, the DPRK aviation was present in the air only until the appearance of the Americans, then it disappeared. The US Air Force was extensively equipped with jet fighters and advanced strike aircraft of unsurpassed quality. American pilots went through an excellent school of war and quickly mastered the new jet technology of the next generation, which almost crossed out the combat value of piston engines, especially on fighters, close support aircraft and attack aircraft (fighter-bombers). The Koreans had nothing of the kind, not to mention the fact that from the first days the numerical superiority of the Yankees never fell below the bar of 8: 1, naturally in favor of the Americans. Americans are generally great lovers of fighting in numbers, however, basically still pairing it with skill.
In the skies of Korea, they were represented by the Air Force F-80 Shutting Star land jet fighter, and the carrier-based F-9 Panther, in combination with the good old world war veteran F-4 Corsair piston aircraft. A-1 Skyrader attack aircraft, taking off from aircraft carriers, and a whole concourse of land-based bombers worked on the ground, not excluding the beauty of strategic aviation that “distinguished itself” over Hiroshima. In general, the variety of types of aircraft in service with the US Army and Navy is amazing.
More than 40 types of aircraft participated in the Korean War. Such diversity was generated by the desire of the state to encourage the military development of private firms, albeit small, but still orders for their products. Such stimulation turned into huge difficulties in supplying equipment with spare parts and even fuels and lubricants. But they put up with this for the sake of observing entrepreneurial interests. And the quartermaster service of the Yankees worked perfectly, so supply crises were rare.
Fight November 8, 1950 The main feature of the aircraft with a white star was that all of them, without exception, surpassed the base of the DPRK Air Force fleet - the Soviet wartime fighter Yak-9, a well-deserved, but rather outdated aircraft. It was not suitable for air combat. IL-10, in turn, was formerly a hero of the military sky, but his life when meeting with the "Shutting Stars" rarely lasted more than a minute. Because the Americans were spoiled, they flew where they wanted, as they wanted, and they also chose the time themselves.
This continued until November 8, 1950, when fortune turned sharply to the rear of the American aces. That day, 12 F-80 fighter jets were on a routine patrol flight over Chinese positions in the Yalu River area. Usually, the Americans flew calmly, occasionally storming targets they spotted from onboard machine guns. This did not happen often, the “volunteers” hid skillfully and enthusiastically. The next flight of changes did not promise, until the commander of the "Shutting" squadron noticed 15 fast-growing points to the north and above him. It soon became clear that these were Soviet MiG-15 fighters. According to data known to the Americans, aircraft of this type were superior to the Star Gunners. The Yankees quickly got their bearings, not accepting the battle, and began to leave the danger zone. Before this was possible, the MiG link approached, taking advantage of the advantage in speed, and opened fire. One American fighter literally broke into pieces. The rest ran, breaking formation. There was no persecution, Soviet pilots were strictly forbidden to go deep into the airspace over the territory occupied by "peacekeepers". So we can say that the Yankees got off lightly. Subsequently, MacArthur's headquarters would claim one MiG was shot down in that battle, but this would never be confirmed later.
MiG-15. The first meeting with the new air fighter of the "Reds" was not a complete surprise for the Americans. They knew about the existence of the MiG-15. How did they know that these aircraft were delivered to China. Then, on November 1, such a plane shot down one Mustang, but until November 8, the Americans were sure that this was a single episode. MacArthur's advisers believed that the retraining of the Chinese to fly the new aircraft would take many months, and their mass application was not yet foreseen. But it turned out differently. Another enemy was taken seriously by the Americans. The officials concerned knew that the MiG-15 formed the backbone of the Soviet fighter aviation and, most importantly, were the core around which the Soviet air defense was being built. That is, the force that is called upon to counter the US strategic bombers with their atomic and conventional bombs, on which the White House placed the main hopes within the framework of the doctrine of containment of the USSR.
The product of the Mikoyan design bureau belonged to the machines of the second jet generation. Unlike the first machines with a new type of engine, it did not have a standard straight, but a swept wing, which allows a significant increase in speed. The MiG-15 almost broke the sound barrier, accelerating to over 1,000 km/h. The car climbed 15,000 m, was light, thanks to which it rapidly gained altitude. In the cockpit with a drop-shaped "lantern" (glazing of the pilot's seat), a pilot was placed, who had the possibility of a circular visual review. In case of leaving the aircraft, the pilot had an ejection seat that allowed him to leave the cockpit at high speeds.
MiG armament. The fighter was optimized primarily to deal with American carriers of B-29 atomic bombs, for which it had a very powerful armament of one 37 mm automatic cannon and a pair of lighter ones - 23 mm. For such a heavy battery in the nose of a light aircraft, one had to pay with a small ammunition load - only 40 shells per barrel. However, a three-gun salvo or two could destroy the structure of very large enemy bombers. The big drawback of the generally excellent fighter was the lack of an airborne radar, but at home this was not a big problem, since the aircraft was aimed at the target from the ground on the commands of the headquarters, which had information from powerful stationary radars. However, in Korea, where a ground-based targeting system did not exist at all, a radar would be useful. But, alas. The combat mission of the MiG-15 was according to plan: a group takeoff to intercept multiple, large targets, search for objects of attack with the help of a ground controller, rapid climb, rendezvous and a destructive cannon volley. For maneuverable battles with fighters, the aircraft was not suitable, having insufficient horizontal turn speed and too few shells for overly powerful guns, but practice has shown that and how, the MiG-15 air combat aircraft made its debut quite successfully.
64th Fighter Corps. Now there was an intense combat practice in the Korean sky, which was watched with increased attention by the creators of the MiG and its opponents. The people in the 64th Fighter Corps were a match for the machines, most of the pilots began their careers in battles with the Luftwaffe and were fluent in air combat techniques. The command of the corps belonged to the generation that threw the Nazis from the skies of the Kuban, the Kursk Bulge, the Dnieper and triumphantly finished off the beast in its lair. The corps regimental commanders knew how to plan for an air grab and maintain superiority. Many had a pre-Korean combat account. In general, the “peacekeepers” were in for a lot of surprises.
Fight November 9th. The next day, November 9, was marked by the largest air battle since the beginning of the war. Retreating under the onslaught of "volunteers" American ground units insistently demanded air support. It was assigned to the aircraft of the US 7th Fleet. In the morning, a B-29 converted into a photo reconnaissance was sent to reconnoiter the battle formations of the Chinese. A spy who was monitoring the lines of location of the "volunteer" contingents was shot down. The Navy pilots had to attack blindly. The task was formulated simply: to destroy the crossings over the Yalu, through which the Chinese troops were supplied. 20 attack aircraft and 28 cover fighters, jet "Panthers" and piston "Corsairs" started from aircraft carriers. On the way to the intended objects, the group was intercepted by 18 MiGs. In the ensuing battle, the Americans lost 6 aircraft, the Russians - one. Aimed bombing was thwarted. The crossings remained intact. The numerical superiority did not help the covering fighter group to provide the Skyraiders with the opportunity to calmly work on the bridges. The downed MiG of Mikhail Grachev demanded 4 Panthers to destroy the efforts. Moreover, Grachev himself in that battle managed to drive a couple of attack aircraft into the ground, as a result of which he lost his place in the ranks and was left without cover, which caused the death of the car and the pilot.
Disguise of Russian pilots. Obviously, it was in that battle that the Americans realized that they were not dealing with the Chinese. Much was done to keep the presence of Soviet units a secret from the enemy. MiGs were marked with North Korean Air Force markings. The pilots were dressed in Chinese uniforms. They even developed a list of radio signals and commands in Korean. Naturally, no one had time to learn them, since the squadrons entered the battle immediately upon arrival at the front. The pilots attached a list of phrases transcribed in Russian letters to their knees and had to go on the air only with their help. However, in the heat of battle at jet speeds, the knee-length phrasebook was forgotten. And the ethereal space was filled with the selective native speech of the pilots, who preferred simple and capacious terms from national use. The sound of such remarks, from the point of view of Americans following the radio waves, was very different from the sounds of the language of the Land of Morning Calm. But it strongly resembled what the Yankees had heard over the Elbe and Berlin. The secret of the Russian presence was revealed. After the pilots complained about draconian lexical censorship and the statement about the complete impossibility of masking nationality in this way, vigilant comrades in Moscow, without persisting, canceled the previous order.
"Knighthood" involuntarily. Only the order remained in force, prohibiting actions over the territory controlled by the enemy. This seriously interfered, since the maneuver in depth was replaced exclusively by actions from the depth, that is, the 64th AK fought only defensive battles. It was impossible to pursue the enemy. However, the Americans were hampered by similar obstacles. They were forbidden to cross the Chinese border. For this reason, the Yankees found themselves in the position of a fox under a vine: "even though the eye sees, the tooth is dumb." They knew the location of the Chinese airfields where the Soviet corps was based, and even saw them, but it was strictly forbidden to strike at them from Washington. China, like the USSR, did not formally participate in the war. In addition, Moscow had a mutual assistance agreement with Beijing, from which it followed that the Kremlin would regard the bombing of the PRC as the beginning of a big war and take appropriate measures. Stalin honestly made it clear that this would be the case. If the USSR had not had an atomic bomb, the Americans obviously would not have gone into diplomatic subtleties. But there has been a bomb since 1949. And although there were problems with its delivery to Washington and New York, Truman did not feel completely safe. As a result, the Yankees were in awe of Mao's far from obvious "neutrality". So the war in the Korean skies was conducted according to certain rules: the Americans were forbidden to beat the "sleeping" enemy, the Soviet pilots - to finish off the fleeing one.
Despite some vestiges of chivalry, the war went on with all possible bitterness. Without air supremacy, the UN contingent did not work out. The end was over for the "peacekeepers" in a permanent retreat. At the end of December 1950, the territory of the DPRK was restored to its former extent, which was mainly due to the contestability of the airspace.
Nikolai Sutyagin owns almost all records of air combat on jet technology. He scored the largest number of victories - 21. He shot down the largest number of jet aircraft - 19. Most of them destroyed the most modern F-86 "Saber" at that time - 15. He achieved the best result in air duels in one month - 5 victories. In the US Air Force there was no pilot equal to Nikolai Sutyagin in courage and skill in "jet" warfare.
From the transcript of the flight-tactical conference of the connection (July 25 - 26, 1951):
“The task was carried out by a dozen,” Nikolai said in front of the audience. “The strike link was Major Pulov, the cover link was Captain Artemchenko on the right above and a pair of Perepelkin above in the back. I walked in the cover link with the led senior lieutenant Shulev. I lagged behind Captain Artemchenko's pair at a distance of 400-500 m. cover" and a left combat turn, at the moment of which he released the brakes and removed the gas, followed by a half-turn followed by a pair of F-86s. On the second loop, we were already in the "tail" of the F-86-x, and in the upper position I gave two short bursts on the wingman. The queues passed: one with an undershoot, the other with an overshoot. I decided to come closer. After exiting the dive, a pair of F-86s made a lapel to the right, and then to the left with a climb. Due to this lapel, the distance decreased to 200- 300 meters Noticing this, the enemy made a coup. After releasing the brakes, we followed the F-86 at an angle of 70-75 degrees towards the sea. Having approached a distance of 150-200 meters, I opened fire on the wingman ... The F-86 was shot down "".
On June 19, the fifty-first Nikolai Sutyagin opened the scoring with "reactive" victories. And three days later, on June 22, it increases them to 3. Then, at the time of the turn, the flight of Soviet pilots, led by Nikolai Sutyagin, entered the “tail” of the four F-86s. Skillful maneuver, and our pilots are already in the "tail" of the F-86. Noticing the MIGs, the Americans, after a left turn, went into a dive. Sutyagin at a distance of 400-500 meters opened fire on the wingman. But the second pair of Americans went into the "tail" link, this was noticed by the led senior lieutenant Shulev - he got out of the strike with a sharp maneuver. The leader of the first American pair, noticing that they were shooting at the follower, went to the "oblique loop". But he could not resist the skill of Sutyagin, who, in the upper position, having already approached 250-300 meters, opened fire on him. F-86 blazed and began to fall. A little later, another Saber was destroyed.
Sutyagin's ability to fight the Americans was envied throughout the division, as was his determination to win. The summer of 1951 was productive for Nikolai - 6 enemy planes shot down, and autumn was even more productive - 8 destroyed vehicles. In December alone, Sutyagin scored 5 air victories. At the beginning of the 52nd, he began to fly out on combat missions less often, as an ace he was instructed to speak to the pilots of second-echelon regiments preparing for battle. Nevertheless, in January 52, he shot down 3 enemy aircraft. So, during the fighting from June 17, 1951 to February 2, 1952, Nikolai Sutyagin made 149 sorties, conducted 66 air battles, personally shot down 21 aircraft - the highest result in the Korean War. He has 15 F-86 Sabers, 2 F-80 Shooting Stars, 2 F-84 Thunderjets and 2 Gloucester Meteors. Unfortunately, today the glory of the best air fighter of the "reactive" war has not yet found Nikolai Sutyagin. The Americans, both pilots and researchers of the Korean War, turned out to be great masters of falsification. They "took" all the records for themselves, thus proving the thesis, or rather, the myth of their combat superiority. An example is the book "MIG Alley", published in Texas in 1970.
Overseas researchers are trying with might and main to raise the skill of their pilots. They often emphasize that Captain James Jabara became the first jet ace in history, having shot down 5 aircraft by May 20 (in total, Jabara accounted for 15 air victories). They note that the strongest pilot of the Korean War, Captain Joseph Makonnel (won 16 fights). It is often written that 39 American pilots became aces, having shot down from 16 to 5 MIG-15 fighters. Of course, one must pay tribute to the courage and skill of the American pilots, they fought with dignity, and sometimes on an equal footing with the Soviet aces. Moreover, the same Joseph Makonnel and James Jabara, as they say, remained faithful to heaven to the end. The first was killed during test flights in 1954. The second set the goal of becoming an ace and the Vietnam War, was sent there, but did not achieve his goal - he died in a plane crash. By the way, there he could run into the pupils of Nikolai Sutyagin, who was an adviser in the Vietnamese Air Force.
Without belittling the skill of individual American pilots, let's say that the score of the Soviet aces is more solid. Nikolai Sutyagin - 21 aerial victories. Colonel Anatoly Pepelyaev won 20 fights. Captain Lev Shchukin, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Smorchkov and Major Dmitry Oskin destroyed 15 enemy aircraft each. Another 6 Soviet pilots scored 10 or more victories. Here we should mention our compatriot Anatoly Karelin, who destroyed 6 B-29 aircraft in night air battles. Well, all the records of the "jet war", as I have already noted, belong to Nikolai Sutyagin. What you need to talk and write about, clarifying certain positions in the history of air wars.
Until now, the United States is trying to correct the overall outcome of the war. So, in the Encyclopedia of Aviation (New York, 1977) it is noted that during the war American pilots shot down 2300 "communist" aircraft (USSR, China and North Korea), losses of the USA and their allies - 114. The ratio is 20: 1. Impressive?However, the most serious American experts back in the fifties, when it was difficult to hide the total losses (see the book "Air power - the decisive force in Korea", Toronto - New York - London, 1957) noted that the US Air Force only in combat battles they lost about 2000 aircraft, they then estimated the losses of "communist" aircraft more modestly - at about 1000 aircraft.However, these figures are far from the truth.
Today, the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces has declassified documents from the Korean War. Here is the general data. Soviet pilots of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps (during the war it alternately - from 6 months to one year - included ten divisions) conducted 1872 air battles, during which 1106 enemy aircraft were shot down, of which F-86s - 650 units . Hull losses: 335 aircraft. The ratio is 3:1 in favor of Soviet pilots, including the latest machines (MIG-15 and F-86 Saber) - 2:1. Note: American pilots acted less effectively than the pilots of the United Air Force, which included parts of China and North Korea. They shot down 231 planes, and lost 271. In a word, the top remained with the air school, which was represented by Nikolai Sutyagin. It was his skill and the skill of people like him, their strong will that forced the commander of one of the American wings to admit: "The MIG-15 is terrible if it is controlled by a good, enterprising pilot." Nikolai Sutyagin is a legend, this is Ivan Kozhedub of the fifties.
MiG-15bis to-on Sutyagin, 17 IAP, February 1952
According to the main flight and tactical data, the Soviet MIG-15 fighter and the American F-86 Saber were equal, but each had its own strengths and weaknesses. The MIG was superior to the Saber in rate of climb and specific thrust-to-weight ratio. The F-86 gained speed faster in a dive, was more maneuverable, and had a greater flight range. However, he lost in arms. 6 large-caliber "Sabr" machine guns "Colt Browning", despite the high rate of fire (1.200 rounds per minute), were inferior to three MIG guns: two 23mm caliber and one 37mm. Their shells pierced any armor.
On June 25, 1950, the DPRK troops invaded the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Thus began the Korean War. It became a training ground where the USSR and the USA tested their first jet fighters. The victory in air battles was won by the MiG-15 with a clear advantage.
Initial disposition
Stalin, who planned to make the entire Korean peninsula a zone of expansion of the socialist camp, began to prepare the ground for this in advance. The preparations consisted of handing over military equipment to Kim's army. And above all artillery, tanks and aircraft. Also, military advisers actively trained North Koreans to use "expensive gifts."
As a result, on June 25, 1950, the DPRK troops, outnumbering and outgunning the ROK army, began to rapidly move south. This success was predetermined by the fact that, for example, 150 T-34 "northerners" tanks were opposed by no more than 20 armored personnel carriers, and 175 combat aircraft - by 12 training ones.
Seoul was captured three days later. And in mid-August, Kim Il Sung's troops controlled 90% of the ROK.
The UN, with the boycott of the vote by the Soviet Union and China, decided to send peacekeeping troops to the peninsula. The first to take part in the "appeasement of Kim" operation were US troops stationed in the region mainly on aircraft carriers. Then the UK, Canada, Australia, the Philippines and 11 other states joined.
Gradually, the onslaught of the DPRK was able to be suspended. And then the United Nations forces turned the wheel of war in the opposite direction.
Stalin provided for such an alignment. China and the USSR joined the war. China did it legally. The Soviet Union is secret. The 64th separate fighter aviation corps, armed with the latest MiG-15 jet fighters, was sent to the Chinese Dandong airfield.
Soviet novelty
Founded in the fall, the 64th Corps was intended specifically for participation in the Korean War. And after its completion, it was relocated, reorganized and renamed.
The composition of the corps was unstable. For three years, 12 fighter air divisions, 2 separate fighter air regiments, 2 separate night fighter air regiments, 2 fighter air regiments of the Navy, 4 anti-aircraft artillery divisions visited it. At the height of the war, there were 320 aircraft in the corps. The total number of privates and officers was 26 thousand people, of which more than 500 were pilots who gained combat experience during the Great Patriotic War. The corps was commanded by the legendary I.N. Kozhedub.
In order to covertly participate in the war, Soviet aircraft had the coloring of the Korean Air Force. The pilots wore Korean uniforms and had Korean documents without photographs. In the air, they were required to speak only Korean, for which they were given Russian-Korean phrasebooks. However, communication in an incomprehensible language distracted attention and, in a critical situation, could cost a life. Therefore, this ridiculous requirement soon ceased to pay attention. And without that, the Americans soon realized that they were not dealing with inexperienced Chinese and Korean pilots, but with Russian aces.
At first, the basis of the Soviet fighter aviation was the piston Yak-9 - veterans of the Second World War, as well as those that appeared shortly after the victory of La-9 and La-11.
It cannot be said that they were catastrophically losing in aerial combat to the piston "Americans" and "British" - P-51 Mustang and Supermarine Spitfire. The UN troop fleet, which was made up mainly of US, British, Australian and Canadian fighters, was quite extensive at the expense of aircraft based on aircraft carriers. The enemy pressed with mass, having a significant numerical superiority. Looking ahead, we note that during the war more than a thousand "foreigners" were destroyed, while the number of our cars "seconded" to Korea did not even reach five hundred.
The situation needed to be saved. Therefore, in November, jet MiG-15s appeared in the Korean sky. They replaced the not entirely successful first Soviet machine with a turbojet engine - the MiG-9, which was not allowed to fight.
The MiG-15 was completely “fresh” - its entry into the Air Force began in 1949. At the beginning of the 50s, he had excellent flight performance, inaccessible not only to piston, but also jet "foreigners". Such, for example, as the British Gloster Meteor, which managed to fight for about a year during the Second World War.
The main difference between the MiG-15 and the fighters that existed at that time was that it was transonic. One RD-45F turbojet engine, which had a thrust of 2270 kgf, accelerated it to 1042 km / h. The plane had a ceiling inaccessible to others, exceeding 15 thousand meters. No one could compete with him in the rate of climb: 41 m / s near the ground. The MiG-15 climbed 5000 thousand meters in 2.4 minutes, while the best "Americans" took 4.8 minutes to do this.
At the same time, Soviet and UN fighters had different tactical tasks. The United States relied on the massive bombing of the DPRK with the help of "flying fortresses" - B-29, capable of taking on board up to 9 tons of bombs. Our MiGs were supposed to destroy them first of all. "Americans", of course, carry out their escort and repel the attacks of Soviet fighters.
In connection with the complete air supremacy of the MiGs, the United States suffered monstrous losses of its strategic bomber aircraft. The apotheosis happened on October 30, 1951, when 44 MiG-15s attacked 21 V-29s, accompanied by almost 200 fighters of various types. 12 "fortresses" were shot down, the crew of which consisted of 11 people, and 4 F-84s. We lost only one fighter.
This day went down in US Air Force history as Black Tuesday. After him, for three days, not a single American aircraft appeared in the MiG coverage area. And the B-29s resumed their activity only a month later.
American unfired
In the Korean War, three American jet fighters were baptized at once: the F-80 Shooting Star, F-84 Thunderjet and F-86 Saber. Two of them, as they say, "stayed up in the girls", the third was completely new.
The F-80 began to enter service with the US and British Air Forces two months before the end of World War II on the European continent. And he did not have time to fight until 1950. The plane was good as a fighter-bomber, but in air combat it was somewhat clumsy. In this connection, it sometimes became prey for the Yak-9, not to mention the MiG-15.
The F-84 entered service in 1947. In terms of speed, he lost the MiG-15 about 80 km / h. And for all the others, too - in terms of rate of climb, maximum height. And in terms of maneuverability, it was inferior significantly, as objectively evidenced by the difference in such a parameter as wing loading: 340 kg / sq.m. against 238 kg/sq.m. at the MiG-15.
The plan of the American command to send not the best “goods” to Korea was based on the fact that they would have to fight with the piston aircraft of the DPRK and China. However, the reality turned out to be different.
I had to take emergency measures: to throw into the war the latest F-86 Saber, also transonic, like the MiG-15. These were machines of the same class, which had both their advantages and disadvantages.
At approximately the same speed, the MiG-15 accelerated faster and had a higher rate of climb and ceiling.
The F-86 had better horizontal maneuverability. But its main advantages were to equip it with more efficient instrumentation. So, for example, a radio range finder was installed on it, which made it possible to conduct more effective shooting. Soviet pilots used an optical sight. The American pilot was also in more comfortable conditions due to better visibility and the use of an anti-g suit. MiG pilots, in order not to lose consciousness during sharp turns, adapted themselves in a special way to tilt their heads, thereby minimizing the outflow of blood.
During the war, the MiG-15 was upgraded. After the anti-radar was installed on it, its vulnerability was significantly reduced. As a result, the MiG-15 acquired an advantage in the number of air battles won against the F-86.
Records of aircraft victories and losses during the Korean War are inconsistent. According to official US data, F-86s destroyed 823 enemy aircraft in aerial combat. Including 805 MiG-15s. Soviet official sources claim that we shot down 1,097 enemy aircraft, including 642 F-86s. MiG losses amounted to 335 aircraft.
Independent researcher Robert Fattrell calculated that the Americans lost 945 aircraft. At the same time, the losses of the Soviet side of the conflict coincide with those given in the official Soviet statistics: 335 MiG-15s, as well as 230 aircraft of other types that were in service with China and the DPRK.
During the war, 120 Soviet pilots and 1176 enemy pilots (including B-29 crew members) were killed.
Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the Soviet MiG-15 was the king of the Korean sky. Thanks to the prestige he won in battles with the Sabers, this aircraft, produced in the amount of 15560 units, was in great demand. At one time, it was in service with more than forty countries of the world.
In this regard, the success of the F-86 is somewhat more modest: 9860 of these aircraft were produced.
Photo: ITAR-TASS / Valentina Soboleva / Archive.
