MiGs in the 1950s Korean War. Soviet ace pilots in the Korean War. Americans do not admit losses
Nikolai Sutyagin owns almost all records of air combat using jet technology. He scored the largest number of victories - 21. He shot down the largest number of jet aircraft - 19. He destroyed the most modern F-86 Sabers at that time - 15. He achieved the best result in air duels in one month - 5 victories. There was no pilot in the US Air Force equal to Nikolai Sutyagin in courage and skill in “jet” warfare.
From the transcript of the flight-tactical conference of the formation (July 25 - 26, 1951):
“The task was carried out by ten,” Nikolai said to the audience. “The shock link was Major Pulov, the cover link was Captain Artemchenko on the right above and Perepelkin’s pair was higher behind. I was in the cover link with the wingman Senior Lieutenant Shulev. At the moment of a left turn in the Sensen area, I I fell behind Captain Artemchenko's pair by a distance of 400-500 m. Having turned 50-60 degrees to the left, I noticed: below on the left, from under the leading flight, a pair of F-86s was approaching our “tail.” I gave the command: “I’m attacking.” cover" and with a left combat turn, at which time I released the brakes and removed the gas, followed by a half-flip, I went after 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 There were short bursts at the wingman: one was undershooting, the other was overshooting. After exiting the dive, the pair of F-86s made a turn to the right, and then to the left while gaining altitude. Due to this turn, the distance decreased to 200. 300 meters. Noticing this, the enemy made a coup. Having released the brakes, we followed the F-86 at an angle of 70-75 degrees towards the sea. Having approached to a distance of 150-200 meters, I opened fire on the wingman... The F-86 was shot down."
On June 19, 1951, Nikolai Sutyagin opened the scoring for the “jet” victories. And just three days later, on June 22, he increases them to 3. Then, at the moment of the turn, the flight of Soviet pilots led by Nikolai Sutyagin came into the “tail” of four F-86s. A skillful maneuver, and our pilots are already in the “tail” of the F-86. Having noticed the MIGs, the Americans went into a dive after a left turn. Sutyagin opened fire on his wingman at a distance of 400-500 meters. But the second pair of Americans came into the “tail” of the flight, this was noticed by the wingman, senior lieutenant Shulev, who with a sharp maneuver escaped the attack. 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 closed to 250-300 meters, opened fire on him. The F-86 burst into flames 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 focus on victory. The summer of ’51 was productive for Nikolai - 6 enemy aircraft shot down, and the fall was even more productive - 8 aircraft destroyed. In December alone, Sutyagin scored 5 aerial victories. At the beginning of 1952, he began to fly out on combat missions less frequently; as an ace, he was tasked with speaking to the pilots of the second-echelon regiments who were preparing for battle. Nevertheless, in January 1952 he shot down 3 enemy aircraft. So, during the hostilities from June 17, 1951 to February 2, 1952, Nikolai Sutyagin carried out 149 combat missions, conducted 66 air battles, and 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 Thunderjet and 2 Gloucester Meteor. Unfortunately, today the glory of the best air fighter of the “jet” 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, thereby 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 doing their best to improve the skills of their pilots. They often emphasize that the first jet ace in history was Captain James Jabara, who shot down 5 planes by May 20 (in total, Jabara had 15 aerial victories). They note that the strongest pilot of the Korean War, Captain Joseph Maconnell (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, we must pay tribute to the courage and skill of the American pilots; they fought with dignity, and sometimes on equal terms with the Soviet aces. Moreover, the same Joseph Maconnell and James Jabara, as they say, remained faithful to heaven to the end. The first died during test flights in 1954. The second set the goal of becoming an ace in the Vietnam War, was sent there, but did not achieve his goal - he died in a plane crash. By the way, there he could have encountered students of Nikolai Sutyagin, who was an adviser to the Vietnamese Air Force.
Without belittling the skill of individual American pilots, let's say that the score of Soviet aces is more respectable. Nikolay 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 name our compatriot Anatoly Karelin, who destroyed 6 B-29 aircraft in night air battles. Well, all the records of “jet warfare,” as I already noted, belong to Nikolai Sutyagin. What needs to be talked about and written about, clarifying individual positions in the history of air wars.
Until now, the United States is trying to correct the overall outcome of the war. Thus, the Encyclopedia of Aviation (New York, 1977) notes that during the war, American pilots shot down 2,300 “communist” aircraft (USSR, China and North Korea), the losses of the United States and its allies were 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 loss 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 are the general data. Soviet pilots of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps (during the war it alternately included ten divisions - from 6 months to one year) conducted 1,872 air battles, during which 1,106 enemy aircraft were shot down, of which 650 F-86s . Hull losses: 335 aircraft. The ratio is 3:1 in favor of Soviet pilots, including the latest aircraft (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 the DPRK. They shot down 231 planes and lost 271. In a word, the upper hand remained with the air school, which was represented by Nikolai Sutyagin. It was his skill and the skill of others like him, their strong will, that forced the commander of one of the American wings to admit: “The MIG-15 is scary if it is controlled by a good, proactive pilot.” Nikolai Sutyagin is a legend, this is Ivan Kozhedub of the fifties.
MiG-15bis of Mr. Sutyagin, 17th IAP, February 1952.
According to basic flight 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 climb rate and thrust-to-weight ratio. The F-86 picked up speed faster in a dive, was more maneuverable, and had a longer flight range. However, he was outgunned. 6 large-caliber "Sabre" Colt Browning machine guns, 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 penetrated any armor.
West and East on the role of strategic aviation. The Second World War ended at a time of obvious growth 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, in principle, convinced many that the war could be won exclusively by strategic aviation *. In the United States of America and Britain, this opinion has come to be considered a truth that does not require proof. Soviet specialists treated the Western axiom with caution. Aviation in the USSR was valued highly, keeping in mind 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, which seemed to be completely destroyed by Allied aviation, were taken on. Based on these considerations, Soviet doctrine considered the priority task to be the development of powerful ground forces, traditional for a continental state, which would play the role of the main foreign policy instrument. But at the same time, they recognized the need to create for them a powerful air shield and strategic deterrent forces, built on the basis of the possession of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems, as the main guarantors of stability and balance.
Very soon Western and Eastern doctrines collided, holding a strict test to verify the correctness of the conclusions made. The political situation of the Cold War already in 1950 led to a “hot” clash between 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 emerged most clearly.
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, North Korean aviation was present in the air only until the Americans appeared, then it disappeared. The US Air Force was extensively equipped with fighter jets and advanced attack aircraft of unrivaled quality. American pilots went through an excellent school of war and quickly mastered the new generation of jet technology, which almost eliminated the combat value of piston engines, especially on fighters, close support aircraft and attack aircraft (fighter-bombers). The Koreans had nothing like this, not to mention the fact that from the first days the numerical superiority of the Yankees never decreased to the level of 8:1, naturally in the American favor. Americans are generally great fans of fighting with numbers, however, mostly still combining it with skill.
In the skies of Korea they were represented by the Air Force F-80 “Shutting Star” land-based jet fighter, and the carrier-based F-9 “Panther” in combination with the good old world war veteran piston-powered F-4 “Corsair”. Working on the ground were A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft, taking off from aircraft carriers, and a whole crowd of land-based bombers, 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.
Over 40 types of aircraft took part in the Korean War. This diversity was generated by the state’s desire to encourage military developments by private firms, albeit small ones, but still orders for their products. Such stimulation resulted in enormous difficulties in supplying equipment with spare parts and even fuels and lubricants. But they put up with this for the sake of maintaining business interests. And the Yankees' quartermaster service worked perfectly, so supply crises were rare.
Battle November 8, 1950 The main feature of the aircraft with the white star was that all of them, without exception, were superior to the basis of the DPRK Air Force fleet - the Soviet wartime fighter Yak-9, a well-deserved machine, but quite outdated. It was not suitable for air combat. IL-10, in turn, was formerly a hero of the military sky, but its life when meeting with the Shutting Stars rarely lasted more than a minute. Therefore, the Americans got spoiled, flew where they wanted, as they wanted, and also chose the time themselves.
This continued until November 8, 1950, when fortune turned sharply towards the American aces from the rear. 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 attacking spotted targets with onboard machine guns. This did not happen often; the “volunteers” hid skillfully and with enthusiasm. The next flight did not promise changes until the commander of the “shooting” squadron noticed 15 rapidly 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 Shooters. The Yankees quickly got their bearings, without accepting the battle, they began to leave the danger zone. Before this could be done, a flight of MiGs approached, taking advantage of their speed advantage, and opened fire. One American fighter literally broke into pieces. The rest ran, breaking formation. There was no pursuit; Soviet pilots were strictly forbidden to go deeper into the airspace above the territory occupied by the “peacekeepers.” So we can say that the Yankees got off with a slight fright. Subsequently, MacArthur's headquarters would announce one MiG shot down in that battle, but there would never be any further confirmation of this.
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 being supplied to China? Then, on November 1, such a plane shot down one Mustang, but until November 8, the Americans were sure that this was an isolated episode. MacArthur's advisers believed that retraining the Chinese to fly the new aircraft would take many months, and their mass use was not yet in sight. But it turned out differently. The Americans took their next enemy seriously. The officials concerned knew that the MiG-15 formed the basis of the USSR fighter aviation and, most importantly, was the core around which the Soviet air defense was built. That is, the force that is designed to counter 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 cars with a new type of engine, it had not a standard straight, but a swept wing, which allowed it to significantly increase speed. The MiG-15 almost broke the sound barrier, accelerating to more than 1000 km/h. The car climbed to 15,000 m, was light, thanks to which it quickly gained altitude. The pilot was placed in a cockpit with a teardrop-shaped “canopy” (glazing of the pilot’s seat), who had the possibility of all-round visual visibility. In case of abandonment of the aircraft, the pilot had an ejection seat, allowing him to leave the cockpit at high speeds.
Armament of MiGs. The fighter was optimized primarily for the fight against American carriers of atomic bombs of the B-29 type, for which it had very powerful weapons from one automatic cannon with a caliber of 37 mm and a pair of lighter ones - 23 mm. For such a heavy battery in the nose of a light aircraft, they had to pay for a small ammunition load - only 40 shells per barrel. However, a three-gun salvo or two could destroy the design of the enemy's very large bomb carriers. The big drawback of the overall excellent fighter was the lack of an on-board radar, but at home this was not a big problem, since the plane was aimed at the target from the ground according to commands from the headquarters, which had information from powerful stationary radars. However, in Korea, where there was no trace of a ground-based targeting system, a radar would not be out of place. But, alas. The combat mission of the MiG-15 was as planned: a group take-off to intercept multiple, large targets, search for attack targets with the help of a ground controller, quickly climb, approach and a destructive cannon salvo. For maneuverable battles with fighters, the aircraft was worse suited, having insufficient horizontal turn speed and too few shells for excessively powerful guns, but practice has shown that and how, the MiG-15 air combat aircraft debuted quite successfully.
64th Fighter Corps. Now there was intense combat practice in the Korean skies, which was watched with increased attention by the creators of the MiG and its opponents. The men in the 64th Fighter Corps were a match for the machines; most of the pilots began their careers in combat with the Luftwaffe and were fluent in air combat techniques. The corps command belonged to the generation that threw the Nazis from the skies of the Kuban, Kursk Bulge, and Dnieper and triumphantly finished off the beast in its lair. Corps regimental commanders knew how to plan for air capture and maintain superiority. Many had a pre-Korean combat record. In general, the “peacekeepers” were in for a lot of surprises.
Battle November 9th. The next day, November 9, marked the largest air battle since the beginning of the war. The American ground units retreating under the pressure of the “volunteers” persistently demanded air support. The aircraft of the US 7th Fleet were assigned to provide it. In the morning, a B-29 converted into a photo reconnaissance aircraft was sent out to reconnaissance the Chinese battle formations. A spy monitoring the lines of the “volunteer” contingents was shot down. The Navy pilots had to attack blindly. The task was formulated simply: to destroy the crossings across the Yalu, through which Chinese troops were supplied. 20 attack aircraft and 28 cover fighters, jet "Panthers" and piston-powered "Corsairs" took off from the aircraft carriers. On the approach to the intended targets, the group was intercepted by 18 MiGs. In the ensuing battle, the Americans lost 6 aircraft, the Russians - one. The targeted bombing was disrupted. The crossings remained intact. Quantitative superiority did not help the covering fighter group to provide the Skyraiders with the opportunity to calmly work across the bridges. The downed MiG of Mikhail Grachev required the efforts of 4 Panthers to destroy. Moreover, in that battle, Grachev himself 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 became the reason for the death of the vehicle 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 secret from the enemy. The MiGs were marked with the insignia of the DPRK Air Force. 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 into 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 air only with their help. However, in the heat of battle at jet speeds, they forgot about the knee phrasebook. And the air space was filled with the selected native speech of the pilots, who preferred simple and succinct terms from national everyday life. The sound of such remarks, from the point of view of Americans monitoring the radio waves, was very different from the sounds of the language of the Land of Morning Freshness. But it was very similar to what the Yankees heard over the Elbe and Berlin. The secret of the Russian presence was revealed. After complaints from pilots about draconian lexical censorship and a statement about the complete impossibility of masking nationality in such a way, vigilant comrades in Moscow, without persistence, canceled the previous order.
"Chivalry" involuntarily. Only the order prohibiting actions over enemy-controlled territory remained in force. This was a serious hindrance, since maneuver in depth was replaced exclusively by actions from the depths, 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 prohibited from crossing the Chinese border. For this reason, the Yankees found themselves in the position of a fox under the vine: “though the eye sees, the tooth is numb.” They knew the location of the Chinese airfields where the Soviet corps was based, and even saw them, but they were categorically forbidden to attack 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 major war and take appropriate measures. Stalin honestly made it clear that this would be the case. If the USSR did not have 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 have a feeling of complete security. As a result, the Yankees treated Mao’s far from obvious “neutrality” with trepidation. So the war in Korean skies was fought according to certain rules: Americans were forbidden to hit a “sleeping” enemy, and Soviet pilots were forbidden to finish off a fleeing one.
Despite some vestiges of chivalry, the war went on with all possible bitterness. Without air supremacy, things did not work out for the UN contingent. The end came for the “peacekeepers” in permanent retreat. At the end of December 1950, the territory of the DPRK was restored to its previous extent, which was mainly due to the contestability of the airspace.
April 12, 1951 is known as Black Thursday in the history of American aviation. The Americans have not lost such a large number of strategic bombers in one air battle since the end of the Second World War.
Fighting between North and South Korea began on June 25, 1950. This war lasted exactly three years and one month. The United States acted openly in Korea, under the UN flag on the side of South Korea, and the Soviet Union acted behind the scenes on the side of the DPRK.
The US armed forces in this conflict were represented by all branches of the military, which included several hundred thousand military personnel. The Soviet armed forces were just one separate fighter air corps, which, however, in addition to aviation units, included several anti-aircraft artillery divisions, several anti-aircraft searchlight regiments and several radio battalions of radar operators.
In addition, in units of the DPRK armed forces and Chinese people's volunteers, who also actively took part in this war, there were two to three hundred of our military advisers and several military hospitals.
Only anti-aircraft gunners and pilots actively participated in the hostilities, who, as part of the 64th Fighter Air Corps, opposed the powerful 5th Air Force and the aviation of their allies - Australia, Canada, England, South Korea, South Africa. Soviet pilots of the 64th Fighter Air Corps began combat operations on November 1, 1950, flying MiG-15 jet fighters designed by Mikoyan and Gurevich.
MiG-15 with North Korean insignia
From that moment on, the undivided dominance in the air of the Americans and their allies came to an end. The best aircraft from both sides participated in this air war, and new tactical techniques for conducting air warfare using jet technology were tested for the first time.
Already the first skirmishes in the sky proved that the American jet aircraft F-80 Shooting Star and F-84 Thunderjet are significantly inferior to the MiG-15 in speed, climb rate and armament. The battles ended with their flight.
To rectify the situation, at the beginning of 1951, the US Air Force urgently sent the latest fighters - F-86 Saber - to the Korean Peninsula. While inferior to the MiG in climb rate and specific thrust, they were superior to it in maneuverability, longer flight range and in gaining speed during a dive.
But the MiG-15 had advantages in armament: three guns (two 23 mm caliber and one 37 mm) with an aiming range of 800 m against 6 12.7 mm machine guns with a firing range of 400 m. However, the MiGs had to deal not only in the air with the Americans, but also with the military of other countries, performing under the UN flag.
Thus, Australia also provided its military forces. However, the fighting qualities of the Australian pilots and the technical equipment of their aircraft were such that after the first meetings with the Soviet aces, only four of the sixteen aircraft survived.
F-86 Saber
The Soviet shield over the Korean sky forced the Americans to reduce the activity of small groups of fighter-bombers. Daytime reconnaissance and bomber flights ceased. The period of air battles between large groups of F-86 fighters and MiGs has begun.
One of the most massive American air raids occurred on April 12, on the so-called Black Thursday of 1951, when the Americans tried to bomb the railway bridge over the Yalu River near the village of Singisiu.
This was the only railway line that supplied North Korean troops.
B-29
More than forty B-29 bombers took part in the battle. This is a huge machine, capable of carrying more than 9 tons of bombs. Its defensive weapons included one and a half dozen heavy machine guns. This is the same plane that dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The B-29s operated under cover of hundreds of F-80 and F-84 fighters, divided into small groups. In addition, groups of F-86 pinning fighters, numbering a total of about fifty aircraft, took part in the raid.
To repel this raid, 36 MiG-15s from the 324th Svir Air Division, commanded by Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, were raised from the Andun airfield.
The battle took place at an altitude of 7-8 thousand meters for 20 minutes. MiG-15s attacked groups of B-29s in pairs and fours, not paying attention to the escort groups. As a result, 14 American aircraft were shot down - 10 B-29s and four Sabers.
Although the Americans had a three-fold numerical superiority, the battle on April 12 turned into a complete defeat for them; dozens of parachute canopies opened in the sky over Yalu, the crews of American bombers tried to save their lives, and captivity awaited them. Two Soviet aircraft were damaged, but soon after the problems were fixed they were returned to service. In total, only three American aircraft were able to break through the river in this battle. They dropped three six-ton radio-controlled bombs, the explosion of which damaged one of the bridge supports, but within a few days the strategically important bridge was restored. The American Air Force declared mourning for the fallen pilots for a whole week.
The most successful ace of the Korean War Evgeny Pepelyaev (1918-2013)
In Korea, 46 Soviet pilots became aces. In total, these fifty pilots shot down 416 enemy aircraft. The best Soviet ace of the Korean War is considered to be the commander of the 196th IAP of the 324th Air Division, Lieutenant Colonel Evgeniy Georgievich Pepelyaev, an excellent commander, an excellent fighter pilot and a loyal senior friend to his subordinates.
It is known that when his wingman, senior lieutenant Valery Larionov, was shot down and killed in one of the battles, Pepelyaev, without hesitation, attributed three of his victories to his account.
Thus, the official number of enemy aircraft shot down by the young pilot reached five, and Larionov posthumously received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, which guaranteed his widow, who was left with a baby in her arms, extensive benefits.
Together with these three, the number of enemy aircraft destroyed by Pepelyaev in the skies over the Korean Peninsula reaches 23 (1 F-80, 2 F-84, 2 F-94, 18 F-86).
Nikolai Vasilyevich Sutyagin (May 5, 1923 - November 12, 1986) - Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Military Pilot of the USSR, Major General of Aviation.
The top American ace, Captain Joseph Christopher McConnell Jr., can only boast of 16 downed aircraft.
In second place among our aces is captain Nikolai Sutyagin from the 17th IAP with 21 victories. The 64th Fighter Wing fought in Korea for almost three years.
In total, during this time, 1,525 enemy aircraft were shot down, 1,099 of them were shot down by aviation forces.
Soviet losses amounted to 319 MiG-15 and La-11 aircraft. 120 pilots were killed in battle.
Many of our pilots who died were mostly buried in China, eternal memory to them!
The post was prepared based on materials from the Russian Portal
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 clash in the skies of the Korean Peninsula between two allies in the anti-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 in the 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 the war.
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 occupation forces 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, on the American side, an advisory group of 500 troops (led by General J. Roberts) remained in South Korea, the 7th Fleet remained in the waters (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 number reached 246 people. Most of them were at the front headquarters 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 fleet consisted of 172 combat aircraft, compared to 1,100 aircraft operated by the UN multinational forces 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 Security Council meetings because of this, the United States passed a resolution authorizing 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 (Dalny), leased from the PRC, and in the Shanghai area.
Initially, the participation of Soviet troops in the Korean War was not intended in anticipation of the rapidity of military operations in favor of the KPA. However, the significant superiority in enemy air forces significantly complicated the plans of the DPRK military leadership. The main forces of US tactical aviation (TA) were 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 carrying out 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 aircraft fleet in the Republic of Korea had increased to 2,400 combat aircraft.
On June 27, 1950, American aviation (ground and deck) entered into hostilities and, 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 targets on the territory of the DPRK and defeat large groups of KPA troops (17% of the bombers' flight capacity was spent during the entire campaign).
However, until mid-September, the coalition forces of the “southerners” failed to achieve success in the land and sea theaters of operations. In turn, the armed forces of North Korea (up to 75 thousand people), developing an offensive, took control of up to 90% of the territory of the Republic of (South) Korea.
The Incheon landing operation (“Chromite”) of the US Armed Forces, which began on the morning of September 15, brought a radical change in the course of hostilities. The “northerners” did not have time to prepare this South Korean port for defense in time. Aviation 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 US Marines. On September 26, KPA units left the capital of South Korea, Seoul.
Having suffered “exceptionally large losses in manpower and especially in artillery and tanks, the armed forces of the “northerners” retreated north in disarray, unable to stop and organize a line of defense. Multinational UN troops invaded the territory of the DPRK and took its capital, Pyongyang, on October 19. Throughout Operation Chromite and the subsequent offensive of the coalition forces, its aircraft carried out numerous bombing attacks on KPA troops, 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 flight forces” to cover the battle formations of the Korean army from the air. Soon, the formation of “cover assets” began on Chinese territory, united in the 64th Fighter Air Corps, which took an active part in the war. Initially, the corps' flight personnel protected the strategic targets of the PRC from American air raids: the area of Mukden, Andong, Ji'an, Dongfeng, bridges across the river. Yalujiang and a power plant in the Andong area.
Briefing of Soviet fighter pilots at the airfield before departure.
Subsequently, in accordance with the order of the USSR Council of Ministers of August 28, 1951, some of the corps’ units were redeployed to the territory of North Korea, and its pilots began to conduct active combat operations.
The basis of the air corps was made up of 3 fighter aviation divisions: 28th IAD (67th and 139th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiments), 50th IAD (29th and 177th IAP), 151st IAD (28th and 72nd IAP). The headquarters of the 64th Air Corps was located in the city of Mukden.
On November 1, 1952, the corps had 441 pilots, the aircraft fleet reached 321 aircraft (MiG-15bis - 303 and La-11 - 18). Later, some of them were replaced by more modern modifications, including MiG-17 fighters.
Based on the results of the first air battles, the high performance characteristics of the MiG-15 jet fighters were noted, which was reflected in a memo by the Air Force Commander, Colonel General 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 shot down ten American B-29 aircraft and one F-80 aircraft. There were no losses of MIG-15 aircraft in these battles."
Organizationally, the 64th Air Force until November 1951 was part of the Operational Group of the Soviet Air Force on the territory of the People's Republic of China under the command of the chief military adviser of the PLA, Colonel General S.A. Krasovsky. It was then incorporated into the United Air Force (UAA), commanded by Chinese General Liu Zhen. In December 1952, the OVA consisted of 3 Soviet, 4 Chinese and 1 Korean air divisions. In addition, in the second and third lines, 4 more Chinese air divisions were used to build up forces and cover airfields. The Soviet pilots wore Chinese uniforms, had special Chinese pseudonyms, and the planes were marked with PLA Air Force insignia.
During the course of hostilities, corps formations flew 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 were: pilots - 34, aircraft - 71. The active actions of Soviet aviation and anti-aircraft artillery essentially thwarted enemy air strikes, scattering their battle formations and reducing the accuracy of bombing.
Simultaneously with the combat operations, the corps carried out the task of commissioning fighter units of the United Air Force. Back in October 1950, with the introduction of Chinese volunteers into the territory of the DPRK, a group of Soviet military advisers began working at the headquarters of the joint (Korean-Chinese) command. At the end of the summer of 1951, the first air formations of the OBA appeared at 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 Len, Colonel A.V. became his advisor. Petrachev ((Aviation and Cosmonautics, 1991. No. 2. P. 32.)).
Over 7 months of 1953, 139 enemy aircraft were destroyed in air battles. The losses of the 64th Corps were: pilots - 25, MiG-15bis aircraft - 78. The overall ratio of losses of the US and USSR air forces for 1953 was 1.9:1.
Since July 1951, anti-aircraft artillery units took an active part in hostilities, the grouping of which was built with the task of all-round cover of the object and ensuring maximum density of fire in front of the probable bombing line.
During the period September-December 1951, the 52nd Zenad conducted 1,093 battery fires and shot down 50 enemy aircraft. In general, anti-aircraft artillery from March 1951 to July 1953 shot down 16% of enemy aircraft destroyed by the forces and means of the 64th IAC.
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During the war, Soviet pilots carried out 63,229 combat sorties, participated in 1,790 air battles and shot down 1,309 enemy aircraft, including 1,097 by aviation fire and 212 by anti-aircraft artillery fire.
The Soviet side captured and then handed over to Chinese and Korean troops 262 American pilots.
“For the successful completion of a government task,” by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, 3,504 military personnel of the corps were awarded orders and medals, and 22 pilots received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The most successful Soviet pilots were recognized: Heroes of the Soviet Union E.G. Pepelyaev, D.P. Oskin, L.K. Shchukin, S.M. Kramarenko, A.P. Smorchkov, S.P. Subbotin and others. The latter's MiG-15 aircraft on June 18, 1951, during an air battle, collided with an American F-86A fighter pursuing it. During the collision, the Soviet pilot managed to eject, and the enemy pilot (Captain William Krohn) was killed. A number of sources refer to this episode as the first aerial ramming on a jet aircraft in the history of Russian aviation.
Soviet aviation losses from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953 amounted to 125 pilots and 335 aircraft.
The composition of the 64th Air Force changed periodically. New air defense and air force divisions of the USSR Armed Forces arrived at the airfields of China and North Korea to replace those being withdrawn. In total, during the Korean War, 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 gained combat experience. All division commanders and most regiment commanders were participants in the Great Patriotic War and had good operational leadership skills.
A total of about 40 thousand Soviet military personnel passed through the 64th Fighter Air Corps.
After 10 years, our aviators met American pilots again - when.
According to the publication: 100 years of the Russian Air Force (1912 - 2012)/ [Dashkov A. Yu., Golotyuk V. D.] ; under general ed. V. N. Bondareva. - M.: Russian Knights Foundation, 2012. - 792 p. : ill.
NOTESIn October 1950, the Deputy Commander of Aviation of the Moscow Military District, Major General Mikhail Redkin, came to our 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment,” recalls Hero of the Soviet Union, retired Aviation Major General Sergei Kramarenko. - He asked: do we know what the Americans are doing in Korea? We knew that B-29 Superfotresses were leveling entire cities and killing tens of thousands of civilians. The general said that the USSR could not begin hostilities in Korea. The fact is that the UN Security Council, under pressure from the United States, authorized the entry of UN troops into the war. Although we boycotted this decision, direct participation of the Soviet Union in the conflict on the Korean Peninsula would mean entering into a war with the UN military contingent. But volunteers can help the Korean people. Which one of you is ready? Every single pilot volunteered.
The 32 best were selected, mostly front-line soldiers. Kramarenko, who shot down three Germans and scored 10 aerial victories as part of the group, was among them. The 64th Fighter Air Corps was formed from volunteers, consisting of two divisions.
“Our 324th Fighter Aviation Division was commanded by three times Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel Ivan Kozhedub,” says Sergei Kramarenko. - At one time I was his wingman in the war. Ivan Nikitovich said that he shot down the first Americans back in 1945. Two of their Mustangs attacked his La-7, apparently confusing it with a German plane, so he had to force them to “learn the materiel” the hard way.
The command took measures to hide the participation of the Soviet Air Force in the Korean War. The planes were marked with the insignia of the armies of North Korea and China, and radio communications were ordered to be conducted in Korean. During the flight, the pilots had to look sideways at a piece of paper attached to their knee with a dozen commands written down in Russian transcription.
“However, the Americans very soon realized who they were dealing with, and in the air we began to speak Russian and Russian swear words - in battle there is no time for translation from foreign languages,” says Kramarenko. Before Tuesday it was Thursday
On April 12, 1951, 48 American B-29A Superfotress strategic bombers attempted a massive attack on railroad tracks and highway bridges crossing the Yalu River in the Korean city of Singgishu. They were accompanied by fighters - 18 of the latest F-86 Saber, 34 F-84 Thunderjet and 24 F-80C Shooting Star. 44 Soviet MiG-15s of the 176th and 196th air regiments of the 324th division took off to intercept this gigantic group of 124 aircraft. 
At 9.37 am the battle began. When it ended 9 minutes later, it turned out that it was a massacre. “We destroyed 12 “flying fortresses” and 5 fighters,” says Sergei Kramarenko. - On this day I shot down the first American. The task of my group was to pin down enemy fighters and distract them from protecting the bombers. He gave the command to his wingmen: “Let’s attack!” I immediately began a sharp turn to the left with a climb, and a moment later my MiG-15 found itself in the very thick of alien fighters, behind and below the leader of their group. Without hesitation, he took aim and opened fire on the front Thunderjet of the group - the commander's. The first burst passed a little behind, and the second covered him. The F-84 turned over in the air, began to smoke heavily and fell into a tailspin.
As Sergei Makarovich recalls, the very first battles in the air showed that the American F-80 Shooting Star and F-Thunderjet jets were significantly inferior to the Soviet MiG-15 in speed, climb rate and especially in armament. Massive losses of the American Air Force in air battles did not stop even after the appearance of the newest F-86 Saber fighters in Korea.
“They were good planes, but our MiGs were in no way inferior to them in aerobatics and were much better armed,” says Kramarenko. - The MiG-15 had three guns - two 23 mm caliber and one 37 mm caliber with an effective range of 800 meters. The F-86 has 6 12.7 mm machine guns with a firing range of 400 meters. And the “flying barns” - that’s how we called the B-29 bombers - were even somehow awkward to shoot. They hit them from 400 meters with practically impunity - only pieces of the fuselage flew off. This bomber was 50 meters long - you couldn’t miss it.
However, Sergei Kramarenko himself did not participate in the shooting of the “air fortresses”. The ace pilot was assigned combat missions to destroy the most difficult targets - enemy fighters.
Our pilots were strictly forbidden to fly over water. After all, the USSR tried with all its might to hide the participation of the Soviet Air Force in the Korean War, and the American fleet dominated the Yellow Sea. In the event of an ejection, the pilot could be captured.
“And air battles were fought mainly near the coast,” the pilot recalls. - As soon as you pin down an American, he dives and quickly goes towards the sea.
The Americans let out the air
The April lesson did not benefit the Americans. Six months later they decided to repeat a massive raid.
October 30, 1951 went down in the history of the US Air Force as Black Tuesday. On this day, 21 Superfortresses and almost 200 fighters of various types flying to North Korean territory. In a short battle, Soviet pilots flying MiG-15s shot down 12 B-29s and 4 F-84s. In addition, many “air fortresses” were damaged and almost every returning crew brought dead or wounded to their airfields. The Americans managed to shoot down only one of our MiG-15s.
After the defeat, the US Air Force did not fly at all in Korea for three days. Only a month later, three B-29s, covered by F-86s, attempted to again raid the Yalu River crossings. Soviet MiGs dispersed the Sabers and shot down all three bombers. 
“I didn’t take part in that massive battle in October,” says Sergei Kramarenko. - “Neighbors”, pilots of the 303rd division of the 64th air corps, fought there. And that day I had an air duel with Thunderjets nearby. When I returned, I reported that one of them was damaged, but it fled away from me towards the sea. Only many years later, when part of the archives were declassified in the United States, did I learn that the F-84 that was shot down did not reach the base. The pilot was forced to eject, and the plane itself fell into the water.
But even without that, Captain Sergei Kramarenko had more than enough air victories: on October 10, 1951, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. "Death has passed nearby..."
“We didn’t have hatred towards the Americans and their coalition allies,” recalls Sergei Makarovich. - To the Germans during the Great Patriotic War - it was. We saw what they did on our land. And in relation to these opponents there was only a conscious sense of military duty. We were ordered not to let them go further than the southern bank of the Yalu River, and we didn’t let them. American pilots nicknamed this feature “MiG Alley.” Our planes were painted silver and could be seen from afar. Those who did not want to engage in battle with us turned around and flew away. Although they flew to their death, they were also soldiers. But they had few good pilots. In the sense - brave and skillful. Once I even felt sorry for the Australian youth. That day we defeated a squadron of Australian F.8 Gloster Meteors. I shot down one plane, knocked out another, and the third was already in my sights. But I see that the boy, so young, is running away from me... Why, I thought, it’s a sin to take it upon himself, let him live. But when on January 17, 1952, Kramarenko himself was shot down in the Korean sky, the pilot of the American Saber did not experience mental anguish, but tried to finish off the ejected Soviet pilot. “The parachute opened, I looked back and saw an F-86 flying towards me,” says Kramarenko. “Suddenly, lines of machine-gun tracks reached out to me from him. Honestly, I didn’t expect such meanness. We have never finished off unarmed Americans... Death has passed nearby. I remember I even pulled my legs up to my stomach: I understood so clearly that another second and they would be cut off in a burst. Fortunately, the bullets flew past. But the F-86 launched a second attack on the Soviet pilot, and only a cloud saved Kramarenko from certain death. Having fallen into it, the parachutist flew to the ground alive.
Didn't let the war come to us
Sergei Kramarenko is confident that the losses of B-29 strategic bombers in Korea forced the United States to abandon plans for a nuclear attack on the USSR after the death of Joseph Stalin. “By the summer of 1953, we had accumulated at least 40 “flying fortresses,” says the famous Soviet ace. - Approximately how many more shot down B-29s fell into the ocean before reaching the airfields. The rest had to be patched and darned. The US Committee of Chiefs of Staff then held a staff game: is it possible to defeat the Soviet Union with one massive nuclear strike? It turned out that US strategic aviation would lose 55 percent of its bombers on the first flight. And the Americans simply had nothing to bomb the Far East, Siberia and the Urals - they had no aircraft carrying nuclear weapons left in the region. The temptation to attack us after the death of Stalin was very great for the United States, but they wiped it off, and a big war did not happen. It won’t exist even now - everyone wants to live. If the Americans in Syria dare to compete, then I feel sorry for them in advance. Our planes are excellent, our pilots are beyond praise. Therefore, there is no need to offend us - we still know how to fight. Author: Alexander Khokhlov / Komsomolskaya Pravda You can read other materials from the latest issue of the Zvezda weekly by downloading the electronic version of the newspaper.
