Coalition Air Warfare in the Korean War, 1950-1953: Proceedings, Air Force Historical Foundation Symposium, Andrews AFB, Maryland, May 7-8, 2002

375 Pages·2007·3.59 MB·English

by  Jacob Neufeld

Preface
Coalition Air Warfare
in the Korean War
1950–1953
Proceedings
Air Force Historical Foundation Symposium
Andrews AFB, Maryland
May 7–8, 2002
Edited by
Jacob Neufeld
and
George M. Watson, Jr.
U.S. AirForce History and Museums Program
Washington, D.C.
2005
Coalition Air Warfare
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Air Force Historical Foundation. Symposium (2002 : Andrews AFB, Md.)
Coalition air warfare in the Korean War, 1950-1953 : proceedings, Air
Force Historical Foundation Symposium, Andrews AFB, Maryland, May 7-8,
2002 / edited by Jacob Neufeld and George M. Watson, Jr.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Korean War, 1950-1953—Aerial operations—Congresses. 2. Korean
War, 1950-1953—Aerial operations, American—Congresses. I. Neufeld,
Jacob. II. Watson, George M. III. Title.
DS920.2.A2A35 2002
951.904’248—dc22 2005029622
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Coalition Air Warfare
in the Korean War
1950–1953
May 7–8, 2002
Andrews AFB, Maryland
Officers Open Mess
Presented by the
Air Force Historical Foundation
and the
U.S. Air Force History Office
in conjunction with the
Historical Foundations and History Offices of the
U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps
Coalition Air Warfare
iv
Contents etc.
Foreword
In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Korean War, the official
history offices of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force and their
respective historical associations collaborated to sponsor as comprehensive a
symposium as possible, including as participants some of the coalition partners
who contributed forces and weapons to the war.
The intent of this symposium, titled Coalition Air Warfare during the Kore-
an War, 1950 -1953, was to focus not only on the contributions made by the
armed forces of the United States, but also on those of America's allies. The
diverse group of panelists and speakers included not only scholars with subject
matter expertise, but also veteran soldiers, sailors, and airmen who had served in
that conflict. It was hoped that the melding of these diverse perspectives would
provide interesting, if sometimes conflicting, views about the Korean War.
The symposium organizers designated an agenda of six specific panels for
investigation, including Planning and Operations; Air Superiority, Air Support of
Ground Forces; Air Interdiction and Bombardment, Air Reconnaissance and
Intelligence, and Logistical Support of Air Operations. Each session began with
commentary by the panel chairman, which was followed by formal papers, and
in some instances included a lively question and answer session.
The papers and most of the proceedings found their way into print and are
recorded here in an effort to permanently capture the activities, challenges, con-
tributions, and heroics of the coalition air forces and the airmen who fought dur-
ing the Korean conflict.
v
Coalition Air Warfare
vi
Contents
About the Editors
Jacob "Jack" Neufeldis the Director of the Air Force Historical Studies Office.
He previously served as Senior Historian and was the Director of the Center for
Air Force History. Mr. Neufeld is also the editor of Air Power History, the quar-
terly journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation. He earned B.A. and M.A.
degrees in history at the New York University and did doctoral studies at the
University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Commissioned in the U.S. Army, he
served with the Corps of Engineers at Ft. Campbell, Ky. and Ft. Belvoir, Va.
from 1964-1966. He has written and edited numerous works in military history,
and the history of technology, including the Development of Ballistic Missiles in
the United States Air Force, 1945-1960. He taught history at the University of
Maryland, Montgomery College, and American Military University. Currently,
he is writing a biography of General Bernard A. Schriever.
Dr. George M. Watson, Jr. has had a long and productive career with the Air
Force History and Museums Program. He is a 1966 graduate of the University
of Maine, earned an M.A. from Niagara University in 1968 and attained a Ph.D.
in Modern European History from The Catholic University of America in 1974.
He is a veteran of the Vietnam War having served with the 101st Airborne Divi-
sion in that country from 1969 to 1970. He has worked as a staff historian at the
former Air Force Systems Command, Chief Historian of the Office of the Air
Force Surgeon General, and Chief of the Air Staff Division history office in the
Pentagon. He is presently the Chief of the Special Projects Branch at the Air
Force Historical Studies Office. Dr. Watson has contributed to a number of edit-
ed volumes and journals and has interviewed numerous key Air Force person-
ages, both military and civilian. He is the author of The Office of the Secretary
of the Air Force, 1947-1965 and co-author of With Courage: The Army Air
Forces in World War II. He was a contributing author and editor of the two-vol-
ume history of the United States Air Force: Winged Shield, Winged Sword. His
personal memoir of his Vietnam experience, entitled Voices from the Rear: Viet-
nam 1969-1970, was published in December 2001. His latest book, Secretaries
and Chiefs of Staff of the United States Air Force, was published in 2002.
vii
Coalition Air Warfare
viii
Contents
Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
About the Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Welcoming Address
Gen. W. Y. Smith, USAF(Ret.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Opening Remarks
Lt. Gen. Abbott Greenleaf, USAF(Ret.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Session I
Planning and Operations
Wayne Thompson, Panel Chair/Moderator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Command and Control of Air Forces during the Korean and Persian Gulf Wars
Mark D. Mandeles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Weapons, Tactics, and Training
Col. Richard J. Blanchfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
AGulf War Perspective on the Effectiveness of Air Power
Thomas A. Keaney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Session II
Air Superiority
The Contribution of the U.S. Marine Corps Night Fighter Squadrons
Ronald W. Harbison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
AWingman in Korea
Brig. Gen. Michael E. De Armond, USAF (Ret.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
The Korean Air War
AVM W. “Paddy” Harbison, RAF(Ret.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Aces and –86s: The Fight for Air Superiority during the Korean War
Kenneth P. Werrell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Luncheon Address
AHalf Century’s Retrospective of the Korean War
Adm. James L. Holloway III, U.S. Navy (Ret.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
ix