Page 66 - Aviation News - September 2017

Above: A Mustang seen from the top “He slowly rolled over and went into a Chinhae (K-10), in the southwest of the
of the control tower as it heads for a long glide. I watched the Yak go down... country, and some out of Suwon AB (K-13),
reconnaissance mission out of K-10. Tom a leftover from World War Two, just as my south of Seoul.
Shockley via Warren Thompson plane and I were. On the flight back I “We took off and climbed to altitude, usually
Below right: The patch worn thought about the duel 5,000 to 10,000ft, depending on where we
by members of the 67th with the North Korean, were going. The No.4 man in our flight aborted
FBS during the Korean resulting in a kill, and it just about the time we crossed the front lines.
War. Warren Thompson was rewarding to me to The remaining three Mustangs continued on to
Below: Red-tailed know that after almost the assigned area,” said Price.
Mustangs belonging six years I still knew “We were armed with four 4.5in rockets
to the 67th FBS at how to fight.” and ammo load. Our mission was to recon
Hoengsong Air Base [reconnaissance] vehicular traffic bringing
(K-46) in South Korea. YAK ATTACK supplies out of China. While this brought us
The snow during the Captain Howard Price close to the Yalu River [the Korean/Chinese
winter of 1950-1951 was a pilot in the 67th border], we were constantly on the look-out
was heavier than usual. FBS, one of many 18th for the new swept-wing MiG-15s that could
Elmer Dunlap via Warren Group pilots involved in venture across the river. We had just now
Thompson
aerial combat with the run across these fighters, but our intel knew
began his pull-up, but Yaks. very little about them.
luckily my timing was He recalled a “We could see them warming up at their
good. I wrapped up mission on November bases in China by the amount of dust kicked
my Mustang, and while 6, 1950, when flying up. On this day, six Yak-9 types came up at
I was in my turn I began reconnaissance east of us from the east of the Yalu. My wingman,
firing. I saw tracers converge Sinuiju in the extreme northern Lieutenant [George] Olsen, spotted them
on both wings. I eased the rudder to the right sector of North Korea, immediately “after first and called them out as they came up
to keep him in sight. Then a long blue plume we’d been kicked out of Pyongyang by the from our 9 o’clock position. The group of six
of smoke began to trail from one of his wings advancing Chinese”. had no specific formation.”
and he wobbled and fell out of his turn. The 18th Group was staging out of Price said he turned into them to ensure

66 Aviation News incorporating Jets September 2017

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