Page 68 - Aviation News - September 2017

Above: Yaks that had been strafed were
“The lm was good and intelligence were found by the Americans when they took over “He would hold the Yak in the vertical
elated. There were seven frames with clear several bases in North Korea. This photo was climb until it disappeared to stop mid-air...
shots of swept-wing aircraft. The lm was taken at Hamhu˘ng, North Korea. Oakley Allen fall backwards and spin out. The only shots
immediately own to Command HQ and then via Warren Thompson I came close to getting off were when he
on to UN to con rm reports of Soviet-type jet peaked at the top. I would gain on him in
aircraft being used in Korea. This was the Bottom: A 67th FBS Mustang equipped with the top of the climb, but just as I got in range
rst lm that con rmed this fact.” standard 5in rocket works in the mountains he would tumble back, and you can’t hit a
of North Korea in 1951, searching for a
Capt Flake also fought several battles column of tanks. Charles Morehouse via spinning target.
with the Yaks, scoring his rst kill during a Warren Thompson “After three or four such manoeuvres, I
low-altitude mission close to Yalu after four of apparently got some hits as he approached
the ghters had begun a diving attack on his The next day the Americans were again his peak again. He started to break out of
two elements. attacked by four Yaks. “This time, they were his climb prematurely and head straight
“I turned my element hard right to meet experienced and eager to engage. After down. I was able to reach a good position
them head on,” he said. “As we came passing each other on a headlong pass, I behind him, slightly above and to the right.
around, the lead Yak red a short burst and pulled almost vertical to gain altitude while As I red, his right wing appeared to pull
broke to his left and down, and I proceeded slowing to quicken my turn. At the next sight away at the wing root.
to engage, continuing a maximum right turn. of him, he was above me and his nose was “The Yak rolled abruptly and crashed,
“For a moment, I lost sight of him and then almost on me – and he was closing so fast, spreading ames and debris over a large
picked him up as he pulled out of the dive. he would be ring before I could get into area. Low on fuel and ammo, we returned
This allowed me to gain a favourable ring position. to base and were met with much acclaim.
position from behind and slightly inside his “Rolling and inverting, I headed straight For the rest of my tour I had no further
circle. Having spent a large part of my ammo down with a most uneasy feeling that he was opportunity to engage any North Korean
against ground targets, I did not want to re close behind me. aircraft.”
until I was in optimum range. I pulled the “I can’t recall the details of the gyrations The propeller-driven long-range Mustang
trigger when I got within 600ft of him. that ensued. Knowing I could not turn with bore the brunt of the ghting in the early
“Almost immediately, the Yak began him, I felt my life depended on gaining months of the war north of the 38th parallel
trailing smoke... the pilot levelled the aircraft the airspeed and altitude advantage. I border between the two Koreas. While no
out and then baled out.” Flake saw the used every ounce of power of my F-51 to match for the MiG, records show F-51s
ghter spiral down and crash, while the rest overcome his superior manoeuvrability. It downed 18 Yaks, an Il-10 ground attack
of the enemy aircraft headed north of the ended in a series of vertical moves, from aircraft and an La-7 ghter – the 67th
Yalu, adding: “The Yak pilots we faced on this 10,000ft at the top to the deck and then Fighter-Bomber Squadron claiming 12.5
day were inexperienced.” straight back up. Yaks.

68 Aviation News incorporating Jets September 2017

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