Aviation History 2017-03

Antonov An-225: 710-ton russian heavy hauler for hire

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Prop Bombers vs. Jet Fighters in MiG Alley

How air power helped counter the Chinese onslaught in North Korea Giuseppe Bellanca’s recordbreaking cabin monoplanes New insight into the death of a top American F-86 Sabre ace

HistoryNet.com

MARCH 2017

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DEPARTMENTS 5 MAILBAG 6 BRIEFING

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fightin’ 32 flight Vought F4U Corsairs from U.S. Navy fighter squadron VF-32 fly in formation.

features 20 RESCUING THE FROZEN CHOSEN

Without the help of naval air support, the Marines trapped around North Korea’s Chosin Reservoir might never have made it out alive. By Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

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12 RESTORED An ultra-rare Monocoupe 110 Special evokes the golden age of private sportplanes. By Stephan Wilkinson

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28 SHOWDOWNS IN MIG ALLEY

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36 WHO SHOT DOWN MAJOR DAVIS?

Recently revealed Chinese records have shed light on an American ace’s death in a confused dogfight with MiG-15s. By Raymond Cheung

42 GE’S TRAILBLAZING J47

After developing America’s first jet engine, General Electric produced the best-selling turbojet ever. By Don Bedwell

50 AN “OUTSTANDING AMERICAN CITIZEN”

Italian immigrant Giuseppe Bellanca’s pioneering cabin monoplanes were the aircraft of choice for record flights in the late 1920s and early ’30s. By Derek O’Connor

14 EXTREMES The Antonov State Company outdid itself with the An-225 Mriya, the world’s largest airplane. By Robert Guttman

16 AVIATORS James Salter drew on his Korean War experiences to write The Hunters. By Mark A. Werkema

18 LETTER FROM AVIATION HISTORY 58 REVIEWS 63 FLIGHT TEST 64 AERO ARTIFACT

ON THE COVER: Lieutenant j.g. Thomas J. Hudner crash-lands his Vought F4U-4 Corsair in an attempt to rescue his wingman, Ensign Jesse Brown, who went down in North Korea on December 4, 1950 (story, P. 20). Hudner’s heroic effort earned him a Medal of Honor. Cover art: Devotion, by Matt Hall, courtesy of Valor Studios.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF VALOR STUDIOS; CHESTER WEHE IV; ©AGENCJA FOTOGRAFICZNA CARO/ALAMY; GEORGE RINHART/CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES

Two wild aerial battles in late 1951 demonstrated that World War II–era bombers were sitting ducks for jet fighters. By David Sears

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Aviation History

Online

You’ll find much more from Aviation History on the Web’s leading history resource: HistoryNet.com

FRANK WHITTLE AND THE RACE FOR THE JET The engine that today powers most commercial airliners and military aircraft traces its origins to a 1930 patent filed by a young RAF officer.

BOB HOOVER: REMEMBERING THE PILOTS’ PILOT Fighter pilot, test pilot, aerobatic pilot: Bob Hoover is considered the greatest of all by airmen worldwide.

MIRACLE LANDING OFF KOREA Setting down on a carrier is difficult under the best conditions—but next to impossible if you can’t see.

ONLINE BONUS Follow our step-by-step instructions to build this issue’s “Modeling” project, a North American F-86E Sabre powered by the J47 turbojet, featured in “GE’s Trailblazing J47” (P. 42). Let’s Connect Like Aviation History Magazine on Facebook Digital Subscription Aviation History is available via Zinio and other digital subscription services

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CARL VON WODTKE EDITOR PARAAG SHUKLA SENIOR EDITOR JON GUTTMAN RESEARCH DIRECTOR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS WALTER J. BOYNE, STEPHAN WILKINSON ARTHUR H. SANFELICI EDITOR EMERITUS

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PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA

POPPERFOTO/GETTY IMAGES

Frank Whittle with a model of his jet engine.

MAILBAG

Dragon Lady assumed to be an overflight of Cuba in 1966. His aircraft continued flying until it ran out of fuel and crashed in Bolivia. The cause of the accident was believed to be a pressurization failure. He was from a family of achievers. His mother, my grandfather’s sister, wrote the classic bible on caring for injured wild animals, Care of the Wild Feathered and Furred. Bob Conard Rose Hill, Kan.

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egarding your feature on the Lockheed U-2 [“Dragon Lady,” January 2017], I took this photo [above] at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., where I was stationed in 1962. The U-2 went down in swampland near the Louisiana/Mississippi border on January 3, 1962, after the pilot, Charles P. Stratton, ejected safely. His story was reported in the Chicago Tribune of January 4, headlined: “Pilot’s Story of Dangling in Tree All Night.” Both pilot and plane were brought to Keesler— him to the base hospital and the wreckage to a maintenance yard, where I photographed it. Contrary to the news story, there was no evidence of fire. An early series U-2, it was in natural-metal finish. Randall Keils Kalamazoo, Mich.

this weird-looking plane and took a picture of it with one of his side oblique cameras, so we knew it was operational. I had the U-2 picture [left] for a while before I transferred back to the States in September 1956. I enjoyed your article on the Lockheed U-2 development, as I do all your articles, but I could find no information on when the U-2 became operational. In 1956 I was stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany, serving in the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. We were about 70 miles east of Wiesbaden, and there was a rumor that the U-2 was operating out of there. One of our squadrons’ pilots, flying a Republic RF-84F Thunderflash, came across

Bob Webster Hardin, Ky.

Thanks for your letter. The U-2 made its first reconnaissance flight in June 1956 out of Wiesbaden, so your photo is of one of the earliest operational examples. I enjoyed reading your article on the U-2 in the January issue. Although it was not in the timeframe of the Cuban Missile Crisis, my cousin Robert Hickman died in a U-2 during what was

Rocket Man It’s very rare when reading a magazine article that I get goose bumps, but while reading “Apollo’s Stallions” [January] it really got to me. I’m now 78 and I started my career on the Apollo program just out of college when I was 23. My first job was with the Space and Information Systems Division of North American Aviation. I was assigned to the Saturn S-II program (the second stage of the Saturn V) at Rocketdyne’s Santa Susana Test Facility. I was one of the test engineers responsible for the stage pressurization and ground pneumatics. Your article about the F-1 brought back memories of Rocketdyne testing the F-1 gas generator. When they fired off the gas generator at night, it lit up the entire valley like it was daylight, and this was just the generator needed to light off the F-1. Your article was a great reminder of our Saturn V program, and for that I thank you. I also want to thank you for a great publication.

Flying Wing Washout In his article about the Horten Ho-229 [November 2016], Stephan Wilkinson tells us that a flying wing has an advantage over conventional designs because it produces lift over its entire surface, unlike an airplane with a conventional tail that provides downforce. This is not true. A flying wing requires at least the same amount of downforce as a conventional airplane. A stable airplane must have its center of gravity ahead of its center of pressure, with the resulting imbalance counteracted by downforce from the horizontal tail. A swept flying wing has washout, meaning that the wing is twisted so that the tips, at the rearmost part of a swept wing, are at a negative angle of attack in cruise, thus providing downforce. Mick Morrissey Easthampton, Mass.

Number-One Fan I wanted to compliment you on the November issue of Aviation History. It was outstanding, with a wide variety of very interesting articles. Aviation-related magazines, unfortunately, have been on a downhill slide recently, with most taking significantly less than an hour to read. As a longtime avid reader of anything aviation-oriented, I can say Aviation History is now the best source for material that increases my knowledge of the subject. Thank you!

Dick Russ Oklahoma City, Okla.

Charlee Smith Templeton, Calif.

SEND LETTERS TO

Aviation History Editor, HistoryNet 1919 Gallows Road, Suite 400, Vienna, VA 22182-4038 703-771-9400 OR EMAIL TO [email protected]

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briefing

Norwegian F-104 Returns to the Air

t-tail for two The Royal Norwegian Air Force’s two-seat Lockheed F-104 returns to the air (above), with the Friends of the Starfighter association members who restored it in attendance (inset).

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verybody loves the Lockheed F-104 ;\IZÅOP\MZ¸Q\[W]\ZIOMW][TWWS[TMOMVLIZa XMZNWZUIVKM[\]VVQVO [XMMLIVL\QUM\WKTQUJ ZMKWZL[8T][\PM\QVa_QVO[ [PIZXI[[\MISSVQ^M[7SIa \PI\WVMQ[IUa\P
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OPPOSITE PHOTOS: SINDRE NEDREVAG; RIGHT, FROM TOP: TYSON V. RININGER/ TVR PHOTOGRAPHY, FREDERICK A. JOHNSEN, U.S. AIR FORCE

and all dual F-104s were built by Lockheed in Palmdale— hence the original U.S. title.) The restoration was then overseen by the Norwegian Air Force, which provided considerable logistical support for the project. The airplane had been active with the Norwegians ]V\QT! ÆaQVOW]\WN  Bodø to intercept Soviet Bears and Badgers over the Barents Sea. It then went into storage, and in 1994 was transferred to the Norwegian Aviation Museum at Bodø. ;W\PM;\IZÅOP\MZ_I[QV good shape when the Friends group made it a project, which consisted mainly of IRAN—inspect and repair as necessary. Helge Andreassen of the Friends tells Aviation History that “the airplane was kept mostly indoors and routinely started up and taxied. It was never used as a ground-handling trainer, though I’ve seen this published. It had been stored _Q\PN]MTIVLPaLZI]TQKÆ]QL onboard, which kept the fuel tank and rubber seals intact. “We found a lower-time engine to install, serviced and mounted newer MartinBaker ejection seats and pyros, replaced a fuel-hose assembly and some hydraulic lines and all rubber hoses, and changed both main landing gear legs. Without support from Italy, Denmark, the RNoAF and S&S Turbine Services, in Canada, none of this would have been possible.” Truly an international project. Stephan Wilkinson

Bob Hoover Flies West

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Air Quotes

“NO GUTS, NO GLORY. IF YOU ARE GOING TO SHOOT HIM DOWN, YOU HAVE TO GET IN THERE AND MIX IT UP WITH HIM.” –MAJ. GEN. FREDERICK C. “BOOTS” BLESSE

egendary pilot Robert A. “Bob” Hoover died on October 25 in Southern California at the age of 94. His history as a World War II Army Air Forces pilot and POW, postwar test pilot and decades as the consummate airshow pilot are etched into the memories of generations of aviation enthusiasts. Hoover had an aptitude for flying that astounded his instructors and saved his life when things went terribly wrong in the unforgiving flight-test and airshow arenas. He had the intuitive ability to comprehend complex aeronautical phenomena and quickly apply the laws of physics in unorthodox flight regimes. His energymanagement airshow demonstration in a twin-engine Shrike Commander was a ballet of graceful aerobatics and engine-out wizardry, always ending with a silent landing and rollout in front of the crowd. Hoover was an engaging storyteller. And what stories he could tell, based on his lifetime of harrowing flight experiences. His relaxed Tennessee drawl made the entire audience feel as if he were talking with them oneon-one, and his self-deprecating humor was the perfect counterpoint to his cerebral explanations of aeronautics. Long after retiring from professional flying, Bob was a beloved presence at events such as EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., where he always drew a full house. About 1,500 friends and admirers gathered for a celebration of Bob Hoover’s life at Clay Lacy Aviation at Van Nuys Airport in Southern California on November 18. Eleven aircraft performed a farewell flyby in three waves, starting with a pair of U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16s and a Canadian Air Force Snowbirds Tutor accompanying a T-39, followed by an F-22 bracketed by two F-86s (above), and culminating in a warbird missing-man formation in which Hoover’s own yellow P-51 Mustang pulled up and away to the west in a stirring tribute.

Frederick A. Johnsen

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BRIEFING comparing giants The Stratolaunch’s wing stretches for more than a football field, even eclipsing the wingspan of the “Spruce Goose.”

BOEING 747-8: 224 feet AIRBUS A380: 261.8 feet ANTONOV AN-225: 290 feet HUGHES H-4: 320 feet STRATOLAUNCH: 385 feet

he Antonov An-225 (story, P. 14) is the world’s largest airplane, but not for long. Stratolaunch Systems, part of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s Vulcan Aerospace, is currently building an even larger aircraft that will serve as a launch platform to accurately deliver satellites into low earth orbit without the weather and logistical LMTIa[\PI\WN\MVI‫ٺ‬MK\ZWKSM\ launches. Boasting a 385-foot wingspan, the Stratolaunch aircraft is a twin-fuselage design with six engines

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and eight sets of landing gear, capable of carrying a ZWKSM\IVLXIaTWIL_MQOPing up to 550,000 pounds. It’s being constructed by Northrop Grumman’s Scaled Composites, and incorpo-

rates engines, landing gear, avionics and other parts from two Boeing 747s, mated to IVIQZNZIUM_QVO[IVL[SQV made from lightweight composites. When fully loaded, the Stratolaunch will weigh

in at 1.3 million pounds, close to the An-225’s maximum \ISMW‫_ٺ‬MQOP\7VI\aXQKIT ÆQOP\Q\_QTTÆa\WIVIT\Q\]LM of 30,000 feet and release a ZWKSM\\PI\_QTTKIZZa\PMXIaload into orbit. Allen says the aircraft will be capable of launching P]VLZML[WN VM\_WZSML[I\ellites for communication or earth-imaging purposes. “It’s more than just building the world’s biggest airplane IVLZWKSM\º[IQL+P]KS Beames, executive director of Stratolaunch. “It’s a very KWUXTM`MKWVWUQK[a[\MUº Paraag Shukla

TOP: ILLUSTRATION BY STEVE KARP; BOTTOM: VULCAN AEROSPACE

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Paul Allen Thinks Big

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HUNTERS AT DAWN Hptm. Gerhard Barkhorn leads the Bf109s of II./JG52 as they climb out from their base near the Black Sea, November 1943. This superb release is the first in a three hundred club portfolio dedicated to the two highest scoring Aces in history and carries the original signatures of iconic Luftwaffe Aces.

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BRIEFING let the good times roll Kawasaki’s newly restored Ki-61 Hien is unveiled at Kobe Port Terminal on October 13.

K Milestones

Two-War Ace

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ixty-five years ago, on April 1, 1952, Colonel Francis S. Gabreski—the top American ace in Europe during World War II, flying P-47D Thunderbolts— became a Korean War jet ace. In March and April, a period of increasingly hostile Chinese MiG-15 activity, 83 Communist jets were shot down for only six American losses. Gabreski’s total of 6.5 victories flying F-86 Sabres in Korea, combined with his 26 kills during WWII, brought his total to 34.5. He was one of only seven American pilots to become a combat ace in two wars.

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awasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., now best known for its motorcycles, recently celebrated its 120th anniversary at Kobe Port Terminal, in Japan. The show was stolen, however, by a newly restored product of a wartime era 75 years ago—a Kawasaki 3Q5WLMTÅOP\MZ known to the Japanese army as the Hien (swallow) and to its Allied opponents as the Tony. Some 3,000 of this rare design using an inline water-cooled engine (the vast majority of Japanese warplanes used air-cooled radials) were built and XZW^MLNWZUQLIJTMÅOP\ers—when their engines were working. The power plants were so unreliable that ultimately a radial engine version, the Ki-100, was developed in 1945.

After being requisitioned by the U.S. military following Japan’s surrender, the Ki-61 was returned and put on display at the Chiran Peace Museum on Kyushu from 1986 to 2015. It was then acquired by the Japan Aeronautic Association, which, with the help of 30 volunteers, painstakingly restored \PMÅOP\MZZMXTIKQVO  percent of its instruments. These were exhibited, along with the engine, separate from the plane itself when it was unveiled at Kobe on October 13 and formally exhibited on the 15th. After sharing the terminal with Kawasaki’s two-wheeled products, the Hien will be put on permanent static display at the Kagamihara Aerospace Science Museum in Gifu Prefecture. Jon Guttman

TOP: ASAHI SHIMBUN VIA GETTY; BOTTOM: U.S. AIR FORCE

Rare Kawasaki Fighter Restored

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RESTORED special ’coupe Rick Atkins pilots his Monocoupe 110 Special.

Badass Monocoupe Clipwing AN ULTRA-RARE 110 SPECIAL, BUILT USING TWO RECOVERED AIRFRAMES, HEARKENS BACK TO THE GOLDEN AGE OF PRIVATE SPORTPLANES BY STEPHAN WILKINSON

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he 1930s saw the introduction and development of two Y]Q\MLQ‫ٺ‬MZMV\KI\MOWZQM[WN KQ^QTIQZKZIN\7VM_I[\PM JQOMVOQVMNW]ZXTIKMZ]UJTMO]\[KIJQVXTIVM[¸*MMKP ;\IOOMZ_QVO[?IKW[;\QV[WV[0W_IZL[;XIZ\IV[ ;WUM_MZMÆW_VJaXZWNM[[QWVIT[IVLITT_MZMOMVMZITTa QV\MVLMLNWZJ][QVM[[][M
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:QKS)\SQV[WN 8TIKMZ^QTTM +ITQNZMKMV\TaKZMI\MLI 5WVWKW]XM+TQX_QVO \PM3QVO3WVOWN \PM 5WVWKW]XMTQVM)\SQV[ IKY]QZML\PM_ZMKSIOMWN I [\ZIQOP\5WVWKW]XM\PI\ PIL[]‫ٺ‬MZMLI[ILIKKQLMV\ [WUMaMIZ[IOW_PMVQ\[ W_VMZNI\ITTaKZI[PML_PQTM LWQVOIÆaW^MZWN PQ[\P JQZ\PLIaZM\QZMUMV\XIZ\a )\SQV[IT[WJW]OP\\PMJIZM JWVM[IVLUW[\QUXWZ\IV\ \PMKMZ\QÅKI\QWVXIXMZ_WZS WN 6+;8I¹XZWRMK\

composite restoration Atkins’ Clipwing includes components of Monocoupe NC12350 (above). Opposite: The Special’s spartan cockpit.

Monocoupe” that its for mer owner had intended to UWLQNaQV\WI;XMKQIT I[+TQX_QVO[IZMW‫ٻ‬KQITTa SVW_V
OPPOSITE TOP & RIGHT: CHESTER WEHE IV; OPPOSTE BOTTOM: COURTESY OF RICK ATKINS

those papers were still valid. Atkins’ airplane thus retains the NC110SP registration. “You’re not supposed to use the C,” Atkins admits, “but no one has ever had an issue with it.” The Monocoupe factory manufactured only seven of the rare Clipwings, plus a few like Atkins’ airplane that _MZMUWLQÅMLQV\PMÅMTL
monocoupes have won more air races than any other line of aircraft in history. in history. “Of course back in the 1930s and ’40s they had air races every weekend,” Atkins points out. “Now we have them once a year.” It soon became apparent that not only was the 110 Special fast, it was also an excellent aerobatic contender. Since the wings were clipped at the roots rather than the tips, the stock 32-foot-wing ailerons remained on the 23-foot wings. Roll rate was, of course, excellent. Indeed, the Monocoupe 110 Special hanging in the National Air and Space Museum’s =L^IZ0Iba+MV\MZ?WWLa Edmonston’s Little Butch, _WV\PMÅZ[\_WZTLIMZWJI\QK championship, in 1948. Atkins, who operates the restoration-and-maintenance shop Ragwing Aviation at Placerville Airport, says that restoring his two-airplanesinto-one project was quite straightforward—“just like any other 1930s-built airplane.” Atkins services and maintains several Monocoupes other than his own, and has restored three 0W_IZL[_PQKPIZMM[[MVtially big Monocoupes. “The sheet-metal work was the biggest challenge,” he says. “I didn’t have any of the handformed metal parts, like the wheelpants and the ‘dishpan’ behind the engine, and I had to re-create them from photographs.” Atkins built the

wheelpants by casting smooth cement molds and pounding aluminum into shape around them. “That way, I could hammer out as many as I needed, in case I messed these up.” “Messing these up” isn’t an idle consideration, since Monocoupes have always had a reputation for challenging handling, especially the Clipwings. “It doesn’t have much wing,” Atkins points out, “and it was not known as an airplane that was easy \WÆaM^MVJMNWZM\PMaK]\ the wings. The weird thing Q[\PI\Q\ÆWI\[LW_V\PM runway unbelievably. You wouldn’t think so with those TQ\\TM_QVO[J]\\PMZM¼[IÅVM line between plummeting to the ground and using up the whole runway. Speed control Q[KZQ\QKIT;WNIZQV\PMÅ^M PW]Z[1¼^MÆW_VQ\1¼^MPIL ILQ‫ٻ‬K]T\\QUMPQ\\QVOI[XW\ with it.” On the other side of the ledger, what does Atkins most like about the Monocoupe? ¹0W_Q\TWWS[ºPMQUUMLQately says. “I’ve had a love I‫ٺ‬IQZ_Q\P\PI\IQZXTIVM[QVKM I was a kid, when I used to draw pictures of it. It’s not a very practical airplane, but I just love its looks. It’s one of

\PMUW[\JILI[[KMZ\QÅKI\ML airplanes ever made.” In 1934 Charles Lindbergh bought a 145-hp Model D Monocoupe—successor to the 110—that today hangs in a terminal at the Lambert–St. Louis International Airport. 4QVLJMZOP[]XXW[MLTaÆM_ Monocoupe 110 NC12350, the wreck that Atkins bought, before purchasing his Model D, though Atkins considers that a myth. Monocoupes led Atkins to his parallel fascination with \PMJQONW]Z[MI\0W_IZL classics, for which he is best known in the restoration busiVM[[0W_IZL[_MZMLM^MToped after race pilot Bennie 0W_IZLÆM__Q\P2WPV 4Q^QVO[\WV0W_IZLPIL already built a line of small, skinny, low-wing raceplanes called Pete, Mike and Ike, “and this little Monocoupe kept passing him,” Atkins says. “It \MMLPQUW‫[ٺ‬WPM_MV\NWZI ride with Livingston. When they got back on the ground, Bennie said, ‘I don’t know why this thing goes so fast, but I’m gonna build one with the biggest gol’dang engine I KIVÅVL¼IVL\PI\_I[Mr. Mulligan\PMÅZ[\0W_IZLº From badass to badderass, a logical progression. 

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EXTREMES

ukrainian giant The Antonov An-225 departs from Hostomel, Ukraine, for a transport flight in May 2016. Below: The An-225 carries the Buran space shuttle.

Heavy Hauler for Hire THE ANTONOV STATE COMPANY OUTDID ITSELF AT THINKING BIG WITH THE AN-225 MRIYA, THE WORLD’S LARGEST AIRPLANE BY ROBERT GUTTMAN

T

here’s no getting around the fact that Russia is a big country. Perhaps that explains why Russians seem to have always been obsessed with big airplanes. Ever since 1914, when Igor Sikorsky set a world altitude-with-payload ZMKWZL_Q\PPQ[OQIV\1TaI5]ZWUM\[\PM_WZTL¼[ÅZ[\ four-engine production airplane, Russians have been building airplanes of ever greater size and payload capacity. The latest in the line of Russian giants, the Antonov An-225, also known as the Mriya (“dream”), is truly in a class by itself. In comparison with the Airbus A380 jumbo-jet airliner, the An-225 has a 30-foot greater wingspan, 38-foot longer fuselage

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and a nearly 18,000-pound PMI^QMZUI`QU]U\ISMW‫ٺ‬ weight. It has set 240 world records, including transporting the heaviest cargo (253 tons), the heaviest single piece of cargo (186.7 tons) and the longest single piece of cargo (138 feet). Company founder Oleg Antonov got his start the same

way as a lot of aspiring aircraft designers in the early Soviet era, by joining the Organization of Friends of the Air Force and designing a glider. During much of the 1930s, Soviet pilots were required to do their primary training in gliders. Producing gliders remained Antonov’s chief concern until 1938,

OPPOSITE: (TOP) VLADIMIR SHTANKO/ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY IMAGES, (BOTTOM) ©SPUTNIK/ALAMY; TOP RIGHT: PAUL KANE/GETTY IMAGES; BOTTOM RIGHT: ©IMAGEBROKER/ALAMY

when an instructor managed to defect in one. After that glider training was terminated, the glider clubs were abolished and Antonov’s glider factory was shut down. Antonov continued to work in the aviation industry during World War II, collaborating with Aleksandr YakW^TM^WVPQ[ÅOP\MZ[0MIT[W designed military assault gliders, among them the bizarre A-40 Krylya Tanka, or “tank wings,” which consisted of a set of biplane wings and a tail attached to a T-60 light tank. The combiVI\QWVQ[[IQL\WPI^MÆW_V successfully on at least one occasion, but the Soviets abandoned the idea in 1942 when they realized they didn’t have an airplane powerful enough to tow it the required distance. Following WWII, Antonov specialized in utility, passenger and cargo aircraft, including the An-2 biplane, of which some 18,000 were built, and the An-22 Antei, the largest airXTIVMQV\PM_WZTL_PMVÅZ[\ ÆW_VQV!IVL[\QTT\PM world’s largest turboprop. Although Antonov died in ! PQ[)VZMUIQV[I Å\\QVOUMUWZQIT\WIVIQZplane designer who liked to \PQVSJQO.QZ[\ÆW_VQV!  it was designed to transport outsize loads for the Soviet space program—in particular the Buran (“snowstorm”) reusable space vehicle, the Soviet version of the Space ;P]\\TM
The Mriya can haul 200-ton loads nonstop over intercontinental distances and transport up to 250 tons over short stages. _Q\PIUI`QU]U\ISMW‫ٺ‬ weight of 893,000 pounds, XW]VL[OZMI\MZ\PIV \PI\WN \PM4WKSPMML+ /ITI`a
the Antonov State Company’s NIK\WZaIVL\PM)VKIUM ]VLMZ\PMR]ZQ[LQK\QWVWN \PM newly independent state of Ukraine. The Mriya (actually a Ukrainian word) remains \PMWVTa)VM^MZJ]QT\ although a second partially completed aircraft is sitting at the Antonov factory. In September 2016, the Chinese and Ukrainians reached an agreement whereby the Aviation Industry Corporation of China would complete the ]VÅVQ[PML)V1\[KWUpletion is slated for 2019, after which plans call for the aircraft to be produced under license at the AICC’s factory in China, though many obstacles remain to be overcome. As it is, this single giant

open wide Top: The transport raises its front end to unload cargo in Perth, Australia. Above: The Mriya’s main undercarriage consists of seven sets of double wheels on both sides.

transport has remained in demand to carry heavy and outsize cargo over long distances all around the world. The Mriya can haul 200-ton loads nonstop over intercontinental distances IVL\ZIV[XWZ\]X\W\WV[ over short stages. Among other missions, it has been used to deliver emergency []XXTQM[\W0IQ\QIN\MZ\PM 2010 earthquake and to Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. 

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aviators

the mig hunter James A. Horowitz, shown in the cockpit of an F-86 Sabre, shot down a MiG-15 on his 89th of 100 missions in Korea. Opposite: The pilot with his F-86E, Slow Boat to China.

MiG Kill on the Fourth of July

art imitates life As James Salter, the former Sabre pilot captured his experiences in novel form.

THE AUTHOR OF THE HUNTERS DREW FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WHEN WRITING HIS CELEBRATED KOREAN WAR NOVEL BY MARK A. WERKEMA

C

aptain James A. Horowitz was a young man doing what PMTW^MLJM[\L]ZQVO\PM3WZMIV?IZ¸ÆaQVOIQZXTIVM[ A graduate of the West Point Class of 1945, the handsome pilot with jet-black hair served with the 335th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing. After the war, Horowitz changed his name and parTIaMLPQ[ÆaQVOM`XMZQMVKM[QV\WIVM_KIZMMZI[I_ZQ\MZ)[ James Salter, he would write one of the most famous and QVÆ]MV\QITJWWS[\WMUMZOMNZWU\PM3WZMIV?IZThe Hunters,

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_PQKP\P+MV\]Za.W` adapted into a major motion picture in 1958. In July 2014, I had the privilege of interviewing Salter on the back porch of his home in Bridgehampton, Long Island. I had written him a letter requesting an

interview, and he graciously answered back within a few weeks. “I would be willing to talk about writing and the Korean War,” he wrote, “though not about the shooting down of a MiG, which is WVTaIÆa[XMKSWN IVM^MV\ It would be embarrassing to go on about it.” Salter died less than a year later, on June 19, 2015. When I knocked on his front door, Salter met me with a reserved smile and handshake. He was a consummate gentleman, and I shall never forget the few ÆMM\QVOPW]Z[_M[XMV\ together. I was fascinated by PQ[ÆaQVO[\WZQM[IVLJa\PM

PHOTO: HISTORYNET ARCHIVE; ORIGINAL ARTWORK BY ROGER STUCH

story he hadn’t yet revealed in full—of his own MiG kill. ;IT\MZÆM_\PM6WZ\P American F-86 Sabre, the hottest jet in the U.S. Air Force inventory in the early 1950s. “Everybody admired it,” he said. “It had a dis\QVK\TaÅOP\MZIXXMIZIVKM IVLWN KW]Z[MXQTW\[NMTTQV TW^M_Q\PIVa\PQVO\PMaÆa to some extent. It was an QV[\IV\Ua\PQKIQZXTIVMNZWU \PMÅZ[\º )[SMLIJW]\PQ[ÅZ[\KWUbat mission in Korea, Salter rose from his chair and told UMPM_I[OWQVO\WZM\ZQM^M his wartime journal from the other room. He soon returned with a black mole[SQVRW]ZVITÅTTML_Q\PPIVL_ZQ\\MVXIOM[ On February 23, 1952, ;IT\MZÆM_PQ[ÅZ[\KWUJI\ XI\ZWT1VPQ[RW]ZVITPMPIL _ZQ\\MV\PI\PM_I[¹[TQOP\Ta VMZ^W][º0MM`XTIQVML\PI\ PM[I_VW5Q/[WV\PI\ÅZ[\ XI\ZWTJ]\\PMV_Q\PI\W]KP of irony, read the last line of his journal entry on that ÅZ[\LIa"¹
¹.QZ[\OWWL_MI\PMZQV I_MMS
“My first MiG, after all these months of heartache and trying. It was a great thrill.” “At about 1,100 feet some PQ\[QVPQ[ZQOP\_QVOIVL a few minutes later, at less \PIV1OM\I[WTQLJ]Z[\ QV\WPQ[N][MTIOM>MZaJZQOP\ ÆI[PM[0MZWTT[W^MZ1X][P NWZ_IZL[\QTT[PWW\QVOPQ\ \QVOPQUITQ\\TM;]LLMVTa PQ[KIVWXaÆQM[W‫[)ٺ‬MKWVL TI\MZ\PMXQTW\IKWUXIK\ bundle, comes out. ¹1[PW]\\W+WXM»,QLaW] see that?’ ¹»:WOMZ¼ ¹?M_I\KP\PM5Q/[XQV down from 30,000 feet, ^MZaTMQ[]ZMTa]V\QTÅVITTa in some wooded hills, its [PILW_KWUM[]X\WUMM\Q\ 1\PQ\[IVLM`XTWLM[?M[MM no more MiGs, we’re below JQVOWCN]MT¸R][\MVW]OP\W OM\JIKS\WJI[ME_Q\P OITTWV[IVLPMILJIKS ¹5aÅZ[\5Q/IN\MZITT these months of heartache and \ZaQVO1\_I[IOZMI\\PZQTTº

)[;IT\MZM`XTIQVML¹1\ was all about the MiGs.”
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The War That Never Ended

P

BY CARL VON WODTKE

sabre sortie North American F-86Es from the 336th Fighter Interceptor Squadron chase B-29s during an escort mission to North Korea.

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resident Harry Truman described it as a United Nations “police action,” and today it is regarded as the “Forgotten War,” falling I[Q\LQLJM\_MMV\PMOTWJITKWVÆIOZI\QWVWN  World War II and the national trauma of the Vietnam War. The North Koreans, who QOVQ\ML\PMKWVÆQK\_PMV\PMaI\\IKSMLIKZW[[\PM Korean peninsula’s 38th Parallel on June 25, 1950, referred to it as the “Fatherland Liberation War.” Whatever name it goes by, the Korean War cost 36,574 American lives and resulted in an estimated 2.5 million civilian casualties. From an air combat perspective, the Korean War UIZSMLI[MIKPIVOMQVMY]QXUMV\IVL\IK\QK[1\ _I[\PMÅZ[\KWVÆQK\QV_PQKPRM\IQZKZIN\XTIaML a central role, as the propeller-driven fighterJWUJMZ[WN \PM_IZ¼[ÅZ[\UWV\P[OZIL]ITTaOI^M _Ia\WIVM_OMVMZI\QWVWN \]ZJWRM\XW_MZML airplanes. During its initial stages, piston-engine aircraft such as the Vought F4U Corsair and ,W]OTI[),;SaZIQLMZXMZNWZUMLaMWUIV[MZ^QKM QV\PMOZW]VLI\\IKSZWTMXIZ\QK]TIZTaIN\MZ+PQVI entered the war en masse in late October 1950, _PMVVI^ITIQZXW_MZPMTXMLSMMX\PM5IZQVM[ trapped at the Chosin Reservoir from being overrun (story, P. 20). Later, in the fall of 1951, propLZQ^MVJWUJMZ[UQ`MLQ\]X_Q\PRM\QV\MZKMX\WZ[ in two wild aerial battles, with predictable results (story, P. 28).
;IJZMXW_MZMLJa/-¼[2\]ZJWRM\¸[\WZa8 ][PMZMLQVIVM_MZIWN RM\^MZ[][RM\IQZKWUJI\
COURTESY OF WARREN THOMPSON

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RESCUING THE FROZEN CHOSEN NAVAL AIR SUPPORT PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN COVERING THE WITHDRAWAL OF U.N. FORCES FROM NORTH KOREA’S CHOSIN RESERVOIR BY THOMAS MCKELVEY CLEAVER

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WINGMAN DOWN Lieutenant j.g. Thomas J. Hudner belly-lands beside Ensign Jesse Brown’s crashed Vought F4U-4 Corsair, in Devotion, a painting by Matt Hall.

SQUADRON MATES Brown (center) joins fellow members of U.S. Navy fighter squadron VF-32 for another mission from the carrier Leyte.

SNOW SQUALLS HOVERED OVER HEAVING WHITECAPS IN THE SLATE-GRAY SEA OF JAPAN AS SIX VOUGHT F4U-4 CORSAIRS WENT “FEET DRY” NORTH OF HUNGNAM ON DECEMBER 4, 1950. Pine-covered North Korean mountains, draped with deep snowdrifts and obscured by clouds, came into view. The clouds soon broke, revealQVO\PMÆI\_QVL[_MX\M`XIV[MWN \PMLM[WTI\M Chosin Reservoir. =;6I^aÅOP\MZ[Y]ILZWV>.¼[1ZWY]WQ[ .TQOP\ TMILMZ 4\ +ULZ ,QKS +M^WTQ \]ZVML north as the Corsairs passed the ruined village of Yudam-ni, site of a deadly battle between the 1st 5IZQVM,Q^Q[QWV¼[\PIVL\PZMOQUMV\[IVL\PM +PQVM[M8MWXTM¼[>WT]V\MMZ)ZUa
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11 miles of Toktong Pass to the relative safety of Hagaru-ri, at a cost of 100 men per mile. +M^WTQOTIVKMLW^MZI\_QVOUIV4QM]\MVIV\ George Hudson. Beyond him was the second MTMUMV\4\RO*QTT3WMVQOIVL-V[QOV:ITXP 5K9]MMV
Iroquois One-Three. I’m losing power. I have to put it down. Mayday. Mayday.” Brown released his under-wing ordnance. As the F4U’s nose dropped, Hudner warned, “Watch your airspeed.” The others watched, helpless, as Brown descended toward a bowl-shaped clearing on a mountainside. Hudner winced as he saw the Corsair touch down in a cloud of snow and plow IKZW[[\PMÅMTL\PZW_QVOIZWW[\MZ\IQTWN [VW_ behind until it came to an abrupt stop, nearly into a line of bordering trees. Hudner watched for signs of movement from Brown as he circled lower and spotted smoke wafting from the broken cowling. “Get out, Jesse!” he radioed. “Come on!” Still there was no movement. “Somebody was going to have to go down and help,” Hudner recalled. “Since nobody else was volunteering, I decided it would have to be me.” He ditched his ordnance and called, “I’m going in.” As he saw the ground come up fast, he thought, “This is really stupid, you know?” “The ground seemed to rush at me as I hit,” he continued, “and then I was out of control, snowXTW_QVOIKZW[[\PMÅMTLIVLPWXQVO1_I[OWQVO to end up somewhere close to Jesse.” His Corsair slammed around 90 degrees and slewed to a stop. As the snow settled, Hudner could see he was about 80 yards from Brown.

PREVIOUS PAGES & ABOVE RIGHT: COURTESY OF VALOR STUDIOS; OPPOSITE & RIGHT: U.S. NAVY VIA THOMAS MCKELVEY CLEAVER

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om Hudner and Jesse Brown couldn’t have been more unlike. Hudner was a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, the oldest WN Å^MKPQTLZMVWN I[]KKM[[N]T1ZQ[PJ][Qnessman who owned Hudner’s Markets in Boston. )N\MZ[MZ^QVOI[IKWUU]VQKI\QWV[W‫ٻ‬KMZIJWIZL several ships, he became a naval aviator in 1949. Jesse L. Brown Jr. was a sharecropper’s son from Hattiesburg, Miss. He entered the aviation midshipman program after graduating through an NROTC scholarship from Ohio State, and in 1948 JMKIUM\PMÅZ[\)NZQKIV)UMZQKIVVI^ITI^QI\WZ The two met aboard the aircraft carrier USS Leyte in early 1950. At the time VF-32, “The Swordsmen,” flew Grumman F8F-1 Bearcats. Brown was recognized as the squadron’s best pilot _PMVPM\WWSI_I^MW‫ٺ‬I\\PMTI[\UWUMV\ILLML throttle too rapidly and survived a torque roll less than 100 feet above the deck, recovering in full view of everyone and executing a textbook landing, cool as could be. Leyte was in Naples when war broke out in Korea in June 1950. The carrier returned to the United States, where VF-32 re-equipped with F4U-4 Corsairs. Leyte redeployed to the Mediterranean, transited the Suez Canal and crossed the Indian Ocean to arrive in Sasebo, Japan, on October 8. It put to sea the next day, joining the carriers Boxer, Philippine Sea and Valley Forge of Task Force 77 in the Sea of Japan. They provided air support for the Marines in their push into North Korea after U.N.

“SOMEBODY WAS GOING TO HAVE TO GO DOWN AND HELP,” HUDNER RECALLED. “…I DECIDED IT WOULD HAVE TO BE ME.”

commander General Douglas MacArthur made the fateful decision to “roll back” the Communists, heedless of Chinese Premier Chou En-lai’s threat of military intervention if U.N. forces approached the Yalu River. Belief that the war was won was so strong throughout the U.S. Eighth Army during late October that units on the front began pulling comJI\MY]QXUMV\W‫\ٺ‬PMTQVM\WXZMXIZMQ\NWZZM\]ZV \W2IXIV7‫ٻ‬KMZ[LQ[KIZLMLÅMTL]VQNWZU[QVNI^WZ of dress uniforms they would wear in the coming Tokyo victory parade. Word circulated in the 1st Cavalry Division that the men would wear their yellow cavalry scarves and had better look paradeOZW]VL[PIZXVW\JI\\TMÅMTLOZQbbTML As Task Force 77’s pilots found fewer targets, sortie rates dropped. Philippine Sea and Boxer departed for Yokosuka on October 22, with Boxer ordered to continue on to the United States. On October 30, Valley Forge retired to Sasebo, with LeyteM`XMK\ML\WNWTTW_QV6W^MUJMZ)\ÅZ[\\PM loss of Navy carrier support did not seem important to the Marines, since they had their own squadrons nearby: VMF-214 and VMF-323 operated F4U-4 Corsairs from Sicily and Badoeng Strait, _PQTM>5.IVL>5.ÆM_TIVLJI[ML F4U-4s alongside VMF(N)-513’s F4U-5N night ÅOP\MZ[IVL>5.)?¼[/Z]UUIV..6
MARINE SAVIOR After sailing from the U.S., Leyte spent 92 days on station off Korea, providing close air support to the Marines at Chosin.

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teries in Manchuria. On October 31, Lockheed F-80 pilots of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing (FIW) reported seeing “silver, arrow-shaped jets” W^MZ)V\]VO\MV\I\Q^MTaQLMV\QÅMLI[5Q/[ .QZ[\4QM]\MVIV\?8/IZ\WVNZWU>5.)? [I_\PM+PQVM[MJ]QTL]XWVPQ[ÅZ[\VQOP\ UQ[[QWV\W\PMAIT]¹.WZWVMPW]Z1WZJQ\ML\PM Korean side of the river and counted the trucks KWUQVOIKZW[[\PMJZQLOMJM\_MMV)V\]VOIVL Sinuiju,” he reported. “The trucks left brightly lit Antung with their lights on; halfway across the bridge, they would switch to black-out lights and OZWXM\PMQZ_Ia\PZW]OPLQUTaTQ\;QV]QR]
O BETWEEN MISSIONS Above: Brown’s fellow VF-32 pilots carry him through Leyte’s ready room after he missed a landing on his first try. Right: Although it drew first blood against the MiG-15, Grumman’s F9F-2 Panther was no match for the sweptwing Soviet jet fighter.

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V6W^MUJMZ\PMÅZ[\RM\^MZ[][RM\KWUJI\QVPQ[\WZa]VNWTLML_PMV\PZMM5Q/ [NZWU\PM;W^QM\VL/]IZL[.QOP\MZ )^QI\QWV:MOQUMV\¸I]VQ\KWUXW[MLWN  ?WZTL?IZ11IKM[¸I\\IKSML. [WN \PM[\ .1?IV;QKSTM2Z \WIV\QIQZKZIN\ÅZM]V\QTIN\MZ\PM+WTL?IZ_PMV Russian records were released. That night, Chinese infantry struck the 8th +I^ITZa:MOQUMV\WN \PM[\+I^ITZa,Q^Q[QWV QVÆQK\QVOPMI^aTW[[M[WV\PM)UMZQKIV[IVLNWZKQVO\PMU\WZM\ZMI\NZWU\PMQZXW[Q\QWV[I\=V[IV on the Chongchon River, north of Pyongyang. It _I[\PM_WZ[\)UMZQKIVLMNMI\WN \PM_IZ\P][NIZ

.W]ZLIa[TI\MZ+PQVM[M[WTLQMZ[I\\IKSML\PM\P Marines at Sudong on the road to Chosin Reservoir, _PMZM\PM)UMZQKIV[P]VOWVJa\PMQZÅVOMZVIQT[ QVPIVL\WPIVLÅOP\QVOWT]V\MMZ)ZUaKWUUIVLMZ 5IZ[PIT8MVO,MP]IQ"¹7]Z!\P)ZUa/ZW]X UIQVNWZKM[PI^M[]KKM[[Q^MTaMV\MZML3WZMINZWU 2¼QIVIVL4QVRQIVO\WI[[]UMMI[\MZVNZWV\WXMZI\QWV[?MPI^MW^MZUMVWV\PMMI[\MZV NZWV\\PMMVMUaW^MZ!OQ^QVO][I IL^IV\IOMW^MZPQU?MPI^MUMVWV\PM _M[\MZVNZWV\\PMMVMUaOQ^QVO][I IL^IV\IOMW^MZPQU7]ZNWZKM[IZM[]XMZQWZWV the eastern and western fronts.” Meanwhile, the air war heated up, as Task Force [\Z]KS\PMAIT]:Q^MZKZW[[QVO[7V6W^MUJMZ! 4\+ULZ?QTTQIU<)UMVXQTW\QVOI/Z]UUIV .!.8IV\PMZWN >.\IVOTML_Q\PI5Q/ ÆW_VJa+IX\IQV5QSPIQT/ZIKPM^¹?MKW]TL clearly see the big runway at Antung across the river in Manchuria but were too far away to ascertain what type of aircraft were parked there,” )UMVZMXWZ\ML¹)[\PM),[C,W]OTI[;SaZIQLMZ[E started their dives on the bridge, I asked the leader QN IVaWN \PMUPIL[QOP\ML5Q/[
NAVAL AIR SUPPORT On December 3, 1950, Hudner heads Off to the Chosin, in Nicholas Trudgian’s painting.

IMAGES: COURTESY OF VALOR STUDIOS

e.

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AIR GROUP 3 EXPENDED SO MUCH ORDNANCE THAT THE CARRIER LEYTE HAD TO PULL OFF THE LINE ON NOVEMBER 16 TO REFUEL AND RE-ARM.

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FRIGID FLYING Clockwise from above left: F4U-4s await their next mission on Badoeng Strait’s ice-glazed flight deck; Brown peers from the cockpit; Marines watch a Corsair strike on the Hagaru perimeter.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF VALOR STUDIOS

pitching through 20-30 feet at times, and rolling constantly.” Pilots weren’t the only ones who suffered. Sergeant Paul Richter, an ordnanceman with VMF-214 aboard Sicily, noted that “Escort carriers toss around like a cork in a heavy sea, and the sea was heavy the entire time. Arming a Corsair in the hangar deck was an adventure, just trying not \WNITTW‫\ٺ‬PMTILLMZI[aW]TWILMLZWKSM\[1_I[ [KIZML\WLMI\P\WOW]XWV\PMÆQOP\LMKSNWZNMIZ 1¼LJM_I[PMLW^MZJWIZLº 1V\PMMIZTaUWZVQVOPW]Z[WN 6W^MUJMZ the worst Siberian blizzard in a century swept over the Korean peninsula, dropping temperatures below 30 degrees and covering everything _Q\PPMI^a[VW_
THE 120,000 VETERANS OF THE CHINESE 9TH VOLUNTEER ARMY STRUCK, WITH ORDERS TO “WIPE OUT THE MARINES TO THE LAST MAN.”

HERO’S REWARD Brown’s widow, Daisy, and Hudner flank President Harry Truman at the Navy pilot’s Medal of Honor ceremony in March 1952.

took me over 30 minutes to cover the distance to 2M[[M¼[IQZXTIVMIVL1_I[LIUVVMIZNZWbMV[\Q‫ٺ‬Ja \PM\QUM1OW\\PMZMº Hudner discovered that Brown’s legs had been crushed when the fuselage buckled, pinning him QV[QLM\PMKWKSXQ\,M[XQ\M0]LVMZ¼[JM[\M‫ٺ‬WZ\[ he found it impossible to pull him free. He piled snow on the smoking Corsair in an attempt to LW][M\PMÆIUM[_PQTM*ZW_VLZQN\MLQVIVLW]\ of consciousness. The sun was going down, and it was even colder in the shadows. Hudner yanked at the instrument panel in a futile attempt to pry it loose. Finally, a helicopter from Marine observation squadron VMO-6 arrived, piloted by 1st Lt. Charles Ward, who joined Hudner in trying to break the plane WXMV_Q\PIÅZMI`1V\PMTI[\TQOP\WN LIa_PMVPM had to go or risk dying of frostbite himself, Hudner realized his friend had frozen to death. The heliKWX\MZTQN\MLW‫ٺ‬QVIKTW]LWN [VW_TMI^QVO2M[[M Brown and his Corsair in the frozen stillness. 1V5IZKP!4\RO
A

nd then there was the recon mission of December 4. Badly shaken, Hudner climbed out of his Corsair. “The snow was waist deep, it _I[KWTLMZ\PIV1PI^MM^MZM`XMZQMVKMLIVa_PMZM MT[MIVLI\ÅZ[\1KW]TLV¼\UW^MºPMZMKITTML¹1\ march 2017

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TO THE RESCUE Flying a North American F-86A Sabre, Major George Davis shoots a MiG-15 off the tail of 1st Lt. Raymond Barton on November 30, 1951, in an illustration by Adam Tooby.

SHOWDOWNS IN MiG ALLEY TWO WILD AERIAL BATTLES IN THE FALL OF 1951 DEMONSTRATED THAT THE DAYS OF PROPELLER-DRIVEN BOMBERS WERE NUMBERED BY DAVID SEARS

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AFTER THE BRIEFING FOR THE 307TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP’S OCTOBER 23, 1951, MISSION, B-29 NAVIGATOR 1ST LIEUTENANT FRED MEIER JOTTED IN HIS DIARY:

“BIG ONE” A B-29 Superfortress of the 307th Bombardment Group drops its ordnance on a tactical target in North Korea.

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¹*ZQMNMLNWZ5Q/)TTMaUQ[[QWV6IU[Q)QZÅMTLº)VWUQVW][\IZOM\6IU[Q TIa[KIZKMTaUQTM[NZWU)V\]VO_PMZM+WUU]VQ[\5Q/ÅOP\MZ[ _MZMJI[ML 4M[[\PIVIaMIZMIZTQMZIVW\PMZ*!KZM_I\\IKSQVOILQ‫ٺ‬MZMV\6WZ\P 3WZMIVIQZJI[MZMOQ[\MZMLWVMWN \PMÅZ[\MVKW]V\MZ[_Q\P\PM[_MX\_QVO RM\
5IZ[PITT¹_PQKP_I[ UWZM \PIV \PM \_W [PQX C. E MTMUMV\ KW]TL KWXM _Q\Pº 1V )XZQT_PMVLWbMV[WN  *![[PQMTLMLJa. [ I\\IKSMLIAIT]:Q^MZ JZQLOM\PZMM;]XMZNWZ\[ _MZM [PW\ LW_V IVL [M^MV UWZM LIUIOML _Q\PW]\UISQVOILMV\ QV\PMJZQLOM 7^MZ \PM MV[]QVO UWV\P[I[3WZMIV\Z]KM \ITS[KWUUMVKML)QZ .WZKMXTIVVMZ[[\Z]OOTML \WLM^Q[MVM_\IK\QK[\W W^MZKWUM\PMXZWJTMU 7VMWX\QWV_I[\W\ISM W]\VM_6WZ\P3WZMIV IQZNQMTL[ *a 7K\WJMZ !_Q\P\Z]KMVMOW\Q I\QWV[ILRW]ZVML\PM [\IOM _I[ [M\ NWZ \_W JWUJMZNQOP\MZ 5Q/ )TTMa[PW_LW_V[

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akeup came at 1 a.m. for the nine B-29 crews of the 307th Bomb /ZW]XI[[QOVML\W\PM7K\WJMZZIQL
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AIR WAR OVER NORTH KOREA

PREVIOUS PAGES: ADAM TOOBY; OPPOSITE: U.S. AIR FORCE; RIGHT: FOXBAT FILES; MAP: DIT RUTLAND

“EVERYONE ATTACK THE BIG ONES!” OSKIN ORDERED.

Sea of Japan NORTH KOREA

SEOUL

SOUTH KOREA

TMILMZ5IRWZ,UQ\Za 87[SQV_PWQUUMLQately snapped his MiG QV\WIPITN ZWTTLQ^QVO NWZ\PM*![¹-^MZa one attack the big ones!” Oskin ordered. 5MIV_PQTM;UWZKP SW^ OW\ [\ 4\
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IN LESS THAN 15 MINUTES OVER NAMSI, THREE B-29S WERE DOWNED.

WARHORSES Top: John Swartz’s F-86A is the oldest Sabre—and jet—still flying. Above: The B-29 Command Decision came back from a October 27, 1951, raid with a MiG cannon shell hole in its flaps.

spiraling dive. At 18,000 feet, Shields ordered his crew out. Aboard Sit ’n Git (Able Lead), navigator Fred Meier sat behind the bombardier on the glassed-in flight deck. At “bombs away,” radio operator Bernie Blumenthal alerted the crew by interphone, “MiGs in the vicinity!” To Meier, the MiGs UW[\TQSMTaXQTW\MLJa7[SQVIVLPQ[Å^M_QVOUMV [MMUML\WÆI[PJaNZWUM^MZa_PMZM4MN\JTQ[\MZ O]VVMZ:WTTIVL5QTTMZÅZMLI\IVQVKWUQVO5Q/ M^MVI[ÆIUM[MZ]X\MLNZWU\PMILRIKMV\*! (Able Three), which vanished into the clouds, with two parachute canopies drifting behind. Radio circuits buzzed against a background of PIUUMZQVOO]V[U]‫ټ‬MLM`XTW[QWV[IVLQVKWPMZent shouts. “Catch that flight of MiGs coming off the bombers!” urged one F-84 pilot. “Catch them before they get to the bombers!” pleaded another. “Sorry guys,” an F-86 pilot reportedly replied, “we can’t do it.” In less than 15 minutes over Namsi, with the ILLQ\QWVITTW[[WN *ISMZ<_W\PZMM*![_MZM shot down and three more severely damaged. 
E

`IOOMZI\MLKTIQU[I[QLM\PM+WUU]VQ[\[ KW]TLJM_MTT[I\Q[ÅMLAM\IKKWZLQVO\WPQ[torian Xiaoming Zhang, Chinese leaders _MZMLM\MZUQVML\WÆM`\PMQZW_VJWUJMZ

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muscle. A likely target was the island of Taehwa-do (Cho-do to the Koreans), near \PMUW]\PWN \PMAIT] River, where the South Koreans had stationed \ZWWX[ITWVO_Q\P radar and radio monitoring equipment. On November 6, nine World War II– ^QV\IOM<]XWTM^<] twin-engine light bombers of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) 8th ,Q^Q[QWV\WWSW‫ٺ‬NZWU Shenyang to strike
safely. Flushed with this new success, Chinese planners decided to duplicate the tactic on a follow-up raid. For its part, the USAF looked to avenge Namsi. So, on the morning of November 30, when U.S. Army intelligence anticipated an imminent assault on Taehwa-do, every 4th Wing F-86 pilot was either airborne or on standby. /IW A]MUQVO I five-year flying veteran, led the mission’s VQVM <][ 7_QVO to inflight scheduling errors, Gao’s bombers reached their scheduled midafter noon rendezvous fully five minutes ahead of schedule—a fatal mistake. They managed to link up with their 16 Lavochkin escorts, J]\\PMZL,Q^Q[QWV 5Q/[_MZMWVTaR][\ then leaving Antung. Gao and his crews then made another blunder: Spotting a dis\IV\RM\NWZUI\QWV\PMa blithely assumed it was a homeward-bound MiG patrol. Instead, it was 31 F-86s from the 334th, 335th and 336th Fighter Interceptor squadrons, all led by 4th Wing commander Colonel Ben Preston.

GUN CAMERA SHOT A MiG-15 sustains hits from the .50-caliber guns of Captain Manuel Fernandez’s Sabre.

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OPPOSITE TOP: ©JOHN M. DIBBS/THE PLANE PICTURE CO.; OPPOSITE BOTTOM & LEFT: U.S. AIR FORCE; RIGHT: F-86 SABRE VS MIG-15 KOREA 1950-53, BY DOUGLAS C. DILDY & WARREN E. THOMPSON, ©OSPREY PUBLISHING, PART OF BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING PLC.

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NORTH AMERICAN F-86A-5 SABRE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

A-1C [M] Gunsight Standby magnetic compass Accelerometer Voltmeter Horizontal stabilizer position indicator 6. Exhaust gas temperature indicator 7. Cockpit air temperature indicator 8. Parking brake handle 9. Radio compass indicator 10. Airspeed indicator 11. Slaved gyro magnetic compass

12. Attitude indicator 13. Engine tachometer 14. Cabin pressure altimeter 15. Engine master switch 16. Mach meter 17. Altimeter 18. Turn-and-slip indicator 19. Rate-of-climb indicator 20. Fuel flow meter 21. Fuel quantity gauge 22. Landing gear handle 23. Generator load meter 24. Clock 25. Free air temperature gauge

26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34.

Oil temperature gauge Fuel pressure gauge Oil pressure gauge Engine start switch Throttle Flap lever Rudder pedals Gunsight selection controls Emergency hydraulic hand pump 35. Bomb/rocket release button 36. AN/ARC-3 command radio control panel 37. Gun control switches

38. Control column 39. Ejection seat handgrips and triggers 40. Bomb/rocket control switches 41. AN/ARC-6 radio compass control panel 42. Flight controls power and trim switches 43. IFF control panel 44. Cockpit pressure and temperature controls

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TECH NOTES

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MIKOYAN-GUREVICH MiG-15bis 1. ASP-3N gunsight with crash cushion 2. Gun cocking buttons 3. Magnetic compass 4. Pilot’s oxygen flow indicator 5. Airspeed indicator 6. Attitude/turn-and-bank indicator 7. Vertical speed indicator 8. Radio compass automatic direction finder indicator 9. Engine tachometer 10. Oxygen pressure gauge 11. Landing gear control handle 12. Altimeter

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13. Clock 14. Pneumatic brakes control lever 15. Fuel quantity gauge 16. Gyro compass indicator 17. Jetpipe temperature gauge 18. Volt/ampere meter 19. Cockpit differential pressure indicator 20. Master switches 21. Radio control panel 22. Brake pressure gauge 23. Landing gear position indicators

24. Radio altimeter 25. Mach meter 26. Control column with gun, air brake and ordnance/ tank jettison buttons 27. Fuel and oil pressure/ temperature indicators 28. Low pressure fuel gauge 29. Emergency flap air pressure gauge 30. Main hydraulic pressure gauge 31. Electrical switch panel 32. Main pneumatic pressure gauge

33. Signal discharger firing buttons 34. Throttle 35. Emergency canopy jettison 36. Rudder pedals 37. Ordnance control panel 38. Radio compass tuning panel 39. Air brake toggle switch 40. Flap selector lever 41. Ejection handles 42. Cockpit pressurization selector

OPPOSITE: F-86 SABRE VS MIG-15 KOREA 1950-53, BY DOUGLAS C. DILDY & WARREN E. THOMPSON, ©OSPREY PUBLISHING, PART OF BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING PLC.; ABOVE RIGHT: COURTESY OF WARREN E. THOMPSON; RIGHT: ©SPUTNIK/ALAMY

Leading the 335th FIS contingent was 32-year-old Bones Marshall, by then I[Q`UWV\P5Q/)TTMa^M\MZIVKZMLQ\ML_Q\PNW]ZSQTT[
FOR THE PLAAF, THE NOVEMBER 30 TAEHWA-DO MISSION WAS A DISASTER. neither, Davis pulled in behind it and opened fire. Hits to fuselage, wings and cockpit sent the MiG crashing into the sea. For the PLAAF, \PM 6W^MUJMZ  Taehwa-do mission was a disaster comparable to that suffered by the Americans at Namsi. Although Sabre pilots claimed eight Tupolevs destroyed, the actual count was four <][ \PZMM 4I[ IVLI5Q/.QN\MMV Chinese bomber crewmen and four escort pilots died. Realizing the perils of inexperience, the PLAAF curtailed offensive bombing operations to concentrate on MiG\ZIQVQVO Two months later, this new thrust would

SABRE TARGETS The Tupolev Tu-2 was a sitting duck against F-86s. Below: This MiG-15 survived multiple .50-cal hits.

again pit Chinese MiG pilots against George Davis (story, P. 36). By \PMV_Q\PKWVÅZUML aerial kills (including his Taehwa-do tally), Davis was the highestscoring American jet ÅOP\MZIKM New Jersey–based writer and historian David Sears is the author of Such Men as These: The Story of the Navy 8QTW\[?PW.TM_\PM ,MILTa;SQM[7^MZ Korea. Further reading: Black Tuesday 7^MZ6IU[Q"*![ vs. MiGs—The Forgotten Air Battle WN \PM3WZMIV?IZ 7K\WJMZ!, by Earl J. McGill; ;IJZM[7^MZ 5Q/)TTMa"
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OPPOSITE: U.S. AIR FORCE; ABOVE RIGHT: COURTESY OF RAYMOND CHEUNG

WHO SHOT DOWN MAJOR DAVIS? CONTROVERSY STILL SURROUNDS THE DEATH OF A TOP AMERICAN KOREAN WAR ACE, BUT RECENT REVELATIONS FROM CHINESE RECORDS HAVE BROUGHT US CLOSER TO THE TRUTH BY RAYMOND CHEUNG

shooting star Opposite: Major George A. Davis returns from a mission in which he bagged a pair of MiG-15s. Above: The Chinese recovered Davis’ dog tags after he was shot down.

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WITH 14 VICTORIES TO HIS CREDIT, MAJOR GEORGE A. DAVIS JR. WAS THE HIGHEST-SCORING AMERICAN ACE OF THE KOREAN WAR WHEN HE WAS SHOT DOWN AND KILLED OVER NORTH KOREA ON FEBRUARY 10, 1952. first into the fight The oldest F-86A Sabre still flying wears the early-war markings of Davis’ outfit, the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing.

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His loss was a major blow to the United States, and represented a big propaganda coup for the Communists. The air battle in which he was downed generated plenty of controversy, probably more so than any other single action of the Korean War. After Davis’ death, his wife Doris, pregnant with their third child, was openly critical of the U.S. Air Force and the war in general. With newly available information from China, we now know that this action also caused a great deal of controversy and embarrassment for the Chinese. Prior to Korea, George Andrew Davis Jr. of Dublin, Texas, was already an ace with six victories over Japanese aircraft during World War II. Flying P-47 Thunderbolts with the 342nd Fighter Squadron, 348th Fighter Group, Davis had mastered \PMLQ‫ٻ‬K]T\IZ\WN LMÆMK\QWV[PWW\QVO1V3WZMIPMKWV\QV]ML to impress with his excellent marksmanship while piloting a

North American F-86A Sabre with the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing. The oldermodel F-86A lacked a radarranging, lead-computing gunsight, yet Davis was able to quickly score an impressive number of victories in it. His excellent marksmanship earned him the nickname “One-Burst Davis.” There is good evidence from Communist records that most of Davis’ victory claims

IZM^ITQL0MUILMPQ[ÅZ[\\_WKTIQU[WV6W^MUJMZ!¸ \PM[IUMLIa\_WW\PMZ=;).XQTW\[IT[WOW\KWVÅZUML^QK\WZQM[¸_PQTM\PM;W^QM\[ZMKWZLML\_WTW[[M[NZWU\PM\P .QOP\MZ)^QI\QWV,Q^Q[QWV.),7V6W^MUJMZ,I^Q[ KTIQUML\PZMM<]XWTM^<]JWUJMZ[IVLI5Q/[\WZa8  +PQVM[MZMKWZL[NWZ\PI\IK\QWV[PW_ML\PMTW[[WN NW]Z<][ NZWU\PM \P*WUJMZ)^QI\QWV,Q^Q[QWVIVLI5Q/NZWU \PMZL.),,I^Q[KTIQUML\_WWN \PMNW]ZKWVÅZUML^QK\WZQM[ XT][\_W¹XZWJIJTM[ºI_IZLML\W=;).XQTW\[WV,MKMUJMZ +WUU]VQ[\ZMKWZL[IK\]ITTa[PW_MLI\W\ITWN [Q`TW[[M[NW]Z NZWU\PM+PQVM[M\P.),IVLWVMMIKPNZWU\PM;W^QM\\P IVL\PLQ^Q[QWV[7V,MKMUJMZ,I^Q[KTIQUML\_W^QK\WZQM[QV\PMUWZVQVOIVL\_WQV\PMIN\MZVWWVW]\WN I\W\ITWN  KWVÅZUML^QK\WZQM[I_IZLML+WUU]VQ[\ZMKWZL[ZMÆMK\ML TW[[M[VQVMNZWU\PMVM_TaIZZQ^ML+PQVM[M\P.),IVLWVM MIKPNZWU\PM+PQVM[MZL.),IVL;W^QM\ZL.),

OPPOSITE: ©JOHN M. DIBBS/THE PLANE PICTURE CO.; RIGHT PHOTOS: U.S. AIR FORCE

O

V.MJZ]IZa!,I^Q[_I[XIZ\WN INWZUI\QWVWN   ;IJZM[XI\ZWTTQVO5Q/)TTMa)UMUJMZWN ,I^Q[¼ *ISMZ.TQOP\LM^MTWXMLW`aOMVXZWJTMU[IVL_I[ M[KWZ\MLJIKS\WJI[MJaIVW\PMZ;IJZM?PMV,I^Q[ [XW\\MLKWV\ZIQT[_M[\WN \PMAIT]:Q^MZPMJZWSMI_IaNZWU\PM ZM[\WN \PMNWZUI\QWVIVLTMLPQ[_QVOUIV4QM]\MVIV\?QTTQIU ?4Q\\TMÅMTL\WQV^M[\QOI\M=XWVZMIKPQVO\PMAIT]J]\ÅVLQVOVW\IZOM\[,I^Q[\]ZVMLJIKS*]\\PMVKZ]Q[QVOI\  NMM\PM[XW\\ML5Q/[JMTW_PMILQVO[W]\PMI[\0MTML PQ[_QVOUIVLW_V\WI\\IKS\PMUNZWUIJW^MIVLJMPQVL ;MTMK\QVOI5Q/I\\PMZMIZWN \PMNWZUI\QWV,I^Q[ÅZMLIJ]Z[\ PQ\\QVOQ\VMIZ\PMZQOP\_QVOZWW\
quadruple kill On December 13, 1951, Davis’ gun camera records the demise of a MiG-15 he’s pursuing, one of four victories he scored that day. Left: The major prepares for a mission.

CHINESE TROOPS REACHED THE CRASH SITE AND FOUND DAVIS DEAD IN THE WRECKAGE.

JMMVQV^WT^MLQV\PMIQZJI\\TM 7VMWN Q\[ÆQOP\TMILMZ[BPIVO 2QP]Q ILIUIV\Ta KTIQUML \W PI^M [KWZML \PM ^QK\WZa )T\PW]OPW\PMZXQTW\[QV\PM IK\QWVLQ[X]\MLPQ[IKKW]V\ BPIVOZMKMQ^MLW‫ٻ‬KQITKZMLQ\
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questionable claim The Chinese credited Zhang Jihui with shooting down Davis, but fellow MiG pilot Hou Shujun later disputed his claim.

IT IS LIKELY THAT ZHANG DOWNED TWO MIGS IN A FRIENDLY-FIRE INCIDENT.

war trophies In addition to Davis’ dog tags, Chinese troops also recovered his revolver and goggles.

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n most of the Communists’ published accounts, Chinese losses were not even mentioned, but in recent years some details began to surface. Communist Party documents not intended for public consumption began to leak out, including the February 23 telegram to Chairman Mao. It revealed that three MiG-15s had been shot down during the battle, including Zhang’s. No other U.S. pilot claimed victories on February 10, !IVL\PMWVTa\_WKWVÅZUML^QK\WZQM[NWZ\PMLIa_MZM I_IZLML\W,I^Q[WV\PMJI[Q[WN 4Q\\TMÅMTL¼[ZMXWZ\;W_PW could have shot down Zhang after he allegedly downed Davis? According to Zhang’s own description, both he and his wingman were shot down while making a tight right turn after downing two F-86s. His version of events was clearly not consistent _Q\P4Q\\TMÅMTL¼[.]Z\PMZUWZMBPIVOTIVLML_Q\PQVUM\MZ[ of Davis’ crash site after ejecting. This is also inconsistent with 4Q\\TMÅMTL¼[IKKW]V\[QVKMBPIVOKTIQUML\WPI^M[PW\LW_V\_W ;IJZM[ÆaQVOQVWVMLQZMK\QWVIVL\PMV_I[PQU[MTN [PW\LW_V after making a hard right turn, i.e., headed in the opposite direction. In light of these maneuvers, the obvious question was how Zhang could have ended up landing so close to Davis’ crash site. The answer seems to lie in recently revealed evidence. Hou ;P]R]VIVW\PMZÆQOP\TMILMZQV\PM\P.):_I[[WQVKMV[ML by Zhang’s claims that he published his own account of the action. What we take for granted in the West—publishing a sensational exposé—was illegal in Communist China, and Hou risked imprisonment for breaking with the party line. One of PQ[[PWKSQVOZM^MTI\QWV[_I[\PI\Å^MVW\\PZMM5Q/[_MZM

lost during the February 10 action, a fact supported by unit records and two pilots who survived by ejecting. Hou even interviewed members of the 149th Division who were on the ground at the time and reported seeing six planes crash in rapid succession, with \PM)UMZQKIVÅOP\MZKWUQVO down last. He cites this as evidence that Zhang went down before Davis. According to Hou, Zhang and his wingman, Shan Ziyu, were originally part of a 12-plane formation from \PM \P .): \P .), The formation consisted of two V-shaped flights of six XTIVM[ ,MX]\a :MOQUMV\ Commander Li Wenmo led the first flight, with Zhang and Shan in the no. 5 and no. 6 positions on the right side WN \PM>,]ZQVO\PMÆQOP\\W their patrol area, Zhang and his wingman dropped out of formation and lagged so far behind that Hou could not see them. This is consistent with 4Q\\TMÅMTL¼[ZMXWZ\WN [MMQVOI formation of 10 MiGs. Zhang claimed that he had left formation to investigate sightings over the sea. He was on his way back to rejoin the ÆQOP\_PMVPM[XW\\ML¹MQOP\ Sabres” attacking friendly

OPPOSITE PHOTOS: COURTESY OF RAYMOND CHEUNG; ABOVE RIGHT: U.S. AIR FORCE

ÅOP\MZ[0M[IQLPM[PW\LW_V\_W;IJZM[IN\MZ_PQKPPMIVL ;PIV_MZM[PW\LW_VBPIVO¼[_QVOUIV_I[SQTTMLIVLKW]TL VW\KWZZWJWZI\MPQ[IKKW]V\ BPIVO¼[[]XXWZ\MZ[X][PML\PMPaXW\PM[Q[\PI\PMIVL;PIV ZM\]ZVML\W\PMXTIVMNWZUI\QWVR][\I[,I^Q[IVL4Q\\TMÅMTL I\\IKSML,I^Q[[PW\LW_V\PZMM5Q/[JMNWZMBPIVO[]XXW[MLTa [PW\PQULW_V*]\\PMVPW_\WM`XTIQVJW\PBPIVOIVLPQ[ _QVOUIVIT[WOWQVOLW_V'.ZQMVLTaÅZMIKKQLMV\ITTaMV\MZQVO I[XQVWZ4Q\\TMÅMTL¼[¹[VIX[PW\º'0MZM¼[I[KMVIZQW\PI\[MMU[ \WÅ\\PMM^QLMVKM" ,I^Q[[XW\\ML\PM5Q/NWZUI\QWVIVLI\\IKSML\PMZMIZ UW[\[Q`XTIVMÆQOP\.ZWU+PQVM[MZMKWZL[_MSVW_\PMVW 5Q/WV\PMTMN\WN \PM>_I[TW[\ITWVO_Q\PQ\[XQTW\?IVO ,Ma]0M_I[ITUW[\KMZ\IQVTa,I^Q[¼ÅZ[\^QK\QU,I^Q[\PMV JIVSMLQV\WIZQOP\\]ZVW^MZ[PWW\QVO[M^MZIT5Q/[QV\PMXZW KM[[IVL\PMVW[IVLWV\PMZQOP\0W]¼[IKKW]V\ZM^MITML \PI\\PMVWIVLVW5Q/[WV\PMZQOP\WN \PMZMIZ>_MZM [PW\LW_V*W\PXQTW\[?IVOBMXQVOIVLBPIQBQYQVOMRMK\ML IVL[]Z^Q^ML*a4Q\\TMÅMTL¼[IKKW]V\PMIVL,I^Q[_W]TLPI^M TQSMTaW^MZ[PW\\PM[M\_WQV\PMQZZQOP\\]ZVNWTTW_QVO\PMÅZ[\ ÅZQVOXI[[UISQVOQ\QUXW[[QJTMNWZPQU\WPI^MI\\IKSML\PMU UQOP\PI^MTWWSMLTQSM MQOP\;IJZM[[\ITSQVO\PMNW]Z5Q/[QV\PMNZWV\ÆQOP\1N [W\PMV \PM\_W;IJZM[\PI\BPIVOKTIQUMLKW]TLPI^MIK\]ITTaJMMV ?IVO¼[IVLBPIQ¼[5Q/[ ?PQTM\PQ[_I[PIXXMVQVO,I^Q[KW]TLPI^MOW\\MVWV\PM\IQT WN BPIVO¼[_QVOUIV;PIV[PW\PQULW_VIVL\PMVPQ\BPIVO
fellow sabre aces Showing off their current scores, Majors Davis (left) and Winton W. Marshall flank 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing commander Colonel Benjamin S. Preston.

DID DAVIS SUFFER FROM ‘MIG FEVER’?

M

ajor George Davis’ remarkable combat record has led some to believe he had “MiG Fever,” the urge to score more victories even at great personal risk. Some thought Davis had become contemptuous of the enemy pilots he faced, leading to his downfall. But others noted that Davis did not behave like the typical rowdy “fighter jock.” He was described as a “true gentleman” who was quiet and rarely drank. There was no doubt Davis took risks in combat. One fellow pilot observed that “Davis had more guts than the law allowed.” Another, 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing ace Major William Whisner, said: “George Davis was the best fighter pilot I ever knew. The only thing he didn’t have was concern for his own life.” In an interview for this article, however, Davis’ wife Doris provided a different

perspective. She believed that her husband’s risktaking resulted from more than an obsessive desire for confirmed kills and glory. In his letters home, Davis had shown great concern for his men. During the action of November 30, 1951, for example, Davis heard frantic calls for help from a Sabre pilot who was surrounded by many MiGs from the Chinese 3rd FAD. Already low on fuel, Davis sent his wingman home and went to help by himself. He shot down one of the MiGs, saving the other Sabre. Both F-86s barely made it back to base at Kimpo before their fuel ran out. Doris Davis believed that her husband took risks to inflict maximum damage on the enemy, so that his men would face less danger. Unfortunately, a lucky shot, from someone who may not have realized he had scored a hit, ended Davis’ brilliant career. R.C.

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MEETING DEMAND Employees at General Electric’s Lockland, Ohio, plant work on J47 turbojets in 1950.

GE’S TRAILBLAZING J47 THE FIRST AMERICAN COMPANY TO DEVELOP A JET ENGINE, GENERAL ELECTRIC WENT ON TO PRODUCE THE BEST-SELLING TURBOJET EVER BY DON BEDWELL

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GE’s engineering whiz kids had taken a revolutionIZa\]ZJWRM\KWVKMQ^MLJa:WaIT)QZ.WZKMW‫ٻ‬KMZ Frank Whittle and developed their own version in [Q`UWV\P[AM\_Q\P^QK\WZaÅVITTaQVPIVL=; UQTQ\IZaKWV\ZIK\QVOW‫ٻ‬KQIT[\ZIV[NMZZML/-¼[RM\ engine designs to competitors—leaving GE’s aviation engine division virtually empty-handed and NIKQVOIXW[[QJTM[P]\LW_V How could that happen? And how did that divi[QWV[]KKMMLLM[XQ\M\PMNMLMZIT[V]JIVLIVMIZ ZMJMTTQWVJaUIVaWN Q\[UW[\TWaITMUXTWaMM[\W ZMJW]VL_Q\P\PMJM[\[MTTQVORM\MVOQVMWN ITT\QUM' GE executives had readily accepted Maj. Gen. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold’s challenge to adapt ?PQ\\TM¼[ MVOQVM \W KW]V\MZ RM\ IQZKZIN\ JMQVO Z][PMLIPMILJa/MZUIVa¼[4]N\_I‫ٺ‬M)ZVWTL \PM)ZUa¼[LMX]\aKPQMN WN [\I‫ٺ‬NWZIQZQV! KPW[M /- NWZ \PM XZWRMK\ QV[\MIL WN  8ZI\\  ?PQ\VMaWZ?ZQOP\)MZWVI]\QKITJW\PWN _PQKP _MZMJ][aXZWL]KQVOXQ[\WVMVOQVM[NWZ\PMVI \QWV¼[ÅOP\MZ[IVLJWUJMZ[0MJMTQM^ML\PI\/- _I[JM\\MZXW[Q\QWVML\WOQ^MXZQWZQ\a\W\PMXZWRMK\ IVL\PI\Q\PILZMTM^IV\M`XMZQMVKMUIV]NIK\]ZQVO []XMZKPIZOMZ[NWZPQOPIT\Q\]LMÆQOP\0MIT[W[][pected GE might be more receptive to a radically new power plant than companies already prospering by turning out piston engines. ¹/MV\TMUMV1OQ^MaW]\PM?PQ\\TMMVOQVMº )ZVWTL\WTL/-M`MK]\Q^M[I\I\WXTM^MTJZQMÅVO WV;MX\MUJMZ!I[PMPIVLML\PMUIKWVÅLMV\QIT[PMIN WN XTIV[IVL[XMKQÅKI\QWV[¹+WV[]T\ all you wish and arrive at any decision you please— just so long as General Electric accepts a contract \WJ]QTLWN \PMUº /-¼[TMILMZ[[QOVML\PMKWV\ZIK\QV7K\WJMZ WVTa _MMS[ JMNWZM \PM 8MIZT 0IZJWZ I\\IKS ?PQ\\TMÆW_VQV[MKZM\TaNZWU-VOTIVL\WRWQV\PM )UMZQKIV\MIU_I[WVPIVLIaMIZTI\MZ\W_I\KP

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ALL GE PHOTOS, EXCEPT RIGHT: ALFRED EISENSTAEDT/ THE LIFE PICTURE COMPANY COLLECTION/GETTY

FOR A COMPANY WHOSE ENGINEERS HAD HELPED DEVELOP THE UNITED STATES’ FIRST JET-POWERED FIGHTER DURING WORLD WAR II, GENERAL ELECTRIC FOUND ITSELF FACING AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN JET ENGINE MANUFACTURING AT WAR’S END.

as Bell Aircraft’s XP-59A Airacomet, powered by \_W/-UWLQÅML?PQ\\TMMVOQVM[JTI[\MLQV\W\PM IQZNZWU5]ZWK,Za4ISMQV+ITQNWZVQINWZI[]KKM[[N]T\M[\ÆQOP\QV7K\WJMZ!
GE STRUGGLED TO MEET ALL ITS MILITARY COMMITMENTS IN THE POSTWAR MARKET.

INSIDE THE GE POWER PLANT Clockwise from opposite top: The Lockland plant entrance; J47s with (top) and without afterburner; GE engineers stand beside a J47 mounted on a test stand at Schenectady airport; the GE team poses with a completed and a disassembled J47.

QV2IV]IZa!3MT[MaÅO]ZML\PI\IT\PW]OP\PM UQTQ\IZaKW]TLNIZUW]\/-¼[\_WUIRWZMVOQVM XZWRMK\[Q\KW]TLV¼\\ISMI_Ia\PMSVW_PW_PQ[ MVOQVMMZ[OIQVMLQVKZMI\QVO\PMU .WK][QVOWV\PMIL^IVKM[IKPQM^MLQVLM^MTWXQVO\PM23MT[MaIVLPQ[\MIU_MZMJaMIZTa!  P]ZZaQVO\WKZMI\MIVQUXZW^ML\]ZJWRM\4QSM\PM 2Q\_W]TLJMJ]QT\IZW]VLIVI`QITÆW_KWUXZM[[WZQV[\MILWN \PMKMV\ZQN]OITÆW_KWUXZM[[WZ[WV_PQKP/-PILNWK][MLIN\MZQVPMZQ\QVO\PM ?PQ\\TMMVOQVMXZWRMK\ +MV\ZQN]OITÆW_KWUXZM[[WZ[[XQV\PMQVKWUQVO IQZQVIKQZK]TIZKI[QVOQVKZMI[QVOXZM[[]ZMJaNWZKQVO\PMIQZIOIQV[\\PMW]\MZKI[QVO_ITTIXZWKM[[ VW\]VTQSM[_QVOQVOIJ]KSM\WN _I\MZZIXQLTaQV KQZKTM[_Q\PW]\[XQTTQVO
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TECH NOTES GENERAL ELECTRIC J47-GE-17 INTAKE

COMPRESSOR AIR INLET

COMPRESSION

COMBUSTION

AFTERBURNER/EXHAUST

COMPRESSOR ROTOR FUEL NOZZLE TURBINE INLET

ACCESSORY DRIVE ASSEMBLY

SPECIFICATIONS LENGTH 226 inches DIAMETER 36.75 inches COMPRESSOR 12-stage axial COMBUSTOR 8 chambers TURBINE Single-stage axial WEIGHT 3,000 lbs. THRUST 5,425 lbs. at 7,950 rpm dry; 7,350 lbs. at 7,950 rpm wet (on afterburner)

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COMBUSTION INLET

COMBUSTION CHAMBERS

EASY ACCESS A North American F-86E of

the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing at K-14 Air Base in Kimpo, South Korea, is split in two to replace its J47-GE-13 engine in 1952.

OPPOSITE: U.S. AIR FORCE; ILLUSTRATIONS: STEVE KARP; ABOVE: GETTY IMAGES

MULTI-TALENTED A Boeing RB-47E reconnaissance version of the six-engine Stratojet bomber, powered by J47-GE-25s, takes off on an early test flight.

mid-1930s, with Junkers and BMW producing axial turbojets late in the war. Only Junkers’ Jumo 004 achieved mass production, powering the Messerschmitt Me-262As that attacked Allied bomber formations from late summer 1944 onward. The Me-262s proved to be lethal weapWV[J]\IZZQ^ML\WWTI\M\WI‫ٺ‬MK\\PM_IZ¼[W]\KWUM Committed to the axial-flow approach, the GE team forged ahead. They persuaded Army Air Forces planners that they could produce a jet MVOQVMQVKWZXWZI\QVO\PM_WZTL¼[ÅZ[\MTMK\ZWVically controlled afterburner to help generate in excess of 25 percent more thrust than the J35. What’s more, they promised to match Allison’s commitment for delivering the licensed J33s and J35s with an equal number of the new engines. It _I[IVW‫ٺ‬MZ\PM)ZUa)QZ.WZKM[KW]TLV¼\ZMN][M .QZ[\\PW]OP3MT[MaIVLPQ[[\I‫ٺ‬PIL\WXMZsuade their management to keep GE in the aviation engine business and fund the new project. They assured top executives that the jet engine business would produce $35 million a year by 1950, an estimate that would prove to be one-tenth WN \PMIK\]ITÅO]ZM+WV^QVKML\PI\3MT[Ma¼[\MIU could deliver, management backed them with a massive investment in personnel and facilities. The costly gamble would assure development of an even more advanced engine, the J47. Its introduction in 1948 reestablished GE as a frontrunner in the aviation industry.

THE J47’S INTRODUCTION IN 1948 REESTABLISHED GE AS A FRONTRUNNER IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY.

J47 engines were in growing demand by the spring of 1948, as the Cold War heated up after the Soviet Union sealed off its sector of occuXQML*MZTQV*]\/-W‫ٻ‬KQIT[NIKMLINZ][\ZI\QVO dilemma: The J47s couldn’t be delivered because \PMa_MZMÆ]VSQVOIKZQ\QKIT\M[\I\\PMKWUXIVa¼[ plant in Lynn, Mass. Thirty of the urgently needed engines sat in sealed containers behind the plant. Tests indicated they were exceeding GE’s promQ[MLN]MTKWV[]UX\QWVIVLVWJWLaKW]TLÅO]ZM out why. Fortunately for GE, it had recently hired a talented engineer with a keen eye and an unusual background story. During WWII, Germanborn Gerhard Neumann had provided valuable wartime support to U.S. forces in China. No friend of his country’s Nazi leadership, he had ÆML/MZUIVaIVLIKKMX\MLIRWJI[IUMKPIVQK with the American Volunteer Group, the famed “Flying Tigers.” His work for the AVG included rebuilding a downed Japanese Zero and delivering it to American investigators eager to learn its secrets. He also served as a spy behind Japanese lines to bring back airpower intelligence. Those actions helped the “enemy alien” win both U.S. Army master sergeant’s stripes and, through congressional action, U.S. citizenship. As a newly minted citizen in China, Neumann concluded that his future lay in the United States, half a globe away. He and his American wife, march 2017

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MEN AND MACHINE Gerhard Neumann (left) and Neil Burgess pose with a J79 turbojet, which earned them a Collier Trophy in 1958. Below: The supplementary J47s of a Consolidated B-36 undergo maintenance at Carswell Air Force Base, Fort Worth, Texas.

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+TIZQKMUILM\PMQZUW^M\PMPIZL_Ia¸QVI _IZ[]ZXT][RMMX\ZI^MTQVOUQTM[IKZW[[ )[QIIVL\PM5QLMI[\1V\ZQO]MLJa\PMXW[[QJQTQ\a WN RWQVQVO/-PM[MV\ITM\\MZNZWU1ZIV\W\PMKWUXIVa¼[XTIV\QV4aVV+WUXIVaUIVIOMZ[NW]VL 6M]UIVV¼[JI\\TMNQMTLMVOQVMMZQVOM`XMZQMVKM IVLIJQTQ\a\WQUXZW^Q[MIVI\\ZIK\Q^MKWUJQVI\QWV 7VPQ[T]VKPJZMISI\\PMVM_RWJ6M]UIVV[I\ LW_VJMPQVL\PM4aVVXTIV\\WWJ[MZ^M\PM[PIKS IVL[\IVLXQXM[_PMZM/-KITQJZI\MLQ\[MVOQVM[¼ N]MTKWV[]UX\QWV
¹
OPPOSITE: (TOP) GE PHOTO, (BOTTOM) JOSEPH SCHERSCHEL/ THE LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES; ABOVE: U.S. AIR FORCE

LIT “SABRE DOG” An F-86D, a radarequipped, all-weather Sabre variant, fires up its J47-GE-17 for a nocturnal patrol.

promptly bought the J57—twice as powerful as the J47, with 10,000 pounds of thrust—for aircraft ZIVOQVONZWU\PM.;]XMZ;IJZM\PMÅZ[\)QZ Force jet capable of routinely exceeding the speed of sound, to the huge, eight-jet Boeing B-52 stra\MOQKJWUJMZ\PI\ZMUIQV[QV\PMUQTQ\IZaÆMM\\W this day. Furthermore, both Boeing and Douglas selected 8ZI\\?PQ\VMa¼[KQ^QTQIV^IZQIV\NWZ\PMQZÅZ[\ generation of commercial jetliners, a market GE had yet to penetrate. Pratt & Whitney opened a new facility in Palm Beach County, Fla., billing it as the world’s most advanced for designing and testing jet engines. *a!/-)^QI\QWVM`MK]\Q^M[NW]VL\PMUselves on the defensive, hurrying to replace the J47. One promising concept, for an engine that could propel aircraft at twice the speed of sound, was plagued by a tendency of its compressor to stall, sometimes violently, during testing. Frustrated GE executives turned to Gerhard Neumann to lead a team in building a full-scale version of a design he had proposed featuring “variable stator” blades that helped the compressor cope with the huge QV\MZVIT^IZQI\QWV[QVIQZÆW_M`XMZQMVKMLNZWU \ISMW‫\ٺ‬W[]XMZ[WVQK[XMML[ )QZ.WZKMW‫ٻ‬KQIT[_MZM[WQUXZM[[ML_Q\P\PM resulting J79 that they began ordering the engine to power such pace-setting aircraft as the LockPMML.;\IZÅOP\MZ5K,WVVMTT.8PIV\WU 11IVL+WV^IQZ* 0][\TMZ)KKWZLQVO\WFortune magazine, the J79 engine “probably saved GE’s big jet-engine business from collapse.” It also

GE DELIVERED MORE THAN 35,000 J47S BY THE END OF THE 1950S.

helped win a 1955 promotion for Neumann to manage GE’s Jet Engine Department at Evendale. For their leadership in developing the J79, Neumann and Neil Burgess won a prized Collier Trophy in 1958, and Lockheed’s Clarence “Kelly” Johnson won for the F-104 that it powered. It was a sweet victory, for the 1952 Collier Trophy had been awarded to Pratt & Whitney’s corporate parMV\=VQ\ML)QZKZIN\
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ITALIAN IMMIGRANT GIUSEPPE BELLANCA PIONEERED THE CABIN MONOPLANE DESIGN, LEADING TO A LONG LINE OF RECORD-BREAKING AIRCRAFT BY DEREK O’CONNOR

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STRUTTING ITS STUFF The Erickson Aircraft Collection’s 1938 Bellanca Aircruiser flies near Mount Hood in Oregon. Designed by Giuseppe Bellanca (opposite) and featuring his signature “flying struts,” the Erickson museum’s Aircruiser is the only airworthy example.

parasol policeman New York City police officer Charles Murphy planned to chase down criminals in a Bellanca parasol monoplane.

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Before their astonished eyes, he then proceeded to \MIKPPQU[MTN \WÆaXZWOZM[[QVO\PZW]OPI[MZQM[WN  [PWZ\\MV\I\Q^MPWX[]V\QTI[\PMPWX[OW\TWVOMZ IVLPMZIVW]\WN TIVLQVOOZW]VLIPMILPMMLOML QV\WPQ[ÅZ[\\]ZVIVLTIVLML[INMTa7V\PQ[[TMVLMZ NW]VLI\QWV\PMTQ\\TM1\ITQIV_MV\WV[M\]XPQ[W_V ÆaQVO[KPWWT/Q][MXXM5IZQW*MTTIVKIPILR][\ \ISMV\PMÅZ[\[\MX[\W_IZLJMKWUQVOIV)UMZQKIV I^QI\QWVTMOMVL *WZVQV;KQIKKI;QKQTaWV5IZKP! *MT TIVKI[PW_MLIXZMKWKQW][QV\MZM[\QV\PM\PMWZa WN ÆQOP\M`XMZQUMV\QVO_Q\PPWUMUILMSQ\M[ WJ[MZ^QVO[MIO]TT[IVLM^MV_I\KPQVO\PMM‫ٺ‬MK\WN  IQZK]ZZMV\[WVLQ[KIZLMLXW\\MZaNZIOUMV\[)N\MZ OZIL]I\QVO_Q\PILMOZMMQVUI\PMUI\QK[NZWU\PM 5QTIV
PREVIOUS PAGES: ©LYLE JANSMA/AEROCAPTURE IMAGES, (INSET) TIME INC.; ABOVE LEFT: LIBARARY OF CONGRESS; ABOVE RIGHT: ©CHRONICLE/ALAMY; RIGHT: BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES

ON MAY 19, 1912, AT MINEOLA FIELD, LONG ISLAND, GAWKERS AND AVIATORS ALIKE WATCHED WITH AMUSEMENT AS A DIMINUTIVE YOUNG ITALIAN ASSEMBLED HIS PARASOL FLYING MACHINE.

\ZWT[Q\UILMWVMWN \PMÅZ[\ÆQOP\[JaIV1\ITQIV LM[QOVMLIVLJ]QT\UIKPQVM *MTTIVKI¼[[MKWVLLM[QOV_Q\P1V^MZVQbbQ_I[I \ZIK\WZ\aXMXTIVMJ]QT\I[IXW[[QJTMKWV\MVLMZNWZ the Daily Mail¼[ŠXZQbMNWZ\PMÅZ[\IQZXTIVM ÆQOP\IKZW[[\PM-VOTQ[P+PIVVMTQK\WZ0:WW[\WNWZU\PM:WW[*MTTIVKI)QZKZIN\ +WUXIVa)UWVO\PMKWUXIVa¼[MUXTWaMM[_I[ ,WZW\Pa*ZW_V_PWU*MTTIVKIKW]Z\ML_Q\P

record-breaker The WrightBellanca WB-2 Columbia was the first airplane to cross the Atlantic twice. Below: Bert Acosta (left) and Clarence Chamberlin are flanked by well-wishers, including Bellanca (far right), after their record 51-hour endurance flight in Columbia.

an engagement ring purchased from the sale of two surplus aero engines. Hard taskmaster Roos ITTW_ML\PMUR][\WVMIN\MZVWWVW‫ٺ‬NWZ\PMQZPWVMa moon, on November 18, 1922. :ILQKIT\PW]OP\PM[\ZMIUTQVML+.UIaPI^M JMMVQ\[\QTTPILIVWXMVKWKSXQ\W‫[ٺ‬M\[TQOP\Ta to the left behind the passenger cabin, while the P]UXMLJIKSWN Q\[IQZNWQT[PIXMLN][MTIOM[M^MZMTa ZM[\ZQK\ML\PMXQTW\¼[NWZ_IZL^Q[QJQTQ\a8W_MZMLJa I!PX)VbIVQ\PM+.PILUILMQ\[ÅZ[\ÆQOP\WV 2]VM!QV\PMPIVL[WN IQZUIQTXQTW\0IZZa G. Smith, who wrote: “The ease with which the XTIVMPIVLTMLQ[M`\ZIWZLQVIZa1VNIK\Q\Q[\PMUW[\ KWZZMK\TaIVLMI[QM[\PIVLTMLXTIVM1M^MZÆM_º =VNWZ\]VI\MTaLM[XQ\M\PM+.¼[QVVW^I\Q^MLM[QOV IVLUIVa[]KKM[[M[I\IMZWUMM\[IVL\PM6I\QWVIT )QZ:IKM[Q\[ XZQKM\IO_I[\WWM`XMV[Q^M I\I\QUM_PMVI_IZ[]ZXT][+]Z\Q[[26¹2MVVaº KW]TLJMPILNWZ 

“IN A BELLANCA FILLED WITH FUEL TANKS I COULD FLY ON ALL NIGHT, LIKE THE MOON.” –CHARLES LINDBERGH

I

n March 1925, Bellanca joined the Wright )MZWVI]\QKIT +WZXWZI\QWV WN  8I\MZ[WV N.J., on the recommendation of Clarence Chamberlin, who suggested that he design a UIKPQVM\W_QV\PM7Z\MQO8ZQbMNWZ\PMÅZ[\XTIVM \WÆaVWV[\WXJM\_MMV6M_AWZSIVL8IZQ[)\\PI\ \QUM?ZQOP\)MZWVI]\QKIT_I[[MMSQVOIVIQZKZIN\ \WLMUWV[\ZI\MQ\[ZMUIZSIJTMVM_PX2 Whirlwind engine. The result, completed in the NITTWN !_I[\PM?ZQOP\*MTTIVKI?*IV ]VOIQVTaTWWSQVOJ]\PQOPTaM‫ٻ‬KQMV\KIJQVUWVW XTIVM_Q\PI\WX[XMMLWN UXP)N\MZ\PM?* was wrecked in a landing accident, Bellanca devel WXML_PI\_I[\WJMKWUM\PMQKWVQK?*XW_ MZMLJaIPX2?PQZT_QVLIVLQVKWZXWZI\QVO I\]J]TIZ[\MMTN][MTIOMQV[\MILWN _WWL Later, when Wright quit the airplane business to concentrate on engines, Bellanca entered into IV ]VMI[a XIZ\VMZ[PQX _Q\P UQTTQWVIQZM 6M_ AWZS[KZIXLMITMZ+PIZTM[4M^QVM_PWNW]VLML \PM+WT]UJQI)QZKZIN\+WZXWZI\QWVIN\MZIKY]QZ QVO \PM ?* 5MIV_PQTM NQZ[\ ?ZQOP\ IVL then Levine turned down offers from Charles 4QVLJMZOP\WJ]a\PM?*NWZPQ[[WTW\ZIV[I\TIV \QKI\\MUX\*a\PQ[\QUM4M^QVMITUW[\KMZ\IQVTa PILPQ[MaMWV\PM 7Z\MQO8ZQbMPQU[MTN 4QVLJMZOPTI\MZ_ZW\MILUQZQVOTaWN \PM?*" ¹1VI*MTTIVKIÅTTML_Q\PN]MT\IVS[1KW]TLÆaWV all night, like the moon. With the engine throttled LW_VQ\KW]TL[\IaITWN\NWZLIa[º
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for Bellanca and Levine, that was 500 miles greater than the distance to Paris. Levine then became involved in litigation over \PMKPWQKMWN XQTW\[NWZ\PMÆQOP\IVL\PMZM[]Ttant delays allowed Lindbergh time to scoop the Orteig Prize over May 20-21. However, after the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce promised NWZ\PMÅZ[\ÆQOP\JM\_MMV6M_AWZSIVL *MZTQVW^MZ2]VM+PIUJMZTQVXQTW\MLColumbia to Eisleben, Germany, with Levine as his passenger

and nominal copilot. They covered 3,911 miles in PW]Z[IVLUQV]\M[¸IVM__WZTL[\ZIQOP\ line distance record. In recognition of that achievement, Bellanca’s smiling face appeared on \PMKW^MZWN \PM2]Ta!MLQ\QWVWN Time magazine, with the accompanying text declaring that PM¹Q[ZMOIZLMLJa-]ZWXMIVM`XMZ\[I[\PMTMILMZ in modern design.” ;WWVIN\MZ\PMIUQIJTM\Z][\QVO*MTTIVKIMVLML his association with the scheming Levine, his diaUM\ZQKWXXW[Q\MQVKPIZIK\MZ*ZIVKPQVOW]\WV his own, the Italian formed the Bellanca Aircraft +WZXWZI\QWV*)+QVQ\QITTaUIV]NIK\]ZQVO\PM WB-2 derivative CH-200 Pacemaker six-seat KIJQVUWVWXTIVMWV;\I\MV1[TIVL6AJMNWZM ZMTWKI\QVO\W6M_+I[\TM,MT_Q\PMVKW]ZIOMUMV\IVL[]XXWZ\NZWU\PMQVÆ]MV\QIT,]8WV\ NIUQTa
ABOVE: ©LYLE JANSMA/AEROCAPTURE IMAGES; LEFT: NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM; OPPOSITE ABOVE: HISTORYNET ARCHIVE; RIGHT: AVIATION HISTORY COLLECTION/ALAMY

island original Hawaiian Airlines’ first airplane, a 1929 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker, was returned to flight in 2009. Below: A Bellanca employee works on a CH airframe.

farther The Bellanca J Long Range Special Miss Veedol was the first airplane to cross the Pacific nonstop.

Through Bellanca’s relentless drive to improve the performance of his basic airframe, with its KPIZIK\MZQ[\QK¹ÆaQVO[\Z]\[º\PMPQOPTa^MZ[I\QTM CH-200 Pacemaker soon morphed into the more powerful CH-300, with a 300-hp Wright J-6, and ]T\QUI\MTaQV\W\PM;MVQWZ8IKMUISMZ)TT_MZM _QLMTaMUXTWaMLI[J][PXTIVM[QV)TI[SIIVL +IVILI)LPMZQVO\W\PM[IUMLM[QOV\PMUM[\PM *)+IT[WXZWL]KML\PM+0;SaZWKSM\W]\_IZLTa[QUQTIZ\W\PM8IKMUISMZJ]\_Q\PIUWZM [XWZ\QVOQUIOMMMLWT, piloted

BELLANCA’S CABIN MONOPLANES EARNED AN UNSURPASSED REPUTATION FOR RELIABILITY.

Ja [WKQITQ\M 0]OP 0MZVLWV IVL JIZV[\WZUMZ :][[MTT8IVOJWZVTMN\6M_AWZSWVIZW]VL\PM _WZTLÆQOP\I\\MUX\)N\MZ^IZQW][[M\JIKS[ITWVO \PM_IaVW\TMI[\Q\[KZM_JMQVOIZZM[\MLNWZITTMOML espionage in Japan, 5Q[[>MMLWTJMKIUM\PMÅZ[\ IQZXTIVM\WÆaVWV[\WXIKZW[[\PM8IKQÅKKW^MZQVO \PM UQTM[JM\_MMV;IUQ[PQZW*MIKP2IXIV IVL?IVI\KPMM?I[PQVPW]Z[ 1VM^Q\IJTa\PMZM_MZMIT[WIV]UJMZWN LQ[I[ters involving Bellanca crews intent on covering TWVOLQ[\IVKM[7^MZ)]O][\!!NTaQVO a Bellanca Pacemaker on a transatlantic flight I\\MUX\Ja[\IOM[8IZSMZ+ZIUMZIVL7TQ^MZ 8IY]M\\MJMKIUM\PMÅZ[\IQZUMV\WKZW[[\PMOZMI\ /ZMMVTIVLQKMKIXWVTa\WJMTW[\I\[MIL]ZQVO \PMÅVITTMOWN \PMQZÆQOP\\W+WXMVPIOMV7V ;MX\MUJMZ!\PMZMVW_VML1\ITQIVI^QI\WZ General Francesco de Pinedo perished when his N]MTTILMV*MTTIVKI2;IV\I4]KQI crashed on \ISMW‫ٺ‬NZWU.TWaL*MVVM\\.QMTL6A8QVMLWPIL QV\MVLML\WÆaUQTM[\W*IOPLIL\WJZMIS\PM _WZTLVWV[\WXLQ[\IVKMZMKWZL

A

faster The sporty CH-400 Skyrocket was fitted with a powerful 420-hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp C radial engine.

T_Ia[[MMSQVOVM__Ia[WN \ZI^MTQVO UWZMM‫ٻ‬KQMV\Ta\PZW]OP\PMIQZ*MTTIVKI also produced a series of innovative sesquiplane designs—biplanes having one _QVO_Q\PTM[[\PIVPITN \PMIZMIWN \PMW\PMZ
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excessive vibration in the extended propeller shaft. Next in the line of Bellanca sesquiplanes, with the characteristic lifting-surface wing struts, was the 12- to 14-seat P-100 Airbus of 1930. Although sales of the single-engine transport were limited L]M\W\PMLMXZM[[MLMKWVWUQKKTQUI\MIÆWI\ equipped version ran a ferry service between New York’s Wall Street and East River, and 14 Airbuses [MZ^ML_Q\P\PM=;)ZUa)QZ+WZX[
keeping tabs Bellanca reads a newspaper story about Columbia’s flight to Germany.

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and speed than the multiengine Fokkers and Ford Tri-Motors. But then, in 1934, U.S. federal regula\QWV[M‫ٺ‬MK\Q^MTaXZWPQJQ\ML[QVOTMMVOQVMIQZXTIVM[ from operating airline routes, virtually eliminating the American market for the Aircruiser, production of which ceased in 1938. Nonetheless, the )QZKZ]Q[MZ¸I‫ٺ‬MK\QWVI\MTaSVW_VI[\PM¹.TaQVO ?º¸[WTLQMZMLWVQV+IVILI_PMZMQ\ÆM_QV support of northern mining operations well into the 1970s. The penultimate Bellanca sesquiplane, the 77-140 Patrol Bomber, was rejected by the Army Air Corps, though the Colombian air force purchased several, including a floatplane version, 77-320. Last of the Bellanca sesquiplanes, adapted from the Airbus, were the 1937 XSE-1 and XSE-2 carrier-based patrol planes with folding wings IVLI\IQTPWWS_PQKPNIQTML\WÅVLNI^WZ_Q\P\PM U.S. Navy. Bellanca also produced a remarkable special order low-wing monoplane, the snub-nosed Model 28-70 Flash racer Irish Swoop, built for Irishman James Fitzmaurice and Briton Eric Bonar to enter in the October 1934 London-to-Melbourne race. =VNWZ\]VI\MTa\PM.TI[P_I[LQ[Y]ITQÅMLI\\PMTI[\ UWUMV\JMKI][MQ\TIKSMLKMZ\QÅMLIXXZW^ITNWZ

ABOVE: HISTORYNET ARCHIVE; LEFT & OPPOSITE ABOVE: NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM; RIGHT: ©AVIATION HISTORY COLLECTION/ALAMY

trimotor racer Alex Papana poses with the Bellanca 28-92, which placed second in the 1939 Bendix Trophy race.

full-load landing tests. Shipped back to the U.S., it subsequently re-emerged with an engine upgrade as the 28-90, The Dorothy, which famed British I^QI\WZ2QU5WTTQ[WVÆM_NZWU0IZJW]Z/ZIKM to Croydon, England, on October 30, 1936, in a new transatlantic solo record of 13 hours and 17 minutes. Mollison later piloted The Dorothy from *ZQ\IQV\W+IXM
I

n the late 1930s, the BAC entered the private plane market with the Crusair Junior, a small three-seat, low-wing monoplane. Bellanca suspended all commercial airplane manufacture during WWII, initially acting as a subcontractor for the Fairchild AT-21 gunnery crew trainer and the Boeing AT-15, neither of which entered largescale production. Later the plant made gun turrets, ÆWI\[IVLW\PMZMY]QXUMV\NWZIZIVOMWN UQTQ\IZa aircraft. Meanwhile, Bellanca headed up the avia\QWVLMXIZ\UMV\WN 0QOOQV[1VL][\ZQM[QV6M_ Orleans, working on the design of the imaginative 0QOOQV[*MTTIVKI0+KIZOW\ZIV[XWZ\IÆaQVO wing with a twin-boom tail that was never built. Commercial production resumed in 1945 with the Crusair Senior, which led in 1949 to the Cruisemaster, more than 90 of which were built before the Korean War intervened in 1950. Yet again the BAC engaged in subcontracting for defense production, making airplane and missile parts.

REMARKABLY, THE PASSING OF THIS HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL AVIATION PIONEER RECEIVED VERY LITTLE MEDIA ATTENTION.

enduring elegance Above: Bellanca’s CF is now displayed at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center. Left: British aviator Jim Mollison set a solo transatlantic speed record in the 28-90 Flash racer.

Bellanca remained chairman of the BAC until 1954 when, hoping to facilitate long-sought defense contracts, he sold the company to L. Albert and Sons. It was the end of an area. The company was then subsumed into commercial organizations not hitherto engaged in aircraft manufacturing. The controlling syndicate ended up selling the BAC’s buildings and contents to the Piasecki Aircraft Corporation. The sale included all Bellanca’s designs, except the Cruisemaster. Meanwhile, Bellanca and his son August set up the Bellanca Development Company, to carry out research into lightweight aircraft construction materials. Still in the harness after 42 years in airplane UIV]NIK\]ZQVO/Q][MXXM*MTTIVKILQMLWN TM]kemia on December 26, 1960. Remarkably, the XI[[QVOWN \PQ[PQOPTaQVÆ]MV\QITI^QI\QWVXQWVMMZI shy and modest man who had contributed so much to the advance of aviation in his adopted country (he was naturalized in 1929), received very little media attention. AM\XMZPIX[PQ[ÅVM[\QN ]V_Q\\QVOMXQ\IXP_I[ written in the May 1933 edition of Aero Digest, which declared, “Among the imports from Italy that have made life more agreeable in America are olives, olive oil, spaghetti, anchovies and /Q][MXXM5IZQW*MTTIVKIXQTW\IQZXTIVMLM[QOVMZ and builder and outstanding American citizen.” Postscript: In 1962 August Bellanca bought back most of the designs from Piasecki and formed Bellanca Aircraft Inc. The Bellanca story then resumed with the Skyrocket II and Aries lightplanes. In 1993 August donated the trendsetting 1920 Bellanca CF to the Smithsonian Institution, where it was restored and later placed on display I\\PM6I\QWVIT)QZIVL;XIKM5][M]U¼[=L^IZ 0Iba+MV\MZVMIZ,]TTM[1V\MZVI\QWVIT)QZXWZ\  RAF veteran and frequent contributor Derek O’Connor recommends for further reading: The Bellanca C.F.: The Emergence of the Cabin Monoplane in the United States, by Jay P. Spenser, and Bellanca’s /WTLMV)OM, by Alan Abel and Drina Welch Abel. march 2017

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REVIEWS historic mission The B-29 Enola Gay returns to Tinian after dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS OF THE ARMY AIR FORCES

From Hitler’s Fortress Europa to Hiroshima and Nagasaki by Robert O. Harder, Naval Institute Press, 2016, $39.95.

After all the books about Paul Tibbets and his historic mission on August 6, 1945, in which his B-29 Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, many aviation enthusiasts will probably wonder how a new book could XW[[QJTaW‫ٺ‬MZIVaNZM[PLM\IQT[IJW]\\PQ[ well-trodden subject. > > The answer comes in a beautifully written narrative by Robert Harder, who brings a wealth of expertise as a former Vietnam-era U.S. Air Force navigator-bombardier. .WZ\PMÅZ[\\QUMZMILMZ[OM\ a detailed description of the critically important relationship of Tibbets with his crew58

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mates, bombardier Thomas Ferebee and navigator Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk. The author spent many hours interviewing family members of his subjects and Van Kirk himself (the only member of the Enola Gay crew still alive at the time of the book’s preparation). We

TMIZV\PI\
The author not only illumiVI\M[PW_\PM[MPQ[\WZQKITÅOures interacted at a time when their skills, commitment and coordination were imperative, but he also provides an excellent technical analysis of the Superfortress and its Norden bombsight. Numerous misconceptions are cleared up. The result is a fresh and often riveting account of a familiar story. Readers will be convinced that these crewmates were indeed “the three musketeers of the Army Air Forces,” as Life magazine dubbed them in 1942. This eye-opening book leaves no doubt that they were in every instance “one for all and all for one.” Philip Handleman

THE BRIDGEBUSTERS

The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, Regnery History, 2016, $29.99. Novelist Joseph Heller’s fictionalized account of his World War II experience as a bombardier with the 57th Bomb Wing in Corsica struck a chord with the American people upon its publication in 1961 and again with the release of the movie in 1970. Heller’s story captured the madcap nature of war by spotlighting the purported

“Catch-22” in Army Air Forces regulations that kept mentally exhausted airmen from withdrawing from the war because the act of asking to be relieved meant they were sane enough to continue serving. The book’s title has ever since been a catchall for

EYES ALL OVER THE SKY

BELL X-1

?Q\P\PMMUMZOMVKMWN \PMÅOP\MZ IVL\PMÅOP\MZIKMK]T\NZWU! to the present, it’s easy for the general public to forget that the most important role that aviation played during World War I—and the ÅOP\MZ¼[ZIQ[WVL¼w\ZM¸_I[ZMKWVnaissance. Intelligence-gathering from the air, whether by heavier or lighter than air craft, transformed the conduct of organized combat IVLI‫ٺ‬MK\ML\PMKW]Z[MWN MV\QZM campaigns. Yet observation, aerial photography, artillery spotting and maritime reconnaissance have IT_Ia[\MVLML\WOM\[PWZ\[PZQN\QVPQ[\WZQM[WN \PMÅZ[\OTWJIT air war. There have been attempts to restore recon to its proper perspective in recent years, such as Terence J. Finnegan’s detailed treatment in 2011 of the Allies’ development of photoreconnaissance, Shooting the Front. James Streckfuss tries for a more wide-ranging overview in Eyes All Over the Sky, devoting chapters to photorecon, artillery spotting and the use of balloons, airships and airplanes in antisubmarine and other roles. He [PW_[PW_MIKPWN \PM[M[XMKQIT\QM[XTIaMLIXIZ\QVI‫ٺ‬MK\QVO the war’s course before ending with an explanation of how postwar airpower advocates such as Billy Mitchell and Giulio Douhet downplayed reconnaissance’s importance in their zeal to sell the idea of air forces winning wars by bombing. Well researched, with 71 pages dedicated to bibliography and footnotes, Eyes All Over the Sky is a nicely presented reminder of the importance of aerial reconnaissance during WWI. As a comprehensive overview, however, it falls a bit short by limiting its scope to Britain, France, the United States and Germany, ignoring such innovations as Russia’s Ilya Muromets or how other powers handled reconnaissance. Jon Guttman

Osprey has produced a seemingly endless succession of books dealing with warplanes and the men and ]VQ\[\PI\ÆM_\PMU6W_\PM British publisher has begun a series devoted to the aircraft designed solely to push the aeronautical envelope throughout history: X-planes. The logical subject to start _Q\PQ[\PMÅZ[\)UMZQKIVIQZplane to bear that experimental designator, the Bell X-1. Written by Cold War era expert Peter E. Davies, Bell X-1 traces the development of this rocket-powered aircraft, whose shape was literally based on a .50-caliber J]TTM\IVL\PMUIVaÆQOP\[ that led up to its successful assault on the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. As in Osprey’s other series, there are welcome technical touches, including illustrations of the X-1’s interior anatomy and the Reaction Motors rocket engine that powered it. Beyond the X-1 itself, the book covers the developmental subtypes from XS-1 to X-1E, and the men _PWÆM_\PMU¸UW[\Ta without any easy way to bail out in the event of trouble—

Aerial Reconnaissance in the First World War by James Streckfuss, Casemate Publishers, 2016, $32.95.

U.S. AIR FORCE

organizational zaniness wherever it arises in daily life. Talented aviation writer Tom Cleaver documents for \PMÅZ[\\QUMQVIJWWSTMVO\P narrative the harrowing raids ÆW_VJa0MTTMZIVLPQ[NMTTW_ B-25 Mitchell crewmen. The ordeal tested both the courage and morality of young men sent half a world away from PWUM\WÅOP\NWZIKI][M\PI\ was sometimes overshadowed by the primeval instinct for survival. By delving into long-forgotten records, mining diaries and interviewing aged participants, the author reveals the air war in its unvarnished brutality, yet he balances this with the struggle of

crewmen to preserve a semblance of their humanity. The book’s speculation about how Heller’s combat service ended 10 missions short of the required 70 is liable to spark controversy. Nevertheless, this history of a KWUJI\ÆaQVO]VQ\_W]TLJM well worth reading even if one of its members had not been a celebrated writer whose work influenced modern culture. We get a dramatic tale of airmen at war and learn how their bridge-busting airstrikes in the Alps’ Brenner Pass affected not only their lives, but also the lives of their adversaries and local residents. Philip Handleman

by Peter E. Davies, Osprey Publishing, 2016, $20.

such as Jack Woolams, Chalmers “Slick” Goodlin and Chuck Yeager. 1V\PMÅVITIVITa[Q[\PM author states that the X-1 did more than merely prove the attainability of Mach 1, such as pioneering the all-moving stabilator and demonstrating “that aircraft, pilots and control systems would survive conditions that would have been unthinkable previously.” Its robust, adaptable airframe also sustained it through a []KKM[[QWVWN ZMÅVMUMV\[ during 12 years of research. All in all, the X-1’s career marked a superb beginning to a program of strictly experimental testbeds for the ZMLMÅVQ\QWVWN ÆQOP\QV\PM jet age. Jon Guttman march 2017

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REVIEWS

AIRWARE SIMPLEPLANES

Jundroo LLC, simpleplanes.com, $12.99. SimplePlanes puts the power of creation into the hands of players, letting them design, build and operate airplanes, cars and boats. The game proves to be both accessible and engaging. SimplePlanes includes several play modes. School mode contains tutorials introducing the mechanics of vehicle creation. Race mode features several courses where players compete with

The game analyzes the weight, center of gravity and propulsion systems of completed craft to return statistics such as thrust-to-weight ratio, wing loading and drag, all of _PQKPI‫ٺ‬MK\\PMKZIN\¼[XMZformance envelope. Players can test their creations in the sandbox, then tweak their LM[QOV[JI[MLWVPW_\PMaÆa and drive. I found challenge mode the most intriguing. An example scenario is the “Going the Distance” trial, where the player must travel at least 10,000 feet with limited fuel. 1KW]TLV¼\OM\UaW_VKZMI computer-controlled craft. tion up to more than a few Combat tests the player in hundred feet before running ^QZ\]ITLWOÅOP\QVO+PITTMVOM out of gas. When I instead mode encourages players to tried to modify one of the M`XMZQUMV\_Q\PLQ‫ٺ‬MZMV\ OIUM¼[QVKT]LMLKZIN\I designs to meet a perforseaplane with a wide wing, mance goal. Sandbox is a it was unable to get enough noncompetitive mode, where TQN\QV\PM[\WKSKWVÅO]ZI\QWV players can test any design. Next I boosted the engine SimplePlanes provides a tool XW_MZUWLQÅML\PMTIVLQVO KPM[\ÅTTML_Q\P^QZ\]IT[\Z]Kgear and pontoons to reduce tural parts, propulsion sysweight and stretched the tems, landing gear, wings and wings out to almost sailplanecontrol surfaces, weapons, like proportions. I could gadgets and more. The parts ÅVITTaKTQUJI\ITW_MZ\PZW\go together easily like Lego tle setting. By the time the bricks, a powerful mechanism fuel expired, I had enough constrained mainly by minialtitude to glide the remainmum block sizes. der of the required distance.

CLASSICS BIPLANE by Richard Bach

Pilot-author Richard Bach is best known for Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the endearing 1970 fable about an imaginary seagull \PI\JZMIS[NZWU\PMÆWKS\WM`XMZQMVKM the rewards of nonconformity. Four years earlier, in a kind of preview, he published an account of a real-life transcontinental biplane odyssey. Woven across its pages are the kinds of magisterial exaltations KMTMJZI\QVOÆQOP\\PI\IXXMIZQVPQ[TI\MZ hugely popular novella. The adventure starts in North Carolina, where Bach trades his restored 1946 Fairchild 24 for a rare and well-tended 1929 Parks P-2A biplane, later marketed as the Detroit-Ryan Speedster. He transitions to the old open-cockpit aircraft because he wants “to travel through time” with the wind caressing his face as if in “an escape machine,” and to have people see the biplane to know “that glory still exists.” In a harbinger of his future writings, a paragraph refers to landing on beaches “with only a gull or sandpiper to hurry us along.”

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One of the best features of the game is the strong community that submits its KZMI\QWV[\W\PMKWUXIVa¼[ website for free download. Thanks to inventive users, this results in a menagerie WN PQ[\WZQKITIVLÅK\QWVIT craft—from several variants of the Boeing B-17 to the ;\IZ?IZ[@_QVOÅOP\MZ Downloaded vehicles also can serve as models for QUXZW^QVOWVM¼[W_VJ]QTLQVO [SQTT[

REVIEWS

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AVIATION

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (required by Act of August 12, 1970: Section 3685, Title 39, United States Code). 1. AviaH I S T O R Y tion History 2. (ISSN: 1076-8858) 3. Filing date: 10/1/16. 4. Issue frequency: Bi Monthly. 5. Number of issues published annually: 6. 6. The annual subscription price is $39.95. 7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: HistoryNet, 1919 Gallows Rd. Suite 400, Vienna, VA 22182. Contact person: Kolin Rankin. Telephone: 305-441-7155 ext. 225 8. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office of publisher: HistoryNet, 1919 Gallows Rd. Suite 400, Vienna, VA 22182. 9. Full names and complete mailing addresses of publisher, editor, and managing editor. Publisher, Michael A. Reinstein, HistoryNet, 1919 Gallows Rd. Suite 400, Vienna, VA 22182, Editor, Carl Von Wodtke, HistoryNet, 1919 Gallows Rd. Suite 400, Vienna, VA 22182 , Editor in Chief, Alex Neill, HistoryNet, 1919 Gallows Rd. Suite 400, Vienna, VA 22182. 10. Owner: HistoryNet; 1919 Gallows Rd. Suite 400, Vienna, VA 22182. 11. Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent of more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None. 12. Tax status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publisher title: Aviation History. 14. Issue date for circulation data below: September 2016. 15. The extent and nature of circulation: A. Total number of copies printed (Net press run). Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 46,295. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 44,410. B. Paid circulation. 1. Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions. Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 25,430. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 24,359. 2. Mailed in-county paid subscriptions. Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 0. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. 3. Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors and counter sales. Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 5,424. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 6,123. 4. Paid distribution through other classes mailed through the USPS. Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 0. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. C. Total paid distribution. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 30,854. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date; 30,482. D. Free or nominal rate distribution (by mail and outside mail). 1. Free or nominal Outside-County. Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 0. Number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. 2. Free or nominal rate in-county copies. Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 0. Number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. 3. Free or nominal rate copies mailed at other Classes through the USPS. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 0. Number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. 4. Free or nominal rate distribution outside the mail. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 630. Number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 536. E. Total free or nominal rate distribution. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 630. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 536. F. Total free distribution (sum of 15c and 15e). Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 31,484. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 31,018. G. Copies not Distributed. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 14,811. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 13,392. H. Total (sum of 15f and 15g). Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 46,295. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing: 44,410. I. Percent paid. Average percent of copies paid for the preceding 12 months: 98.0% Actual percent of copies paid for the preceding 12 months: 98.3% 16. Electronic Copy Circulation: A. Paid Electronic Copies. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 0. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. B. Total Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a). Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 30,854. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 30,482. C. Total Print Distribution (Line 15f) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a). Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 31,484. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 31,018. D. Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c x 100). Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 98.0%. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 98.3%. I certify that 50% of all distributed copies (electronic and print) are paid above nominal price: Yes. Report circulation on PS Form 3526-X worksheet 17. Publication of statement of ownership will be printed in the January 2017 issue of the publication. 18. Signature and title of editor, publisher, business manager, or owner: David Steinhafel, Associate Publisher. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanction and civil actions.

LITTLE FRIENDS Volumes 1-4

Tom Mullen Well researched, fun and informative reading of WWII aircraft, the people, and the times

Available on Amazon.com

Contact us to put your advertisement in front of thousands of history enthusiasts! 800.649.9800 [email protected] For information on placing a Direct Response or Marketplace ad in Print and Online contact us today: Aviation History 800.649.9800 / Fax: 800.649.6712 / [email protected] / www.russelljohns.com

ACES OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA AIR FORCE

by Raymond Cheung, Osprey Publishing, 2015, $22.95. In spite of the long war it fought against the invading Japanese, the operations and airmen of the Republic of China Air Force have long been more mystery than history. At last, however, Raymond Cheung’s meticulous research into the military archives in Taiwan and Japan has yielded an unprecedented look into the 17 aces known to have emerged from what China calls the “War of Resistance,” now chronicled and illustrated in No. 126 of Osprey’s Aircraft of the Aces series.
FLIGHT TEST

LITERARY CAREERS THAT TOOK OFF 1. Which airmen wrote about their experiences in foreign service during World War I before embarking on a famous collaboration? A. Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack B. Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall C. James McConnell and Bert Hall D. Edward Rickenbacker and James Norman Hall 2. Which World War I ace wrote a classic air memoir as well as successful advertising copy?

>

A. B. C. D.

MYSTERY SHIP

Can you identify this rotary rarity? See the answer below.

PROPELLERS OVER KOREA A. Douglas AD Skyraider B. Lavochkin La-11 C. North American T-6 D. Vought F4U-5N E. Yakovlev Yak-9P F. North American F-82 G. Ilyushin Il-10 H. Polikarpov Po-2 I. North American P-51D J. Douglas B-26

1. Most advanced South Korean warplane in June 1950 2. Produced Korea’s only U.S. Navy ace 3. Principal North Korean attack plane in 1950 4. Principal South Korean attack plane in 1951 5. Caused a pursuing F-94 Starfire to crash 6. Mainstay American tactical night bomber 7. Wang Tianbao damaged Winton Marshall’s F-86 in this 8. Scored first air-to-air victory of Korean War 9. Made war’s only aerial torpedo attack 10. Carried out first air attack of Korean War

3. Which World War I ace wrote a renowned memoir and an Oscarwinning screenplay? A. B. C. D.

Cecil Lewis James McCudden Duncan Grinnell-Milne V.M. Yeates

4. What classic firsthand bombing account did Ted W. Lawson write? A Twelve O’Clock High B. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo C. Catch-22 D. The Bridges at Toko-Ri 5. What memoir of flying helicopters over Vietnam started Robert Mason on a literary career? A. B. C. D.

Rattler One-Seven Low Level Hell Chickenhawk The Shadow of Death

ANSWERS: MYSTERY SHIP: Filper Beta 200. Learn more about it at HistoryNet.com/aviation-history. PROPELLERS OVER KOREA: A.9, B.7, C.1, D.2, E.10, F.8, G.3, H.5, I.4, J.6 LITERARY CAREERS THAT TOOK OFF: 1.B, 2.D, 3.A, 4.B, 5.C

NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Match the airplane with its exploit.

George Vaughn William Lambert Reed Landis Elliott White Springs

march 2017

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63

AERO ARTIFACT

SMOKING WITH GAS

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final fragment Fashioned from a piece of the WB-2’s fuel tank, this ashtray commemorates its two transatlantic flights.

64

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march 2017

TOP: ©SUEDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG PHOTO/ALAMY; BOTTOM: NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

his aluminum ashtray was handworked using a piece of fuel tank recovered from the ?ZQOP\*MTTIVKI?*[PW_VI\TMN\JMQVOZMN]MTML\PMÅZ[\IQZXTIVM\WÆaIKZW[[ the Atlantic Ocean twice. Designed by Giuseppe Mario Bellanca (story, P. 50), the WB-2 won multiple events at the 1926 National Air Races and later beat the world endurance record by staying aloft for more than 51 hours. Two weeks after Charles 4QVLJMZOP¼[[]KKM[[N]T[WTW\ZIV[I\TIV\QKÆQOP\WN 5Ia!Columbia crossed the Atlantic to Eisleben, Germany, in record time. The WB-2 made several more sucKM[[N]TÆQOP\[QVKT]LQVOI[MKWVL\ZIV[I\TIV\QK\ZQX¸QV!NZWU+IVILI¸IN\MZJMQVO renamed Maple Leaf. Unfortunately, the well-traveled airplane was destroyed in a hangar ÅZMWV2IV]IZa!I\\PM*MTTIVKINIK\WZaQV,MTI_IZM

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