especially at first, the Army thought they needed control of those planes.” Momyer wasn’t the only high-ranking Air Force official that remembered a power struggle. Gen. James Ferguson remembered, “A lot of the 8th Army brass in Korea were men whose WWII experience had been in the Pacific. Few if any were familiar with closely coordinated air and ground attacks. Also, our first priority was to stabi- lize the ‘ground’ through supplies. We established those supply routes first and foremost.” (Note: Tere had been more coordinated attacks in WWII Europe than in the Pacific). While the high-ranking brass of


During the Korean War, A3C Charles Bray spends his R & R time sightseeing in Japan and interacting with local schoolchildren. Bray spent most of his time stationed at Yokota Air Base servicing the B-29 Super Fortresses that were bringing a reign of terror upon Communist bridges and factories. (C. Bray photo collection)


Yes, the clock had barely moved ahead. It was 1945, and the end of WWII had quickly become 1950. Te U.S. was going through an economic boom as well as record numbers of marriages and births. West Germany and Japan were now allies and friends, having lost their enemy status of just a few years earlier. Technology had rapidly developed.


Piston-driven propeller


aircraft were headed out the door in favor of the newer and faster jet engine planes that were coming off the assembly lines more and more quickly. Many personnel who would head off to do the fighting in the Korean War (1950–1953) were WWII veterans. Some of the same generals who had won WWII were still in charge too. A major logistical change had taken place militarily though: Te Army Air Force (AAF) no longer existed. Just two years after the end of


WWII, the USAF was organized as a separate entity, becoming its own branch of service. During WWII, there were not a lot of logistical ques- tions and paperwork required when the Army needed or wanted planes for missions and tasks. After all, the AAF


came under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army. It was that easy. As of 1947, the Air Force was separate. Yes, the Army and the USAF were all on the same team when it came to fighting the new Communist threat in North Korea, but now there would be “red tape” when it came to joint operations that involved both Army infantry and Air Force planes and personnel. For many of the high-ranking men in charge, as well as those enlisted types who did all the important jobs behind the scenes, the war in Korea would be very dif- ferent from WWII. A balance would need to be struck for the Army and the Air Force to work together successfully to contain the plague of Communism that would spread worldwide if left unchecked. Adjustments from WWII would have to be made. As USAF Gen. William Momyer


recalled in 1982, control of these joint operations would not go smoothly. “It always came back that the Army wanted operational control of the air- craft that were involved in close air support of their missions. Yes, every- one in the Army agreed we needed air superiority to win the war, but


both the Army and the Air Force would try to balance how to work together, the mission and task of enlisted cooks, mechanics, flight crew and armament experts changed little now that they were USAF—as opposed to AAF. Simply put, these men had a job to do: to make sure they and the planes they serviced were in tip-top shape for EVERY mission. Just as with today’s Force, these unsung enlisted person- nel did their job very well. For those who had seen action in WWII, there were some changes in terms of the ter- rain. While the climate of our bases and airfields in Japan was not all that foreign in terms of weather, those stationed within South Korea found conditions downright inhospitable a lot of the time.


High-altitude bases and airstrips


experienced bitter cold winds and lots of snow during Korean winters. Mornings for enlisted mechanics and armorers often began with them “unwrapping” the F-80, F-84 and F-86 jets. Large, sleeping bag-like tarps had been developed to place over the various parts of the planes. Tese kept them drier and slightly warmer than if they had been left uncovered all night. With gritted teeth, enlisted personnel often worked quickly (at least partly as a way to stay warmer) on those mornings as they braved bit- ing winter conditions. Some men were


AFSA • WINTER 2017 29


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