Meeting deadlines was as much a part of a USAF mechanics life as that of a corporate CEO. By any means necessary— including using faulty lighting—mechanics during the Korean War met their repair deadlines. (Blaylock collection)
of North Korea into a power black- out for two weeks. Many of those 11 Communist power stations never fully recovered from the bombings, and their power was lost for the rest of the war. To some, like Gen. Ferguson, the game-changing ability of the B-29 was without question. “Rules of engage- ment were a factor and higher authority dictated that our operations stop at the North Korean border. Tere were MiG bases just across the Yalu River, but we were denied the opportunity to wipe them out.” Perhaps the bombers, like the
B-29, best exemplified the partnership in Korea between USAF officers and enlisted. Te aircrews for the Super- fortresses were split—half enlisted and half officer. Going up in an airplane on missions during war makes everyone aboard realize they have to trust that the nine other guys are doing their job properly all the time, even when you can’t observe them doing it because of your position aboard the plane.
Of course, once those bombers came back to base, the enlisted ground crew members began doing their part for the team—fixing and servicing the B-29 so it was in top shape for the next mission. While the Sergeant Pilots of
WWII were gone, as jets in Korea were piloted only by officers, their air- craft were serviced by enlisted ground crews. Despite the differences in rank, bonds often developed. Some 60 years later those bonds are still strong—and affecting the surviving veterans. In 2012, Sgt. James Brown Sr., a ground crew member, recalled the death of pilot Capt. Cornelius E. Scott during the war. “I was an aircraft armament specialist and I loaded his [Scott’s] jet during the war. He was my friend, and my heart broke when he was [shot down and] killed. He was an inspirational officer and instrumental in my getting promoted during the war. I have never forgotten Captain Scott to this day!”
As the war went on, both changes
in technology and logistics were adapted to better serve all the U.S. service branches. Te Air Force might now have been its own entity, but it was still part of the team—the entire U.S. military. Te war ground to a halt by the summer of 1953, ending in a tactical “draw.” Still, the successes the USAF achieved in Korea were numerous and due to great partner- ships. Tese partnerships were not just between the other service branches but between USAF officers and enlisted personnel. Let us never forget their courage and sacrifices!
Sources Consulted:
Frederick Shaw Jr. & Timothy Warnock, The Cold War & Beyond—50th Anniversary of the USAF edition.
Wayne Thompson & Bernard Nalty, Within Limits: The USAF & the Korean War.
Office of Air Force History, “Air Superiority in WW II and Korea.”
Airmen Memorial Museum Airman Surveys
Koreanwar.org
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