"Air-to air combat
at 45,000 feet is something entirely new. The old razzle-dazzle, ham-fisted fighter pilot
is out. Now it's accurate, precision, feather-touch flying."
....Colonel Robert P. Baldwin, F-86 pilot U.S. 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing,
Korea, 1953
| In
June 0f 1950, in response to North Korean offensives, U.S. planes from the Fifth Air Force
stationed in Japan were sent to South Korea. A handful of F-82 Twin Mustangs, the last
piston-engined fighters to be purchased by the U.S. Air Force, and several F-80 Shooting
Stars, the first U.S. jet fighters to be used in combat, were now patrolling the skies
over Kimpo, South Korea. Around noon on that day, five Yaks flew in low over Seoul. They were met by the F-82s, and the result could only be catagorized as a rout. In the dogfight that lasted less than five minutes the F-82s shot down three Yaks and drove off the other two. About an hour later the North Koreans made another attempt to disrupt the Kimpo airlift. Eight Russian-built Il-10 Shturmoviks, piston-engined ground-attack fighters, were headed to Kimpo. One pass was all the American pilots, flying F-80 Shooting Stars, needed to again rout the North Koreans. Capt. Raymond Schillereff was the first to splash a Il-10 into a rice paddy followed quickly by Lt. Robert Wayne with the second and third kills. Lt. Robert Dewald got the fourth and the rest turned tail, leaving Kimpo untouched. It was the first time American jets had fired their guns in combat and they had four kills to show for it. |
Although Maj. Louis Sebile, Major Charles Loring, Capt. John Walmsley and Lt. Thomas Hudner, are not recognized as 'aces' in the true definition of the term they are honored here in that they were recipients of our nations highest award, the Medal of Honor.
Maj. George Davis, Jr., USAF |
|
Maj. Louis J. Sebille, USAF |
Maj. Charles Loring, USAF |
||
Capt. John Walmsley, USAF |
U.S. Korean War Aces
| J. McConnell 16 | R. S. Parr 10 | G. E. Jones 6.5 | C. A. Curtin 5 |
| J. Jabara
16.5 (1.5 WWII) |
C. G. Foster 9 | W. W. Marshall 6.5 | R. D. Gibson 5 |
| M. J. Fernandez 14.5 | J. F. Low 9 | J. F. Bolt, Jr. 12 (6WWII) |
I. C. Kinchole 5 |
| G. Davis, Jr. 21 (7 WWII) |
J. P. Hagerstrom 14.5 (6 WWII) |
J. H. Kasler 6 | R. T. Latshaw 5 |
| R. N. Baker 16.5 | R. Risner 8 | E. L. Heller 9 (3.5 WWII) |
R. H. Moore 5 |
| F. Blesse 10 | G. L. Ruddell 8 | W.T.
Wishner 21 (15.5 WWII) |
D. D. Overton, III 5 |
| H. E. Fisher 10 | C. D. Jolley 7 | R. P. Baldwin 5 | W. H. Westcott 5 |
| V. Garrison 17.33 (7.33 WWII) |
H. Buttlemann 7 | R. S. Becker 5 | G. Bordelon 5 |
| J. Johnson 10 (1 WWII) |
F. Gabreski
34.5 (28 WWII) |
S. L. Bettinger 5 | H. R. Thyng 11 (6 WWII) |
| L.R. Moore 10 | D. E. Adams 6.5 | G. P. Bordelon 5 |
* Medal of Honor awarded
Brief history of the Medal of Honor
A complete listing of aces is available at the Fighter Pilot 'ace' list
Aces Hall of Fame | U.S. Fighter | Feedback
