My late father got called back to active service at the beginning of the Korean War and flew F-51 Mustangs in the dark and desperate days of the Pusan Perimeter. He loved the Mustangs, but they were ill-suited for their close-air-support missions. A good hit to the large radiator on the belly, your engine froze up and you went down wherever you were. Flying low and fast, there was not a lot of time to recover or bail out and you rode it in. Most pilots were killed due to the crashes rather than enemy fire. My Dad was very lucky, and I am thankful that he survived to return home to us. Thank you for these 'forgotten' clips. The Mustang was "The Cadillac of the Air."
During the Korean War, a South African F-51 crashed near my late father's infantry unit (1st Cavalry Division, I believe) while they were fighting in the Punchbowl. When the plane came to a rest on the ground, the pilot climbed out of the cockpit, stood nonchalantly on the wing, and said to the gathering soldiers (as if he was on a Sunday morning stroll): "Good afternoon, gentleman. Where the hell are we?" My late father said that he was very much impressed by the magnificent attitude displayed by the South African pilot.
Thank you for acknowledging South Africa’s 2nd Squadron The Flying Cheetahs contribution in the Korean War in your documentary. When the USAAF upgraded to Sabers to fight the Russian Migs, The SAAF were up against the Migs still flying the Old Mustangs. That’s when most of their casualties occurred. This changed when they too were given Sabres by the USAAF and afterwards suffered many less casualties and achieved/afflicted many casualties against the Russian Mig 1s.
Every boy has 2 fathers. My second father flew with the P51s for the South African Air foce ln Korea. Thank you for posting this. It's great to see footage of these brave men and their wonderful flying machines.
Thank you so much for this footage. Any footage really of the Korean War and especially of the F-51 Mustangs and my personal favorite, the "Dash 5" versions of the Corsairs. I have vague memories of reading military aviation books and magazines as a kid that said our military truly regretted not keeping the Republic P-47 Thunderbolts especially for the Korean War. the "D and N" versions seems to be the most popular with all those upgraded specs and bubble canopies. Sorry for the ramble people this rare footage is so much more enjoyable than the news and current movies.
I noticed the solid film when the Mustang was flying and firing its machine guns and rockets. This is awesome and soft flight by a propeller plane. The Mustang engine also provide the most beautiful sound. Great plane! Thanks for share this!
Thanks once again Mr. Johnsen for a great video pertaining to our "Forgotten" War. God bless the families who lost loved ones during the Korean War, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. The P51 was, and still is an amazing aircraft for it's era! As always, God bless you and yours and thanks again for all you do! 👍🇺🇸😊
Thanks for sharing! It's very rare to see SAAF 2 Squadron F-51s on video. My school BF's dad was an air mechanic at 2 Sqn and I also knew the late great General Denis Earp whose F-51 was shot down and he was captured by the North Koreans. His comments reminded me of my relatives' Gulag memories.
My uncle graduated from West Point just after WW II. He opted to an Army Air Force pilot initially flying P-47's in Okinawa after the war. He spent his time practicing air-to-air combat with his fellow pilots and soon earned the reputation of being able to out fly anyone in air-to -air simulated combat. Then came the Korean War. My uncle volunteered and for his first hear he flew both P-51 Mustangs, and F-89 jets in close air support and interdiction. On his very first mission in a P-51, he attempted a landing at Kimpo airfield and in the fog, he hit a refueling tanker crossing the runway. His P-51 overturned and ended up upside down on the runway with fuel running down into the cockpit. The rescue crew had to dig a pit large enough to open the canopy in order to get him out before there was a fire. My uncle went on to finish his first year tour and then returned for a second year flying the F-86 countering the MIG -15. He shot down 10 North Korean aircraft and became the first double ACE in the Korean War. On his last mission, he engaged a MIG-15 and shot it down, but he no longer had enough fuel to return to base. So he flew over the the water near South Korea and bailed out and was picked up by search and rescue. He wrote the fighter's manual called "No Guts, No Glory" which some fighter pilots still use today. He also won many international gunnery trophies in competitions. During the Vietnam War in 1967 he flew 108 combat missions over North Vietnam in the F-4. He was instrumental in adding a gun pod to the F-4 which became a standard system in future F-4's. He also commanded a wing of F-111 bombers. I could spend pages of his accomplishments but there isn't space or time. He retired as a Major General. During retirement he played golf. As a teenager, he beat a world renowned golfer in the Philippines. He could have been a professional golfer. He died at age 91 while on the 4th hole of his Golf Club after telling his foursome that he wasn't feeling well. He died two hours later at the hospital. His real name was Frederick C. Blesse. But everyone called him "Boots" Blesse because of an early family nickname. That was similar to my father. His real name was Aubrey Malcolom Bobbitt. But his sisters couldn't pronounce "brother" which always came out as "Bunny". For the rest of his life, no one ever called my dad by Aubrey, but rather as "Bunny." Almost like a boy named Sue in the Johnny Cash song of the same name. My mother was born Elinore Amy Blesse, but everyone always called her "Mickey." I have no idea where that nick name came from, But half of the people who knew her called her Mickey and the other half called her Amy. She never once referred to herself as Elinore, so on her tombstone, I put "Amy Blesse Bobbitt" and her ashes are buried at my dad's grave site in Arlington National Cemetery. We were a military family. My mother's father was a Brigadier General in the Army Medical Corps. He was MacAuther's senior medical officer in the Philippines just before WW II, and he was General Eisenhower's senior medical officer in WW
That's a great family history to add, just before Veterans Day. I remember years ago, maybe late 90s, while doing research at the Air Force archives at Maxwell AFB, a good friend, the late Col. Walt Boyne, asked if I could locate a photo of Blesse for something Boyne was writing at the time. It was my pleasure to do so. Thank you for writing your family story here, and thank you for watching.
Interesting footage of Mustangs in Korea. FYI the SAAF Mustangs were flown by No. 2 Squadron. The 77 Squadron you made reference to was the RAAF unit operating the Mustang in Korea, until replaced by British Meteor F.8 jets.
Dad talked about the Australians showing up with Spitfires, then quickly changing to F-51’s. Was this a different RAAF unit, or 77Sqn? He also talked about seeing something like 9 or 11 F-51’s being shot down in just one mission, at low altitude, suppressing flak at Pyongyang for the B-29’s, who were up at altitude. I assumed USAF, but never asked. Strafe and bomb sixty seconds before B-29’s.
Thank you for posting a great footage. Koreans pay gratitude for the sacrifices to defend freedom and democracy against the Communist invasion in 1950. The late Col. Dean Hess of the USAF led his advisory squadron called 'Bout-1' to train the pilots of ROKAF(Republic of Korea Air Force). He marked '신념의 조인' which meant 'Birdman of faith' on the nose of Mustangs. We will never forget his commitment to the ROKAF during the war.
My wife’s uncle Trevor Fryer, South African Air Force, was shot down in North Korea. He was listed as missing in action and was presumed dead. Years later Trevor walked up the front steps of his parents home in Durban South Africa, on a Saturday afternoon, surprising the family having afternoon tea. Trevor had been incarcerated in a Chinese prison camp along with other allies, one an American who became best of friends. News of him and others surviving was never released by the Chinese. Trevor passed away a few years ago. Blessings from South Africa.
The Super Tucano propeller attack plane has sort of the same role as the F51 in korea, and propeller aircraft in the military are starting to become more important, as they are more efficient in terms of slow speed ground attack.
Well done! The music was appropriate and powerful. F-47 Thunderbolts were assigned to Air National Guard squadrons in the eastern US, while the F-51s went west. This availability is one reason the Mustangs were chosen for Korea, instead of the much better suited for ground attack Thunderbolts. Interestingly, Mustangs served in Central American air forces into the '70s and there was talk in the US about modernizing them for light strike!
FIFTH Air Force only used F-51 Mustangs because the F-80s operating from Japan lacked sufficient endurance to conduct combat operations over Korea. At the time, 1950, the only two concrete runways in South Korea (Sunan and Kimpo) were under communist control during the fighting in the Pusan Perimeter. It was deemed too risky to permanently operate F-80s from Taegu, which had a steel-matting runway. I think the Mustangs depicted here are operating from Chinhae, an old Imperial Japanese Navy airbase--note the shot up hangers. FIFTH Air Force preferred to acquire F-47 Thunderbolts because the radial-engine fighter-bomber carried a much larger payload than the F-51 and was less vulnerable to ground fire than the Mustang, many of which were shot down by single lucky hits in the vulnerable radiator. But only a few Air National Guard units had the F-47s, not enough to account for the numbers of aircraft required to equip some USAF wings and allied squadrons and still account for combat attrition. It is interesting, at least to me, to note that the priority for the most advanced USAF fighters was (1) Continental Air Defense and (2) NATO. The hot war in Korea occupied third place, which goes a long way toward explaining why the obsolete F-51 flew combat operations in that war. The F-51 proved itself flying Rescue Combat Air Patrol (RESCAP) missions throughout the war because it possessed greater endurance for the downed pilot-protection mission that any other USAF aircraft in theater. RESCAP missions protected the downed pilots and escorted helicopters into and out of pickup zones. Numerous downed pilots were extracted from behind enemy lines, even from inside North Korea, with at least one pilot successfully extracted from the outskirts of Pyongyang. Due to the shortage of aircraft, the F-51s were thrust into the interdiction role even against deep targets in North Korea, but losses were heavy from ground fire due to the above-mentioned vulnerability of the radiator. By late-1952, Mustang-equipped USAF and most allied units transitioned to jets while the remaining F-51s were transferred to the South Korean Air Force, which continued to fly this aircraft in combat with considerable skill until the Armistice.
I am russian seamen from VLadivostok . I was in N Korea , South Korea , and 3 month in Seattle . Thank you Grand America ! ., for stop communism cancer in a World !!!
These guys were so cool. My father’s generation. Korea was the reservists war as he always said. He made a career of the Air Force after the armistice, thinking he was beyond the age that would make him an attractive candidate in a civilian job.
Did somebody say Mustangs?????? I thumbs up just about anything to do with Mustangs!!! I think the P51/F51 was likely the overall most capable single engine fighter of WW2. It had no vices or nasty surprises for novice pilots. But in the hands of an expert, was absolutely lethal to the enemy.
It would have been an interesting and logical choice to use the P-47 in Korea for that mission. I'm guessing the reason it was not done is that the Air Force, before Korea, had made the decision to keep P-51s on hand as the main piston-engine fighter, while jet fighter strength increased. This largely put the P-47 out to pasture, and the P-47 became a frequent assistance program aircraft for allied countries in the late 1940s and into the 50s. Budgets after World War II were cut, and the Air Force emphasized its nuclear bombardment role while developing jet fighters. Any piston-engine fighter was basically an aging afterthought. I wonder if the Korean war took everyone by surprise, and left the Air Force without a viable CAS aircraft since the choice had already been made for USAF to retain F-51s and get rid of F-47s (in postwar nomenclature). Then again, to your point, if F-47s were still being stored for delivery to foreign air forces, you could argue that some flexibility could have been used to resurrect some for USAF use in Korea. The Navy certainly made good use of piston-engine aircraft like later models of F4U and also the AD Skyraider. Hey, thanks for watching and commenting.
lots of F51Ds were in service w/ ANG units. the logistical support infrastructure was active & the pilots were qualified & current. the big push to defend S Korea demanded AC & pilots ready for combat - immediately. F51 squadrons out of the Philippines went in early. my Dad was Active Reserve attached to a NY ANG unit & went over, became a Squadron Commander in the 18th FB Wing - pictured in a segment of this film. loved flying the Mustang, got one of his DFCs there. had lotsa respect for all the pilots (& ground crew!). made his Century sorties. he felt his greatest accomplishment was cutting the loss rate (tactics & training)... get 'em back alive. thanks for posting this neat film. @@airailimages
Because by the time Korea came along most of the Thunderbolts had been scrapped. There were a few Air National Guard units still flying them, but not enough.
After World War II the U.S. Air Force changed its nomenclature, and former P-Pursuit aircraft were redesignated F-Fighter instead. Hey, thanks for watching!
Hey, appreciate your observations. Over 10 years of making RUclips videos, we have come to realize that no matter what we do regarding audio -- silent, ambient, music, or voiceover -- most viewers are happy and a few do not like our choices. But the statistical "Likes" and the growth of the channel are incentives to keep doing what we are doing. Hope you will stick around and see what's next!
Possibly the worst fighter to do ground attack with and the pilots paid the price. The poor South Africans got smashed. The Thunderbolt and Corsair would have been better as they could take more battle damage.
My late father got called back to active service at the beginning of the Korean War and flew F-51 Mustangs in the dark and desperate days of the Pusan Perimeter. He loved the Mustangs, but they were ill-suited for their close-air-support missions. A good hit to the large radiator on the belly, your engine froze up and you went down wherever you were. Flying low and fast, there was not a lot of time to recover or bail out and you rode it in. Most pilots were killed due to the crashes rather than enemy fire. My Dad was very lucky, and I am thankful that he survived to return home to us. Thank you for these 'forgotten' clips. The Mustang was "The Cadillac of the Air."
During the Korean War, a South African F-51 crashed near my late father's infantry unit (1st Cavalry Division, I believe) while they were fighting in the Punchbowl. When the plane came to a rest on the ground, the pilot climbed out of the cockpit, stood nonchalantly on the wing, and said to the gathering soldiers (as if he was on a Sunday morning stroll): "Good afternoon, gentleman. Where the hell are we?" My late father said that he was very much impressed by the magnificent attitude displayed by the South African pilot.
That's a great story to add to this. Thanks.
I knew some SA pilots who flew in Korea. I was also in the SAAF. Respect and RIP…
Thank you for acknowledging South Africa’s 2nd Squadron The Flying Cheetahs contribution in the Korean War in your documentary. When the USAAF upgraded to Sabers to fight the Russian Migs, The SAAF were up against the Migs still flying the Old Mustangs. That’s when most of their casualties occurred. This changed when they too were given Sabres by the USAAF and afterwards suffered many less casualties and achieved/afflicted many casualties against the Russian Mig 1s.
And thank you for watching and commenting. It was great to find the footage of South African Mustangs.
General Ed Pienaar had a MiG 15 kill.
Yes he did
Every boy has 2 fathers. My second father flew with the P51s for the South African Air foce ln Korea.
Thank you for posting this. It's great to see footage of these brave men and their wonderful flying machines.
It's good to hear from viewers with a connection to those South African Air Force Mustang pilots. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thank you so much for this footage. Any footage really of the Korean War and especially of the F-51 Mustangs and my personal favorite, the "Dash 5" versions of the Corsairs. I have vague memories of reading military aviation books and magazines as a kid that said our military truly regretted not keeping the Republic P-47 Thunderbolts especially for the Korean War. the "D and N" versions seems to be the most popular with all those upgraded specs and bubble canopies. Sorry for the ramble people this rare footage is so much more enjoyable than the news and current movies.
Thank you for watching and commenting. We'll have more Korean War footage to come...
Nov. 3, 2021---Thanks for this video as this is the first one I've seen of 51's being used in Korea.
Yes, we were excited to find this footage. Thanks for watching.
I noticed the solid film when the Mustang was flying and firing its machine guns and rockets. This is awesome and soft flight by a propeller plane.
The Mustang engine also provide the most beautiful sound.
Great plane!
Thanks for share this!
And thank you for watching and commenting.
The Mustang engine was a British one, the Rolls-Royce "Merlin" (produced under licence by Packard). At air shows, it can still be heard today.
Thanks once again Mr. Johnsen for a great video pertaining to our "Forgotten" War. God bless the families who lost loved ones during the Korean War, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. The P51 was, and still is an amazing aircraft for it's era! As always, God bless you and yours and thanks again for all you do! 👍🇺🇸😊
It is gratifying to grow our collective understanding of what went on in the Korean War. More to come. Thanks, as always...
Thanks for sharing! It's very rare to see SAAF 2 Squadron F-51s on video. My school BF's dad was an air mechanic at 2 Sqn and I also knew the late great General Denis Earp whose F-51 was shot down and he was captured by the North Koreans. His comments reminded me of my relatives' Gulag memories.
And thank you for watching and sharing your info about No. 2 Sqdn.
Stunning footage and awesome musical accompaniment. Fantastic job (as always)!
Thank you very much.
My uncle graduated from West Point just after WW II. He opted to an Army Air Force pilot initially flying P-47's in Okinawa after the war. He spent his time practicing air-to-air combat with his fellow pilots and soon earned the reputation of being able to out fly anyone in air-to -air simulated combat.
Then came the Korean War. My uncle volunteered and for his first hear he flew both P-51 Mustangs, and F-89 jets in close air support and interdiction.
On his very first mission in a P-51, he attempted a landing at Kimpo airfield and in the fog, he hit a refueling tanker crossing the runway. His P-51 overturned and ended up upside down on the runway with fuel running down into the cockpit. The rescue crew had to dig a pit large enough to open the canopy in order to get him out before there was a fire.
My uncle went on to finish his first year tour and then returned for a second year flying the F-86 countering the MIG -15.
He shot down 10 North Korean aircraft and became the first double ACE in the Korean War.
On his last mission, he engaged a MIG-15 and shot it down, but he no longer had enough fuel to return to base. So he flew over the the water near South Korea and bailed out and was picked up by search and rescue.
He wrote the fighter's manual called "No Guts, No Glory" which some fighter pilots still use today.
He also won many international gunnery trophies in competitions.
During the Vietnam War in 1967 he flew 108 combat missions over North Vietnam in the F-4. He was instrumental in adding a gun pod to the F-4 which became a standard system in future F-4's.
He also commanded a wing of F-111 bombers.
I could spend pages of his accomplishments but there isn't space or time.
He retired as a Major General. During retirement he played golf. As a teenager, he beat a world renowned golfer in the Philippines. He could have been a professional golfer.
He died at age 91 while on the 4th hole of his Golf Club after telling his foursome that he wasn't feeling well. He died two hours later at the hospital.
His real name was Frederick C. Blesse. But everyone called him "Boots" Blesse because of an early family nickname.
That was similar to my father. His real name was Aubrey Malcolom Bobbitt. But his sisters couldn't pronounce "brother" which always came out as "Bunny".
For the rest of his life, no one ever called my dad by Aubrey, but rather as "Bunny." Almost like a boy named Sue in the Johnny Cash song of the same name.
My mother was born Elinore Amy Blesse, but everyone always called her "Mickey." I have no idea where that nick name came from, But half of the people who knew her called her Mickey and the other half called her Amy. She never once referred to herself as Elinore, so on her tombstone, I put "Amy Blesse Bobbitt" and her ashes are buried at my dad's grave site in Arlington National Cemetery.
We were a military family. My mother's father was a Brigadier General in the Army Medical Corps. He was MacAuther's senior medical officer in the Philippines just before WW II, and he was General Eisenhower's senior medical officer in WW
That's a great family history to add, just before Veterans Day. I remember years ago, maybe late 90s, while doing research at the Air Force archives at Maxwell AFB, a good friend, the late Col. Walt Boyne, asked if I could locate a photo of Blesse for something Boyne was writing at the time. It was my pleasure to do so. Thank you for writing your family story here, and thank you for watching.
Thanks so much for sharing this - 1st time I've seen film footage of SSAF Mustangs in Korea - remarkable!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Watching this footage reminds me of the Rock Hudson film, "Battle Hymn." Good stuff. 👍
Interesting footage of Mustangs in Korea. FYI the SAAF Mustangs were flown by No. 2 Squadron. The 77 Squadron you made reference to was the RAAF unit operating the Mustang in Korea, until replaced by British Meteor F.8 jets.
Thank you for spotting that slip! Have changed it in the text page accompanying this video.
I love seeing these great old videos.
Thanks for posting..
You are very welcome. Thanks for watching.
Just a point 77 Sqn is an Australian squadron that flew F-51 Mustangs then Meteors in Korea. Nice clip though.
Right -- we made the correction in the text and with an online card. Hey, thanks for watching.
Dad talked about the Australians showing up with Spitfires, then quickly changing to F-51’s. Was this a different RAAF unit, or 77Sqn? He also talked about seeing something like 9 or 11 F-51’s being shot down in just one mission, at low altitude, suppressing flak at Pyongyang for the B-29’s, who were up at altitude. I assumed USAF, but never asked. Strafe and bomb sixty seconds before B-29’s.
Thank you for posting a great footage.
Koreans pay gratitude for the sacrifices to defend freedom and democracy against the Communist invasion in 1950. The late Col. Dean Hess of the USAF led his advisory squadron called 'Bout-1' to train the pilots of ROKAF(Republic of Korea Air Force).
He marked '신념의 조인' which meant 'Birdman of faith' on the nose of Mustangs. We will never forget his commitment to the ROKAF during the war.
Thank you for watching and commenting.
My wife’s uncle Trevor Fryer, South African Air Force, was shot down in North Korea. He was listed as missing in action and was presumed dead. Years later Trevor walked up the front steps of his parents home in Durban South Africa, on a Saturday afternoon, surprising the family having afternoon tea. Trevor had been incarcerated in a Chinese prison camp along with other allies, one an American who became best of friends. News of him and others surviving was never released by the Chinese. Trevor passed away a few years ago. Blessings from South Africa.
Thank you for adding that interesting story.
The Americans called the South Africans, the flying goats because our roundel had a Springbok in the middle.😂😂😂
That was a great find. I always liked the P/F-51 fighter. Of course always behind my absolute best the P-38 fighter. THANKS.
Glad you enjoyed it
The Super Tucano propeller attack plane has sort of the same role as the F51 in korea, and propeller aircraft in the military are starting to become more important, as they are more efficient in terms of slow speed ground attack.
Thanks for Mr. G.B Lipawsky
Thanks for finding and posting these lost and forgotten vids airailimages, there are more interesting clips now more then ever on this era.
More to come! Thanks for watching.
Well done! The music was appropriate and powerful.
F-47 Thunderbolts were assigned to Air National Guard squadrons in the eastern US, while the F-51s went west. This availability is one reason the Mustangs were chosen for Korea, instead of the much better suited for ground attack Thunderbolts.
Interestingly, Mustangs served in Central American air forces into the '70s and there was talk in the US about modernizing them for light strike!
FIFTH Air Force only used F-51 Mustangs because the F-80s operating from Japan lacked sufficient endurance to conduct combat operations over Korea. At the time, 1950, the only two concrete runways in South Korea (Sunan and Kimpo) were under communist control during the fighting in the Pusan Perimeter. It was deemed too risky to permanently operate F-80s from Taegu, which had a steel-matting runway. I think the Mustangs depicted here are operating from Chinhae, an old Imperial Japanese Navy airbase--note the shot up hangers. FIFTH Air Force preferred to acquire F-47 Thunderbolts because the radial-engine fighter-bomber carried a much larger payload than the F-51 and was less vulnerable to ground fire than the Mustang, many of which were shot down by single lucky hits in the vulnerable radiator. But only a few Air National Guard units had the F-47s, not enough to account for the numbers of aircraft required to equip some USAF wings and allied squadrons and still account for combat attrition. It is interesting, at least to me, to note that the priority for the most advanced USAF fighters was (1) Continental Air Defense and (2) NATO. The hot war in Korea occupied third place, which goes a long way toward explaining why the obsolete F-51 flew combat operations in that war. The F-51 proved itself flying Rescue Combat Air Patrol (RESCAP) missions throughout the war because it possessed greater endurance for the downed pilot-protection mission that any other USAF aircraft in theater. RESCAP missions protected the downed pilots and escorted helicopters into and out of pickup zones. Numerous downed pilots were extracted from behind enemy lines, even from inside North Korea, with at least one pilot successfully extracted from the outskirts of Pyongyang. Due to the shortage of aircraft, the F-51s were thrust into the interdiction role even against deep targets in North Korea, but losses were heavy from ground fire due to the above-mentioned vulnerability of the radiator. By late-1952, Mustang-equipped USAF and most allied units transitioned to jets while the remaining F-51s were transferred to the South Korean Air Force, which continued to fly this aircraft in combat with considerable skill until the Armistice.
Great footage...thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching
Thanks for the Korean war footage great
Thank you for your videos
You are very welcome. Thank you for watching.
Hauntingly beautiful music in the first part of the video. Anyone know the name of the piece?
I am russian seamen from VLadivostok . I was in N Korea , South Korea , and 3 month in Seattle . Thank you Grand America ! ., for stop communism cancer in a World !!!
Thanks for the video.
You are welcome!
They ignored the lessons from WW2 and used the vulnerable F-51 in the ground attack role with its bottom radiator, they should have kept some P-47's!
Mustangs were cheap back then
These guys were so cool. My father’s generation. Korea was the reservists war as he always said. He made a career of the Air Force after the armistice, thinking he was beyond the age that would make him an attractive candidate in a civilian job.
Did somebody say Mustangs?????? I thumbs up just about anything to do with Mustangs!!! I think the P51/F51 was likely the overall most capable single engine fighter of WW2. It had no vices or nasty surprises for novice pilots. But in the hands of an expert, was absolutely lethal to the enemy.
RAAF 77 Sqn was there too with ‘ Mustangs’
MUSTANG KOREAN WAR HERO /////////////////////////////
AMERICA KOREAN FOREVER FRIEND ///////////////////////
Great video 👍 🎥
Glad you enjoyed it
Looks much better those WW2 warplane pilots fit with modern flying suits and helmets..
and in the end how did US gov "repay" there depth of honor to SOUTH AFRICAN gov ?
Out F'in Standing !!!! Peace 👍👍💪💪💪💪💪✌✌
should hsve used the thunderbolt for the CAS mission , a lot less planes and people would have been lost
It would have been an interesting and logical choice to use the P-47 in Korea for that mission. I'm guessing the reason it was not done is that the Air Force, before Korea, had made the decision to keep P-51s on hand as the main piston-engine fighter, while jet fighter strength increased. This largely put the P-47 out to pasture, and the P-47 became a frequent assistance program aircraft for allied countries in the late 1940s and into the 50s. Budgets after World War II were cut, and the Air Force emphasized its nuclear bombardment role while developing jet fighters. Any piston-engine fighter was basically an aging afterthought. I wonder if the Korean war took everyone by surprise, and left the Air Force without a viable CAS aircraft since the choice had already been made for USAF to retain F-51s and get rid of F-47s (in postwar nomenclature). Then again, to your point, if F-47s were still being stored for delivery to foreign air forces, you could argue that some flexibility could have been used to resurrect some for USAF use in Korea. The Navy certainly made good use of piston-engine aircraft like later models of F4U and also the AD Skyraider. Hey, thanks for watching and commenting.
lots of F51Ds were in service w/ ANG units. the logistical support infrastructure was active & the pilots were qualified & current. the big push to defend S Korea demanded AC & pilots ready for combat - immediately. F51 squadrons out of the Philippines went in early. my Dad was Active Reserve attached to a NY ANG unit & went over, became a Squadron Commander in the 18th FB Wing - pictured in a segment of this film. loved flying the Mustang, got one of his DFCs there. had lotsa respect for all the pilots (& ground crew!). made his Century sorties. he felt his greatest accomplishment was cutting the loss rate (tactics & training)... get 'em back alive. thanks for posting this neat film. @@airailimages
A little off on some of the strafing runs shooting up the hillside lol, need more rounds!
For the life of me I dont know why they didnt use the Thunderbolt in Korea.
Because by the time Korea came along most of the Thunderbolts had been scrapped. There were a few Air National Guard units still flying them, but not enough.
Yes , your right and a big mistake but they didn’t see the need in Korea back in 1946 and 1947 they had no idea when they were scrapping Thunderbolts.
God I would have loved to fly Mustangs in almost any war.
South Korean pilots did not like the 51. They had a lot of problems with ground loops.
Fly till you die its a free for all
Seems like my Grandfathers rental was silver
At beginning P-51 was dive bomber, before griffon engine.
Never had a Griffon engine ever.
So it's not a misspelling?
I'm guessing even if your in a mig or on the ground in a tank six 50cal machine guns and a ww2 American fighter ace
When U.S.A. and G.B. needed the help of White South African soldier’s blood, the apartheid was not a problem.
What the title soundtrack dude?
So I'm guessing you did not watch all the way to the end, dude...
@@airailimages Lol
Is the F 51 Mustang and P 51 Mustang the same ?
After World War II the U.S. Air Force changed its nomenclature, and former P-Pursuit aircraft were redesignated F-Fighter instead. Hey, thanks for watching!
@@airailimages I see. I think nowadays they use the Mustang in a race so its now called the F 51 Mustang they are using ?
hell
Never been a fan of swelling orchestral music. It doesn't add drama, there's enough drama already. Otherwise a decent video...
Hey, appreciate your observations. Over 10 years of making RUclips videos, we have come to realize that no matter what we do regarding audio -- silent, ambient, music, or voiceover -- most viewers are happy and a few do not like our choices. But the statistical "Likes" and the growth of the channel are incentives to keep doing what we are doing. Hope you will stick around and see what's next!
Soundtrack ??
Music listed at the end.
why dont we see all the wreaks being recovered from Korea $$$$$$
Possibly the worst fighter to do ground attack with and the pilots paid the price. The poor South Africans got smashed. The Thunderbolt and Corsair would have been better as they could take more battle damage.
Fascists