Aviation News — September 2017

T

he North American Aviation P-51

Mustang and the Russian Yakovlev

Yak-9 played key roles in defeating

Germany in World War Two. Five

years later the types were deadly opponents.

The Soviets built more than 16,000

Yak-9s, and after the Berlin Airlift of 1948/49

supplied them to ‘satellite’ countries such as

North Korea. They were the primary  ghters

thrown against US forces in the early part

of the Korean War, which broke out in June

1950.

American pilots discovered their adversaries

had two favourite tactics. One was to sneak

up from behind; the other to become involved

in a ‘climb and fall’ manoeuvre which gradually

gave them the advantage.

Both techniques were experienced by

two of the pilots in this article: on each

occasion their Mustangs were victorious.

Captain Robert D Thresher encountered a

pair of Yak-9s on November 1, 1950. He

and wingman Capt Ross Flake were with the

67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (FBS), part

of the United Nations force taking on the

Communist-led North.

Thresher recalled this toughest of

missions started when a friendly forces’ tank

column hit a roadblock: “We anticipated some

resistance but the two Mustangs ahead of us

had no problem. We went in and I showered

the roadblock with some of my 0.50 calibre,

and the tanks were able to get through.

“We hung in that area for a while until

we received a call from the FAC [forward air

control] about some ox carts loaded with

supplies. Our Panthers [Grumman F9Fs]

and Shooting Stars [Lockheed P-80s] had

made it hard for pack animals to survive, but

the weather was overcast today and their

chances to survive were good.

“As I watched the elements attack [all

Mustangs in this case] the ox carts, these

big orange balls of  re began zipping across

my left wing. At  rst, I called out ‘ ak’ and

broke right, but before I could yell it twice an

ominous shape hurtled by me, and I then

knew we were weren’t being  red on from

the ground, because a Yak-9 pilot had me in

his sights.

“I squinted and looked up into the sun to try

and  nd him. Glancing over to where the other

Mustangs were  ying, I saw them chasing a

single Yak. I shoved the throttle forward and

made an effort to get in on the chase in the

hope of getting a share of the kill.”

The Yak series, said Thresher, were

MUSTANGS

vs YAKS

KOREAN DUELS

64 Aviation News incorporating Jets September 2017

What was it like to be fi ghting for your life in air

combat during the Korean War? Warren Thompson

details three USAF Mustang pilots’ accounts.

A red-trimmed F-51 assigned to the 67th FBS

looking for enemy troops and loaded with

napalm. Frank Harvan via Warren Thompson

64-68_mustangDCmfDCmfDC.indd 64 04/08/2017 12:36