49th Fighter Bomber Group
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS:
Time Line of Korean War -- Tanner Publication Co.
Welcome to Kunsan City -- Extensive section with Photos, Maps, narratives tracing the history of the
city from a poor fishing village to a bustling international port city with a
major industrial zone.
Korean War Reference
POW/MIA in Korea -- Current articles and links to POW/MIA issues
11th Armored Cav Regiment
C Troop 2nd Platoon
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|  Fort Huachuca ACS
Award of Excellence (NR) |
Some of the awards this site has received. To view our awards, go to Awards.
474th Fighter Bomber Wing CapReceived a token of recognition -- a 474th Fighter Bomber Wing cap -- that
means a lot to me. The attached letter read: "July 25, 2001 Greetings Kalani,
On behalf of the committee of the September 6,7,8, 2000 first-ever reunion of
the 474th Fighter Bomber Wing (428th, 429th, & 430th Fighter Bomber Squadrons),
the committee, Kenneth Mendell, Bill Oliphant, Warren Moore, Kenneth DeVillers
and myself, and all 74 former 474th members in attendance, we present you with
this cap as our appreciation for your work in maintaining the 474th web site so
that we may always be able to keep in touch with those we served with and share
our experiences. With Best Regards, David Day" It is a small token that is
treasured. Mahalo nui loa!!!
Kalani O'Sullivan, Kunsan City, Korea |
HOW IT WAS:
KUNSAN AIRBASE
(1951-1954) |
474th Fighter Bomber Wing 428th FBS
"Buccaneers" |  429th FBS
"Black Falcons" |  430th FBS
"Tigers" |
| Taegu patches: The 429th at Taegu was known as the "Black Dragons" and their
emblem was a fire breathing, winged black dragon. This was an unauthorized
change. The 430th patch that looks like a "cat" was an unauthorized change. |
Post-Korean War patches
474th Tactical Fighter Wing 428th TFS
"Buccaneers" |  429th TFS
"Black Falcons" |  430th TFS
"Tigers" |
474th Fighter Bomber Wing (1952-1953) Acknowledgment: Special thanks to Ken Mendell of Bluford, Illinois for his invaluable narratives of life at K-8 with the
474th FBW. Grateful thanks to Dave Day of Shreveport, Louisiana for his historical information and assistance in
gathering information on the unit. Special thanks to Randy Presley of Mt. Pleasant, Texas for his narratives, historical information and photos
from his Presley site. Thanks to Bill Oliphant of Knoxville, TN for his narratives of flying the F-84s. Special thanks to Wes Jacobson for his narratives and exceptional photos. Lowell K. Masley of Prescott Valley, Arizona for his photos and narratives of his mishap.
Thanks also to Larry Wertz of Warren, PA for his narratives of life at Taegu with the 474th after the
switch. Thanks to Jerry Martin for his details of the 116th Fighter Bomber Wing (ANG).
F84 Air-refueling (Click on photo to enlarge)116th Fighter Bomber Wing (ANG):
Equipped with F-84Es, the 474th Fighter Bomber Group was originally activated
at Misawa Air Base, Japan on July 10, 1952, being made up of the aircraft and
remaining personnel of the 116th Fighter Bomber Wing (ANG). According to F-84 Thunderjet Units Over Korea (p27) by Warren Thompson, "On 5 July 1951 the 116th FBW received word that it
would soon be posted to Japan on a tour of temporary duty attached to the FEAF.
At the time these orders were cut, the wing was expecting to be sent to
Europe. However, UN intelligence indicated that the Chinese were threatening a
new offensive in Korea, and additional F-84s would be needed to deal with this.
Less than one week after receiving its orders, the 116th was ready to deploy.
Between 10- and 12 July, the wing loaded all its aircraft and personnel onto
the escort carriers USS Sitkoh Bay and USS Wyndham Bay for the trip to Japan.
The jets were off-loaded at Yokosuka on 27 July and the maintenance crews
quickly got to work preparing the aircraft at Kisarazu for the short flight to
their base at Misawa."It continued, "The ANG-manned 116th FBW was comprised of three squadrons from
three states, although they had all been brought together at George AFB,
California, bollowing activation in October 1950. Each unit was then equipped
with F-80Cs, the 158th FBS flying in from Georgia, the 159th from Florida and
the 196th from nearby Norton AFB, California. The first F-84Es flew into
George in April 1951, and by the early summer the wing was deemed ready to be
sent overseas." It went on, "As previously mentioned, upon its arrival in
Japan the 116th FBG HQ, along with the 158th and 159th FBSs was sent north to
Misawa AB, whilst the 196th FBS initially operated by itself from Chitose AB,
on nearby Hokkaido. An intense combat training programme for all three
squadrons commenced during the first week of August."
F-84 Thunderjet Units Over Korea (p34) states, "By the autumn of 1951, the 116th FBW had settled into its
rather boring routine of flying the Northern Area Defense Alert over Japan.
All three squadrons were anxious to get into the war, and it was the
Chitose-based 196th that would be the first to experience combat, followed by
the 158th. Flying from the main F-84 base at Taegu, the latter unit
accomplished the following achievements during its solitary week in action in
Decembers 1951 -- 12 rail cuts, 23 buildings destroyed and one MiG-15 shot down
(by Capt Paul C. Mitchell) and a further three damaged."
The unit's F-84Es were designed as a "strategic fighter" to counter the threat
of Soviet long-range bombers, but in Korea they were used as "fighter-bombers."
Their primary role of fighter bombers was to do close air support (CAS) during
the day, along with rail cuts, bridge bombings and traffic interdiction.
In the early 1952, the 116th FBW was selected to work on a new project
code-named Operation High Tide. The results of this special assignment would revolutionize the role of air
power in combat, for the wing was tasked with perfecting the concept of
tactical aerial refulueling. To complete the task, the 116th would be working
with ex-SAC Superfortresses that had been modified into KB-29 tankers. By the
end of April, all pilots had become proficient in aerial refueling and were
ready for action. On 28 May, 16 aircraft took off from Misawa and flew to
Itazuke where the pilots received final briefings for a mission against a
variety of targets in Sariwon, North Korea. Each F-84 was loaded with two
500-lb GP bombs, the mission plan calling for each pilot to refuel at altitude
over Taegu, before pressing north to bomb the targets and then recovering back
at Johnson AB, Japan. The first mission went so successfully that
near-identical strikes were flown on 7 June, 22 June and 4 July (the end of Operation High Tide).
Gordon Crossley wrote in Feb 2007: "I was a member of the 116th FBG at Misawa during 1951. On Oct 26th I flew on the KB29 tanker plane to Taegu as an aircraft armorer assigned to the 159th FBS.
We were assigned to "Operation High Tide" at that time and not early 1952 as stated by Jerry Martin. I was on TDY to K2 until 11/1/51. The first flight of F84's in combat on project "Operation High Tide" left on 10/26 and were refueled on the flight to Taegu. on that day."
In July 1952 the 116th FBW completed its active-duty stint with the FEAF and
was replaced by the 474th FBW who took over the wing's battle-weary
Thunderjets. According to F-84 Thunderjet Units Over Korea (p58), "Simultaneously, the decision was made that all F-84 units would from
then on operate from Korean soil, eliminating the Air Defence of Japan role
carried out by the 116th during its time in-theatre. The 474th immediately
moved up to Kunsan (K-8) and commenced combat operations."
Arriving at Kunsan:
The first operational aircraft at Kunsan Air Base were the B-26s from the 3rd Bomb Group (later the 3d Bomb Wing) in August 1951. Later a Marine Night fighter
squadron, the VMF(N)-513, arrived in April 1952. A few months later, in July 1952, the base added the 474th Fighter-Bomber Wing, which included three squadrons of F-84E fighters -- the 428th, 429th and 430th FBS. (Go to the 474th FBW on the Korean War Project for feedback from unit members.) The 474th Fighter Bomber Wing and its 3 Squadrons were airlifted from Misawa,
Japan to Kunsan, Korea (K-8) in one of the largest airlifts up to that time. The United States Air Force in Korea (p559) states, "The largest single airlift of an Air Force unit extended over
a three-week period beginning on 8 July 1952, when the entire 474th
Fighter-Bomber Wing was moved by air from Misawa Air Base in norther Japan to
Kunsan Airfield (K-8) in western Korea." Dave Day a F84E crewchief in the 429th FBS, remembers the move well to "KUNSAN BY THE
SEASIDE, THE RIVIERA OF KOREA". In fact, he still has the copies of orders for
the 3 squadrons with all names that made up the original movement to Kunsan on
July 10, 1952. Dave went on to say, "The F-84E's were the aircraft we had.
They originally belonged to the 116th FBW, an activated air national guard wing
from Georgia. We, as regular air force personnel, took over the planes when the
guard unit returned to the states as their federal time was up. Also, in the
spring of 53 we started getting the G model."
Twenty days after its arrival, the wing entered combat on August 1, 1952 and
bombed and strafed bridges, bunkers, troop concentrations, artillery positions,
and a host of other targets.
The Wing Commander of the 474th Fighter-Bomber Wing from 10 July 1952 - 1 April
1953 was Colonel William W. Ingenhutt. He saw the Wing embark from Misawa and
start to fly its missions out of Kunsan, and then watched the 474th
Fighter-Bomber Wing colors leave for Taegu. On 1 April 1953, the 474th
Fighter-Bomber Wing ceased to exist as it was incorporated into the 58th
Fighter-Bomber Wing (Reinforced) and in the paperwork move, the 49th
Fighter-Bomber Wing moved to Kunsan. On 1 April 1953 he became the interim
Wing Commander for the 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Kunsan until he handed the
reins of the unit over to Col. Edwin A. Doss in April 1953.
A Korean War veteran, the F-84 on display at Warner Robins Air Museum was
obtained from the World Aircraft Museum in Calhoun, Georgia, in 1987. The
markings on the aircraft depict the 474th Fighter Bomb Wing during the Korean
War. (From the Museum of Aviation)
CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE |
| A clear view of the instrument panel and general cockpit layout of the F-84E.
Although it may look fairly complicated to those unfamiliar with the art of
fast jet flying, FEAF pilots rated the Thunderjet's "office" user-friendly.
(From F-84 Thunderjet Units over Korea (Leonard Guiton)) |
| Most F-84s that flew in the Korean War had names painted on both sides of the
cockpit, and a few also boasted colorful nose art. This photograph was taken
when the "artist" from the 429th FBS was in the early stages of creating the
latest "aluminum masterpiece." (From F-84 Thunderjet Units over Korea (Doug Iverson)) |
Life at K-8:
Ken Mendell continued, "We lived in quonset huts heated with pot bellied stoves. Slept on
folding cots with air mattresses as our mattresses. Chow hall was down by the
flight line, about 1 mile from our barracks area, so needless to say we spent
most of our time on the flight line . Water was all purified right on base,
showers were available in barracks area." The pot-bellied stoves were very
inefficient heating sources, but it was the only heat available in the frigid
winters. If you were unlucky enough to be in a tent, the pot-bellied stoves
could be a real danger in winter. More than one tent burned down due to these
stoves.During this time the base had three types of enlisted billets. The quonset huts
were rounded corrugated buildings; the Jamesway huts were corrugated iron sides
with a pitched roof; and tents which were used for temporary quarters if there
was no room in the permanent structures. The Jamesway huts or "tropical shell"
kits were basically precut plywood prefabricated in Japan. Korean contractors
erected these "Jamesway" huts. The huts were basically an open frame with
plywood sides and top. The roof was covered with corrugated iron sheeting for
water protection. Sandbags were stacked on the corrugated iron roof to keep it
from flying off in high winds. Quonset huts were not as common as the
"tropical shells" on the base.
The officers were housed in the northernmost part of the base in Jamesway huts
hastily constructed for them. According to Wes Jacobson (then a pilot with the 430th Squadron, Charlie Flight) wrote, "We were the, I
think, northernmost rows of buildings at the base and each Squadron had four
flights that lived in one building per flight. I think the Administrative
officers of each squadron, lived in another area with the Wing personnel. Each
building had a sign like Charlie Flight of the 430th Squadron, where I lived."
474th BOQ area with each flight having a building
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Courtesy Wes Jacobson) It appears that by the time the 474th arrived in July 1952, the water situation
had stabilized though the water pump plant maintained by the 3rd Airfield
Installation Operations (AIO) at the Okku Reservoir did burn down in 1953. Of
course, hot water was a luxury item...and the only hot water was in the mess
tent where one washed one's mess kit.
It appears the 474th had separate messing facilities near the flightline -- and
the troops did not mess with the elements of the 3rd Bomb Wing. This type of
messing arrangement was normal for that time period. However, the complaints
of the food were uniform. Many say that cannot get near powdered eggs to this
day.
Electricity remained intermittent throughout the 1952-1953 period as it was
supplied by Kunsan City's erratic power station. Thus lighting in the barracks
areas were very intermittent at night and brown-outs were more the standard
than the exception. However, the flightline area had their own standby power
generators.
Housegirls at the BOQ
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Courtesy Wes Jacobson) In the picture above, Wes Jacobson about "the Three Korean girls that worked as housegirls. The shorter one with
the dark hair learned English at the Methodist Church from a missionary and was
the interpreter for the girls that worked around there. She was married and had
a small baby at the time." Housegirls and houseboys were in all the enlisted
and officer billets. During the summer they would string the laundry out in
front of the billets...hanging from every available surface. We even have
pictures of the laundry being dried on the grass.
The Christmas "tree" in the Charlie Flight BOQ
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Courtesy Wes Jacobson) The picture above is the inside of the Charlie Flight, 430th Squadron BOQ at
Christmas 1952. Though only a decorated twig, that "tree" stands as a symbol
of Christmas -- and all the good things about Christmas that we hold dear as
Americans. This same scene has been repeated throughout the years everywhere
in the world where American soldiers have been stationed far away from home.
Also note in this picture the classy furniture made from ammunition crates.
Cover of the 1952 Christmas Menu | 
1952 Christmas Menu
(NOTE: Col. LeBailly was the
3rd Bombardment Wing Commander) |
1952 Christmas Menu
with Roast Turkey | 
1952 Christmas Card
of F-84s in cross-formation |
Courtesy of Ken Mendell (Click on photos to enlarge)The 1952 Christmas message from E.B. LeBailly, Commander of the 3rd Bombardment
Wing read in part "The Christmas season is ...a time of peace. Even for those
of us in the Field this is applicable, for we are here to insure that this
present conflagration is checked before it can engulf our homeland and loved
ones." The thinking of the time was that Communism's spread had to be checked
before it reached America's shores. But like any other war with suffering
around them, the men prayed for peace. The prayer of the Chaplains read in
part, "We pray Thy Divine blessing, O Lord, upon all peoples of the earth. We
bring before Thee the perils and troubles of peoples and Nations, the sighing
of prisoners of war, the sorrows of the bereaved, the helplessness of the weak
and suffering, the needs of little children. We pray that we may again have
peace on earth and good will toward men, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen"
The menu included "Shrimp Cocktail, Soup, Roast Turkey, Cornbread Dressing,
Candied Sweet Potatoes, Snowflake Potatoes, Giblet Gravy, Fresh Peas, Whole
Grain Corn, Stuffed Celery Hearts, Cranberry sauce, Stuffed Olives, Lettuce
Wedges, French Dressing, Sweet Pickles, Hot Rolls, Butter, Bread, Apple Pie,
Ice Cream, Fruit Cake, Fruit Punch, Apples Oranges, Hard Candy, Mixed Nuts."
The Christmas card above was the idea of the Col Culver, commander of the
430th. Wes Jacobson wrote, "In Dec 1952 Col. Culver of the 430th had suggested
a Christmas Card like this and the pilots of the 430th flew the formation late
one afternoon. ... They are flying from the East to West, south of the runway
and maybe a little past dusk in the late afternoon."
It appears that life didn't get any better at Kunsan as time went on. Larry Wertz of Warren, PA remembers Kunsan in the spring of 1953. "It sure wasn't much to
look at in 53. We didn't have any time to do anything but work, eat and sleep."
(For a general idea of the living conditions at Kunsan during the Korean War,
go to Welcome to K-8: 1954 and Now.)
Jim Armstrong, a crew chief with the 428th Fighter Bomber Squadron remembered life at Kunsan
like this. "Other then the poor food, heat, cold, mud, long hours, guard duty,
and
mosquitoes, I had a wonderful tour there." Joe Allen a crew chief with the 429th FBS between 1952-1953 put it more succinctly..."I
don't have any fond memories of Kunsan, consequently, have little recall." Joe
continued, "We had 6 tents lined up parallel with the runway and taxiway.
These were too close together. Leaving the Barracks area, we passed the Mess
Tent (I'll never eat powdered eggs or SOS again), then just to the right of us,
the B26s were lined up parallel with us. To the right of our tent area and
across the runway was open space. B-26s missioned at night and the F84s during
the day."
Rice fields on base (with paddies drained)
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Courtesy Wes Jacobson) 
| Quite a number of RAF pilots completed exchange tours with the F-84 and F-86
squadrons in Korea. They impressed their hosts both in the air and on the
ground, thanks to their flying abilities when in the cockpit, and socialising
skills when out of it? Now seen wearing his "battle dress blue", Nigel Bayne
enjoys a spot of liquid refreshment with his crew chief at Kunsan during the
spring of 1953. (From F-84 Thunderjet Units over Korea (Bill Oliphant)) |
| A Wing of seasoned Thunderjet pilots enjoy a few minutes of down-time on the
flightline. Wearing his distinctive Royal Air Force issue grey flying overall,
exchange pilot Nigel Bayne tinkers with his camera. (From F-84 Thunderjet Units over Korea (Bill Oliphant)) |
For comments or inputs, contact Kalani O'Sullivan.NOTICE/DISCLAIMER: The content of this page is unofficial and the views and
opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of anyone associated with
this page or any of those linked from this site. All opinions are those of the
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presented there. None of this site has been endorsed by the DOD, the Air Force,
the 8th Fighter Wing or Mickey Mouse. All Air Force links are publicly
accessible through the world-wide web. When eye-witness accounts conflict with
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were there.
