Another offering in the Asia @ War Series.

A very interesting book. We see the Korean Air War through the eyes of Soviet Aviators sent to get combat experience in jet fighters. The first couple of pages were rough. I felt like I was reading a 1980’s era Soviet Propaganda piece. The authors quickly left that track and started a very good overview of the events leading up to Russia’s involvement, and an unknown (to me) discussion on China warning the United States prior to entering the war.

The B-29’s were initially engaged by prop-driven aircraft and were able to successfully defend themselves. This led to over confidence on the part of the Air Force leadership, and a belief that the bombers could defend themselves from fighters.

The introduction of the MiG-15 rapidly changed the air war. The MiG's were flown by pilots with WW II combat experience, and outclassed US escort fighters (primarily F-80 shooting stars). The B-29’s also suffered at the hands of the Soviet pilots, with the first B-29 loss occurring on 10 November 1950. 10 B-29’s (per US records) were shot down by October 1951, and 32 others were damaged severely enough to be mentioned in official reports with many of those written off as combat loses (the B-29’s were being replaced by B-50’s and B-36’s so repairing them wasn’t worth the cost).

In November 1951, the Air Force changed tactics, and the B-29 became a night bomber. The change in tactics temporarily reduced losses from MiGs, but select MiG pilots were trained in nighttime interception techniques. North Korea also employed spotlights and RADAR-guided anti-aircraft weapons to engage the Superfortress, but these were largely ineffective. The spotlights did assist the MiG in locating the Superfortresses. Their silver bodies glistening in the glare of a spotlight.

Bomber Command then started painting the bottoms of the B-29’s black to make it harder for the searchlights to highlight the planes. The MiG’s responded by flying higher and looking for the silver topsides of the planes (Bomber Command partially painted the tops of some planes black). This tactic was effective for the duration of the war.

Interestingly, the authors compared US records against Soviet claims to determine how many claimed kills happened. The number of actual losses was lower than claimed. They then did a shallow look at MiG losses vs claimed and again found that actual losses were less than claimed losses.

They also include a very detailed color profile section with 9+ pages of MiG 15 profiles and 4 pages of B-29 profiles. Great details for someone building a Korean-era MiG 15 or B-29. Two color maps of the Korean Theater of operations, one highlighting major cities and airfields, and the second map showing the disposition of the Russian 64th Fighter Air Corps zone of operations.

Many photos from both sides compliment the narrative and complete the story.

Three Appendices finish the book. The first Appendix details B-29 deployments (unit and where they were based). The second appendix details the Russian MiG deployments, units, timeframe, and location. The final appendix details US and Russian aircraft losses by engagement.

In closing, I would like to thank Casemate books for providing IPMS with this book for me to review.