Re: Soviet Aircraft Types in Korea

[<AMPSOne@aol.com>]

Dan,

There is a lot more to it than that. The Soviet plane -- nicknamed the 
"Soldier's Airplane" as it was so simple and reliable to maintain -- suffered 
from a lot of serious problems. For one, it could not go supersonic or it 
would literally disintegrate. As a result, it had a speed sensor which would 
deploy its air brakes around M 0.95-0.97. Also, and its biggest failing, was 
that it did not provide for  G-suit and as a result its pilots suffered very 
badly. Many pilots were apparently sent home in what they felt was disgrace 
after 75-100 missions due to internal organ damage casued by high-speed 
maneuvers. 

Basic reason the Koreans were the "enemy" was that although both sides knew 
who they were fighting at what would have been Top Secret level back then, 
neither one wanted their countires to find out about it. Reason was a big 
fear that it would suck them into a nuclear confrontation neither one wanted. 
(Think about the McCarthy and HUAC hearings, then couple that with confirmed 
knowledge that Soviet pilots were "slaughtering our boys", and what the 
national reaction would have been.) 

The real fight in Korea seems to have been (chime in here, Joe, Mark, and 
others) who got to control the influence over NORTH Korea, not SOUTH Korea. 
Neither Stalin nor Mao seemed to want to have anything to do with Kim Il 
Sung, who they appear to have looked at as a maverick and a jerk) but neither 
one wanted the other to have Kim in their sphere of control, either. Game 
went to checkmate when Stalin died in the spring of 1953. 

Cookie Sewell
AMPS