Re: Korean War Aerial Losses and Claims - Interim Look

[Love Shack <Home@DanSources.com>]

Diego:
This is interesting because some of the Sabre numbers were in publicity
pictures and movies.  Especially FU 555. I remember that number in an old
airlane book about fighter aircraft several years ago.  Hmmm.. got to see if I
can find some of these pictures. I will get back to you on the numbers I find
in my library.

Dan

Diego Zampini wrote:

> Hi, Danz:
>
> >Many of the serial numbers that the Russians reported
> >were from nomenclature plates that they found in the
> >wreckage.  For instance, they would peel a data plate
> >off a hydraulic pump and report the serial number
> >for the hydraulic pump as the serial number for the
> >aircraft. I have come to the soft conclusion that Soviet
> >search groups, when they did find a downed aircraft, would
> >collect as many of these data plates for future use in
> >confirming other shoot downs. This would help support the
> >1000+ shoot down claims that they made.
>
> You are probably right in such matter. I had been thinking in such
> possibility and you took the words from my mouth. I agree with your
> conclusion because it certainly explains a lot of cases where the format of
> the serial numbers claimed by the Russians do not match with the USAF
> format.
> But not neccesarily all. In my example, the serial ´15-24001´ could be
> actually ´51-24001´ (or in simple words, a simple transcription mistake in
> the Soviet records) which match with USAF format. On September 9 1952 the
> MiG-15 pilots of 726 IAP claimed to shot down 14 F-84s. Initially I thought
> in a huge overclaim because USAF admitt the loss of 3 F-84s by MiGs (the
> ones piloted by Jimmy Alkire, William Suffern and Warren O’Brien) but
> the 9 serial numbers given by the Russians (51-766, 52-798, 51-113, 51-464,
> 51-451, 51-441, 47-551, 51-318 and 52-191) match with USAF format but did
> not match with any of the reported Thunderjets lost that day. Certainly it
> seems to me that the MiGs perhaps shot down 12 Thunderjets (more than the 3
> admitted F-84s but less than 14 claimed) that day. Few days later, on
> September 14 1952 the Soviet pilots Chumachenko (878 IAP), Karatun,
> Gnezdilov and Vorkov (676 IAP) claimed a Sabre kill each. The victim of
> Chumachenko seems to be Paul Turner (POW), and the Soviets asserted they
> found three wreckages more, with the serials ´FU-727´, ´FU-725´ and
> ´FU-555´, which matched perfectly with USAF format for tail codes, despite
> no addittional Sabre losses were reported that day.
> Russian usage of fake serial numbers? Probably. I even would say true in
> many cases. But it is also possible that many other cases have a different
> explanation, which origin was not in Moskow, but Washington.
> Respectfully yours,
> Diego.
>
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