[KOREAN-WAR-L:11429] Re: Russian La7, La 9 and La11

["Norman Bennett" <mahps@worldnet.att.net>]

Was on Wolmi-do when the gas dump was bombed. The plane flew over
the island from the north, turned SE toward the dump. We were blacked
out but the gas dump had search lights on the fenses which looked pretty
good from the air. The aircraft was a biplane, radial engine with a sticking
exhaust valve. The pilot was wearing an eared fur cap with goggles
Only saw one plane. Most of the gas drums exploded in air, then the
ack-ack on cloud island opened up after charlie was gone.
Norman Bennett
rok 53
1st Mar. Div



----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe Brennan" <jbren1@optonline.net>
To: <KOREAN-WAR-L@listproc.cc.ku.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 7:43 PM
Subject: [KOREAN-WAR-L:11422] Re: Russian La7, La 9 and La11


> The hit on the Inchon gas dump has been credited in NK propaganda sources
to
> their hero female (presumably Po-2) pilot Thae Son-Hui, though they don't
> give a date in the account, mentioning only her 1951 exploits by date.
>
> But La fighters do seem to have been used as night raiders. All 5
victories
> of the USN night ace Guy Bordelon are officially described as Po-2 or
Yak-18
> (low powered monoplane trainer) but Bordelon himself later insisted the
> first two were Yak-18's but the last three were La-9's or La-11's
(obviously
> virtually impossible to distinguish in a combat encounter at night).
>
> And Igor Seidov in the Mir Aviatsii article "On Guard for Peace and Labor"
> about the KPAFAC which Cookie translated awhile back says the KPAFAC 56th
> Fighter Regiment (which still exists btw) flew La-9's and -11's in later
> night raids. He suggests PLAAF La units did too, though I'd say Seidov's
> info on Soviet allied ops has to be treated with some caution, a shame
since
> there's so little such info to begin with.
>
> Mike O'Connor in his article "Coping with Charlie" in AAHS journal back in
> 1985 described the June 16/17, '53 raid which blew up the fuel dump as 15
> a/c total against the Seoul/Inchon area, a mixture of Po-2, Yak-18 and
> La-11. Those spring 1953 raids differed markedly from earlier one's in
that
> respect at least, lots more raiders relatively in contrast to the small
> handfuls of the '51 raids.
>
> Joe
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Love Shack" <Home@DanSources.com>
> To: <KOREAN-WAR-L@listproc.cc.ku.edu>
> Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 12:12 PM
> Subject: [KOREAN-WAR-L:11416] Russian La7, La 9 and La11
>
>
> > Picked up this statement reading about the LA-9..
> >
> > >From 1946 the La-9 was quickly seen in the USSR and East Germany and
> > acquired the NATO reporting name 'Fritz'. Production amounted to 1,630
> > units. A UTI version rapidly followed. Examples were also operated by
> > Chinese and North Korean units. Although the age of the piston fighter
was
> > in decline at the outbreak of the Korean War, the La-9 served in combat
> had
> > had some notable successes. Like opposing piston aircraft, many were
> turned
> > to ground attack and on June 17, 1953 La-9s participating in a 'Bed
Check
> > Charlie' raid on Inchon harbour succeeded in destroying fuel tanks
> > containing some five million gallons of fuel.
> >
> > Did the Russians, Chinese, NK utilize these planes more then our history
> is
> > telling us?
> >
> > Dan Fahey
> >
>