MiGs in the Korean War of 1950. Air battles in Korea. USSR casualties

09:00 16.04.2016

The Korean campaign in terms of its impact on modern history undeservedly forgotten. However, it was precisely as a result of this small but difficult war that the myth that the American "atomic baton" could be delivered anywhere in the world was forever dispelled.

The Korean campaign in terms of its impact on modern history is undeservedly forgotten. However, it was precisely as a result of this small but difficult war that the myth that the American "atomic baton" could be delivered anywhere in the world was forever dispelled.
cut through the formation The Korean campaign is the first large-scale confrontation between West and East since the end of World War II. This conflict was also the first in another - during the hostilities, jet aircraft were massively used - maneuverable, fast, capable of striking where they were not expected at all. It was after the Korean War that group and single maneuvers with large overloads appeared in the tactics of combat units. Fighter aviation, by the way, gained invaluable experience in Korea - the pilots learned how to destroy enemy bombers and developed a whole manual on combating American aircraft.
The tactics of the Americans were simple - a massive raid, bombing according to the patterns of the Second World War and a quick retreat back. Over the entire period of the Korean campaign, American B-26 bombers completed almost 54,000 sorties, of which two-thirds were carried out at night. However, Kim Il Sung, who requested military assistance from Stalin, received more than just aces pilots. A real hunt was opened for American aviation, both fighter and bomber. Almost immediately, Soviet pilots, who were not officially in Korea, managed to test the necessary regime for the most effective destruction of American bombers. The attacking group of Soviet MiG-15s acted on the principle of "cutting through the formation as much as possible" - huge damage to US aircraft in 90% of cases was inflicted from the first approach, the second was needed only for a "control shot". In the destruction of American aviation, Soviet aces regularly used aerobatics - they made a "slide", "oblique loop", made effective maneuvers and turns. After the Soviet MiGs broke up the formation and approached the targets, the squadron was divided into pairs and continued the well-organized shooting of the enemy. Air confrontation The first meeting of Soviet pilots and Americans took place on November 1, 1950. Two pairs of MiG-15s and a trio of American Mustangs met in the Korean sky. During the short-lived battle, two American aircraft were destroyed. The pilot of the third aircraft preferred to withdraw from the battle than to save his life. By the way, in the Korean War, Soviet aviation for the first time used links of six aircraft - the so-called three pairs. Thanks to the special tactics and design features of the MiG-15, Soviet pilots found out that the American F-80 Shooting star and F-84 Thunderjet easily fight at any speed and angle of attack, even with numerical superiority.
Historians note that the inability of American pilots to resist Soviet aviation was perceived rather strangely in the United States itself - they decided not to change the tactics and training of the pilots, but sent more modern aircraft to the area - F-86 Saber However, the transfer of the F-86 to the area did not help much. “The differences between the aircraft were minimal, Saber and MiG-15 had approximately the same thrust-to-weight ratio, however, the Americans had significantly better maneuverability and more predictable piloting in extreme conditions. Saber climbed more confidently and performed aerobatics faster,” explains military historian Valentin Alushkov. Despite a more thoughtful design, American pilots did not have time to take advantage of all the abilities that North American Aviation engineers endowed them with. The advantage of the MiG-15 in armament beat American maneuverability and speed to smithereens. American aviation black day The Korean campaign is still presented to American pilots as an aviation horror story. AT training center American aviation - the school of aces pilots "Top Gun" (Eng. Navy Fighter Weapon School) for a long time tried to figure out why what happened to American bombers happened, and why US fighter aircraft could not turn the tide of battle, but to the final conclusion so and did not come. The Americans have not seen such losses for a long time - except that similar incidents happened during World War II. October 30, 1951 will be remembered by American pilots for a long time - the B-29 bombers on that day finally ceased to be a crushing blow weapon, turning from a “flying fortress” into a “flaming barn”.
Historians point out that the well-planned and meticulously prepared raid on the North Korean Namsi airfield failed exactly at the moment when the landing gear of the last US Air Force B-29 bomber took off from the runway. The Americans, being great fans of massive air attacks, this time decided to use the maximum of their capabilities - 21 bombers and almost 200 escort fighters. Everything went according to plan exactly until the moment when 44 Soviet MiG-15s took off into the sky. The 64th Fighter Air Corps of the USSR Air Force created a real aviation miracle in the Korean sky - during the flight, they managed to destroy 12 B-29 bombers and several escort fighters. have been included. Much attention was paid to radar and enemy detection - the faster and farther you find the target, the more time you have to react. The fatal miscalculation of the Americans also played its role - the escort fighters were seriously late in the bombardment area and Soviet aviation, in fact, the Americans themselves issued permission to shoot the B-29 bombers.
“Typically, the Soviet pilots did not act in dense large groups, as usual, but were divided into pairs with maximum freedom of action, that is, the primary goal was to destroy all the bombers, and only then fight against support aircraft if the latter were in time in large numbers to the place "meetings", - explains the military historian, candidate of historical sciences Sergey Ayupov. Soviet pilots used a favorite maneuver - at a speed of almost a thousand kilometers per hour in a dive, the Soviet MiG-15s began to "weed" the combat formations of the B-29. After the first call of the Soviet pilots, the B-29 crews realized that they would remember this autumn day for a long time - some of the survivors of the first wave of the B-29 attack abruptly changed course and began to leave towards the sea. In the same battle, the Soviet aces also destroyed an American photographic reconnaissance, sent to record the results of the bombardment. Shock therapy The result of the bombing of the Namsi airfield was zero. Literally. Not a single bomb fell into the area designated by the Americans. The shock therapy of the US Air Force was a success - for a long time the command of the US Air Force tried to understand how many aircraft took part in the attack on the B-29 bombers, and also analyzed the causes of the fatal error. Information messages transmitted to the American press contained data that during the attack with B-29 machine gun fire, about 50 enemy aircraft were shot down, however, this was only an attempt to divert the attention of the American public and reduce the resonance from a serious defeat.
Historians and aviation experts note that the 44 Soviet MiG-15s involved in the raid on American bombers are not all that the Americans could encounter. the case if part of the bombers break through to the target. Then they would have to be broken, as they say, on the spot. But everything worked out, and the pilots left in reserve sat all this time in "readiness number one," explains military historian Nikolai Nikolaev. were suspended, and B-29s after the “air Pearl Harbor” were not used for a whole month. Having made certain conclusions regarding the tactics of using their bombers, the Americans calmed down and decided to test the strength of Soviet fighter aircraft again and immediately paid for it. Along the way, Soviet aviation destroyed about a dozen Sabers from the aviation group that accompanied the B-29. After a second punishment for air force insolence, the Americans completely abandoned the use of the B-29 during the day. Experts note that by destroying American B-29s with varying degrees of involvement, tactics and number of fighters, Soviet pilots guaranteed their own country reliable protection against penetration of enemy aircraft. The command of the US Air Force clearly realized that there could no longer be any talk of a massive atomic strike on the USSR, because the main "deliverer of democracy" - the B-29 bomber - would be detected and shot down. Soviet pilots also gained huge experience - during the Korean campaign 54 people have become aces of the air war. The most productive of the Soviet pilots - Nikolai Sutyagin, Evgeny Pepelyaev, Lev Shchukin, Dmitry Oskin, Sergey Kramarenko later made a significant contribution to the actions of the Soviet fighter aviation, actually rewriting the laws of air combat. Over the entire period of participation in hostilities in Korea, Soviet pilots made about 65 thousand sorties, destroying almost 1,500 enemy aircraft.

The conflict on the Korean Peninsula was the first serious confrontation between the USSR and the West in the framework of the Cold War. The extremely cautious behavior of the country's leadership made it possible to reduce the number of victims among the Soviet military to a minimum.

Can't win

In the early morning of June 25, 1950, 10 South Korean divisions invaded the territory of their northern neighbor. Pyongyang's counterattack followed immediately. Thus began the Korean War. The American government, under the pretext of fighting the "communist plague", forced 53 states to adopt a resolution justifying military intervention in the Korean conflict. 15 countries, including the USA, Great Britain and Canada, decided to enter the war on the side of South Korea, the USSR and China joined North Korea.

A feature of the Korean War was the clash of large groups in a limited space, which resulted in numerous casualties. For example, more than 80% of the losses of the US Army were in the ground forces. The absence of a clear advantage for any of the opposing sides (about 1 million military men each in the Northern and Southern coalitions) led to the impossibility of resolving the conflict by military means. At that time, the Americans did not dare to use atomic weapons.

According to the most conservative estimates, American troops lost about 54 thousand soldiers and officers in Korea, over seven thousand Americans were captured, almost 400 people were missing, 22 people chose not to return to their homeland. Both Koreas lost about 9 million of their citizens in this terrible war, 80% of whom were civilians.

USSR casualties

Until the mid-70s, the party leadership denied the participation of the Soviet military in the Korean conflict. In various documents, award lists and funerals, it was about "a particularly important task of the party and government." Perhaps due to such secrecy, the statistics on the dead varied for a long time - in the range from 200 to 1500 people.

The Soviet Union in the Korean War was represented mainly by the air force. About 26 thousand Soviet pilots took part in the conflict, all of them were part of the strike group of three air divisions of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps.

Soviet pilots flew more than 63,000 sorties into the Korean sky, taking part in about 2,000 air battles. Modern data show that during the entire period of hostilities our aviation corps lost 120 pilots. Almost all of them were buried in the Russian cemetery in the Chinese city of Dalian (formerly Dalniy) - where the victims of Port Arthur are buried. For comparison, the US Air Force lost 1,609 people, of which 1,097 were destroyed by Soviet pilots.

Total combat losses Soviet Union in the Korean War - 466 people, of which 299 were killed (146 officers) and 167 wounded (mostly from ground personnel). At the same time, not one of the Soviet citizens who somehow participated in the conflict was taken prisoner. The losses of Chinese soldiers in this war turned out to be incomparably greater: 60,000 dead, 383,000 wounded, 21,000 prisoners, 4,000 missing. Total number deaths in the communist bloc exceeded 170 thousand people.

Historian and publicist Yevgeny Norin explains the low losses of the Soviet side in the fighting primarily by the caution of the command, as well as by the fact that Soviet pilots fought mainly over the territory of North Korea.

Losses in technology

The Soviet 64th Fighter Air Corps entered the war in November 1950, it was armed with the latest MiG-15 jet fighters at that time. This model, in many respects, was superior to the American F-80 and F-84 vehicles that participated in the battles over Korea. According to experts, even the F-86 ("Saber") that entered service could hardly compete with Soviet fighters.

The MiG-15 was better than the Sabers in many ways: flight altitude, acceleration, rate of climb, maneuverability, and armament - 3 guns against 6 machine guns. However, a literal technical comparison of Soviet and American vehicles is incorrect, since they were designed to solve different combat missions. The targets of the MiGs are B-29 heavy bombers, and the F-86s hunted directly for the MiGs themselves.

According to Soviet data, MiGs shot down 69 B-29s over the skies of Korea, the Americans believe that only 16 Boeings were destroyed. As for the MiGs, according to the information of the Soviet side, 335 such machines were shot down, the Americans claim from 792 fighters.

According to the military writer Mikhail Baryatinsky, the breakdown of armored vehicles losses is as follows: 97 T-34-85 tanks were knocked out in battles, which managed to destroy only 34 American armored vehicles. In total, 239 T-34-85s and SU-76s were disabled in Korea in 1950-53. Such losses are largely due to the fact that the medium Soviet tank T-34-85 was already an outdated model, noticeably inferior in terms of its combat characteristics to the latest US Army tanks.

Having approximately the same armor, the American Sherman still surpassed the Soviet tank in terms of accuracy and rate of fire of the gun. It is impossible to discount the fact that the Koreans drove the Soviet armored vehicles, while the American or British crews were in the Shermans.

Despite the minimal human losses of the USSR in the Korean War, it is believed that the results for our country were less successful than for the United States. After all main goal- the creation of a united communist Korea - was never achieved. In addition, if the United States acquired new allies as a result of the war in the face of Japan and Germany, then the USSR, on the contrary, spoiled relations with China for a long time. Among the advantages of this conflict is a demonstration to the whole world of the effectiveness of Soviet fighter aircraft and invaluable combat experience for the military.

West and East on the role of strategic aviation. World War II ended at the moment of an obvious increase in the role of aviation, which had learned to solve many problems, both on the battlefield and in the theater of war as a whole. The Enolla Gay raid on Hiroshima convinced many in principle that the war could be won solely by strategic air power. In the United States of America and Britain, this opinion began to be considered a truth that does not require proof. Soviet experts treated the Western axiom with caution. Aviation was highly valued in the USSR, mindful of the invaluable assistance provided by flocks of attack aircraft and dive bombers to our tank avalanches.

But at the same time, domestic experience reminded us of the difficulty with which the cities of Germany were taken, which seemed to be completely destroyed by allied aviation. Proceeding from these considerations, the Soviet doctrine considered the development of powerful ground forces traditional for a continental state, which had the role of the main foreign policy instrument, to be a priority task. But at the same time, the need was recognized for creating for them a powerful air shield and strategic deterrence forces, built on the basis of the possession of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery, as the main guarantors of stability and balance.

Very soon Western and Eastern doctrines clashed, holding a strict test of the correctness of the conclusions drawn. The political conjuncture of the "cold war" already in 1950 led to a "hot" clash between the two military schools on, or rather, over the Korean Peninsula. It is worth focusing on the battle in the sky, where the nature of the confrontation between world leaders loomed with the greatest clarity.

A variety of American aircraft. At the beginning of November 1950, the nature of the fighting in the air, and, consequently, on the ground, began to change dramatically. In the previous period, the DPRK aviation was present in the air only until the appearance of the Americans, then it disappeared. The US Air Force was extensively equipped with jet fighters and advanced strike aircraft of unsurpassed quality. American pilots went through an excellent school of war and quickly mastered the new jet technology of the next generation, which almost crossed out the combat value of piston engines, especially on fighters, close support aircraft and attack aircraft (fighter-bombers). The Koreans had nothing of the kind, not to mention the fact that from the first days the numerical superiority of the Yankees never fell below the bar of 8: 1, naturally in favor of the Americans. Americans are generally great lovers of fighting in numbers, however, basically still pairing it with skill.

In the skies of Korea, they were represented by the Air Force F-80 Shutting Star land jet fighter, and the carrier-based F-9 Panther, in combination with the good old world war veteran F-4 Corsair piston aircraft. A-1 Skyrader attack aircraft, taking off from aircraft carriers, and a whole concourse of land-based bombers worked on the ground, not excluding the beauty of strategic aviation that “distinguished itself” over Hiroshima. In general, the variety of types of aircraft in service with the US Army and Navy is amazing.

More than 40 types of aircraft participated in the Korean War. Such diversity was generated by the desire of the state to encourage the military development of private firms, albeit small, but still orders for their products. Such stimulation turned into huge difficulties in supplying equipment with spare parts and even fuels and lubricants. But they put up with this for the sake of observing entrepreneurial interests. And the quartermaster service of the Yankees worked perfectly, so supply crises were rare.

Fight November 8, 1950 The main feature of the aircraft with a white star was that all of them, without exception, surpassed the base of the DPRK Air Force fleet - the Soviet wartime fighter Yak-9, a well-deserved, but rather outdated aircraft. It was not suitable for air combat. IL-10, in turn, was formerly a hero of the military sky, but his life when meeting with the "Shutting Stars" rarely lasted more than a minute. Because the Americans were spoiled, they flew where they wanted, as they wanted, and they also chose the time themselves.

This continued until November 8, 1950, when fortune turned sharply to the rear of the American aces. That day, 12 F-80 fighter jets were on a routine patrol flight over Chinese positions in the Yalu River area. Usually, the Americans flew calmly, occasionally storming targets they spotted from onboard machine guns. This did not happen often, the “volunteers” hid skillfully and enthusiastically. The next flight of changes did not promise, until the commander of the "Shutting" squadron noticed 15 fast-growing points to the north and above him. It soon became clear that these were Soviet MiG-15 fighters. According to data known to the Americans, aircraft of this type were superior to the Star Gunners. The Yankees quickly got their bearings, not accepting the battle, and began to leave the danger zone. Before this was possible, the MiG link approached, taking advantage of the advantage in speed, and opened fire. One American fighter literally broke into pieces. The rest ran, breaking formation. There was no persecution, Soviet pilots were strictly forbidden to go deep into the airspace over the territory occupied by "peacekeepers". So we can say that the Yankees got off lightly. Subsequently, MacArthur's headquarters would claim one MiG was shot down in that battle, but this would never be confirmed later.

MiG-15. The first meeting with the new air fighter of the "Reds" was not a complete surprise for the Americans. They knew about the existence of the MiG-15. How did they know that these aircraft were delivered to China. Then, on November 1, such a plane shot down one Mustang, but until November 8, the Americans were sure that this was a single episode. MacArthur's advisers believed that the retraining of the Chinese to fly the new aircraft would take many months, and their mass application was not yet foreseen. But it turned out differently. Another enemy was taken seriously by the Americans. The officials concerned knew that the MiG-15 formed the backbone of the Soviet fighter aviation and, most importantly, were the core around which the Soviet air defense was being built. That is, the force that is called upon to counter the US strategic bombers with their atomic and conventional bombs, on which the White House placed the main hopes within the framework of the doctrine of containment of the USSR.

The product of the Mikoyan design bureau belonged to the machines of the second jet generation. Unlike the first machines with a new type of engine, it did not have a standard straight, but a swept wing, which allows a significant increase in speed. The MiG-15 almost broke the sound barrier, accelerating to over 1,000 km/h. The car climbed 15,000 m, was light, thanks to which it rapidly gained altitude. In the cockpit with a drop-shaped "lantern" (glazing of the pilot's seat), a pilot was placed, who had the possibility of a circular visual review. In case of leaving the aircraft, the pilot had an ejection seat that allowed him to leave the cockpit at high speeds.

MiG armament. The fighter was optimized primarily to deal with American carriers of B-29 atomic bombs, for which it had a very powerful armament of one 37 mm automatic cannon and a pair of lighter ones - 23 mm. For such a heavy battery in the nose of a light aircraft, one had to pay with a small ammunition load - only 40 shells per barrel. However, a three-gun salvo or two could destroy the structure of very large enemy bombers. The big drawback of the generally excellent fighter was the lack of an airborne radar, but at home this was not a big problem, since the aircraft was aimed at the target from the ground on the commands of the headquarters, which had information from powerful stationary radars. However, in Korea, where a ground-based targeting system did not exist at all, a radar would be useful. But, alas. The combat mission of the MiG-15 was according to plan: a group takeoff to intercept multiple, large targets, search for objects of attack with the help of a ground controller, rapid climb, rendezvous and a destructive cannon volley. For maneuverable battles with fighters, the aircraft was not suitable, having insufficient horizontal turn speed and too few shells for overly powerful guns, but practice has shown that and how, the MiG-15 air combat aircraft made its debut quite successfully.

64th Fighter Corps. Now there was an intense combat practice in the Korean sky, which was watched with increased attention by the creators of the MiG and its opponents. The people in the 64th Fighter Corps were a match for the machines, most of the pilots began their careers in battles with the Luftwaffe and were fluent in air combat techniques. The command of the corps belonged to the generation that threw the Nazis from the skies of the Kuban, the Kursk Bulge, the Dnieper and triumphantly finished off the beast in its lair. The corps regimental commanders knew how to plan for an air grab and maintain superiority. Many had a pre-Korean combat account. In general, the “peacekeepers” were in for a lot of surprises.

Fight November 9th. The next day, November 9, was marked by the largest air battle since the beginning of the war. Retreating under the onslaught of "volunteers" American ground units insistently demanded air support. It was assigned to the aircraft of the US 7th Fleet. In the morning, a B-29 converted into a photo reconnaissance was sent to reconnoiter the battle formations of the Chinese. A spy who was monitoring the lines of location of the "volunteer" contingents was shot down. The Navy pilots had to attack blindly. The task was formulated simply: to destroy the crossings over the Yalu, through which the Chinese troops were supplied. 20 attack aircraft and 28 cover fighters, jet "Panthers" and piston "Corsairs" started from aircraft carriers. On the way to the intended objects, the group was intercepted by 18 MiGs. In the ensuing battle, the Americans lost 6 aircraft, the Russians - one. Aimed bombing was thwarted. The crossings remained intact. The numerical superiority did not help the covering fighter group to provide the Skyraiders with the opportunity to calmly work on the bridges. The downed MiG of Mikhail Grachev demanded 4 Panthers to destroy the efforts. Moreover, Grachev himself in that battle managed to drive a couple of attack aircraft into the ground, as a result of which he lost his place in the ranks and was left without cover, which caused the death of the car and the pilot.

Disguise of Russian pilots. Obviously, it was in that battle that the Americans realized that they were not dealing with the Chinese. Much was done to keep the presence of Soviet units a secret from the enemy. MiGs were marked with North Korean Air Force markings. The pilots were dressed in Chinese uniforms. They even developed a list of radio signals and commands in Korean. Naturally, no one had time to learn them, since the squadrons entered the battle immediately upon arrival at the front. The pilots attached a list of phrases transcribed in Russian letters to their knees and had to go on the air only with their help. However, in the heat of battle at jet speeds, the knee-length phrasebook was forgotten. And the ethereal space was filled with the selective native speech of the pilots, who preferred simple and capacious terms from national use. The sound of such remarks, from the point of view of Americans following the radio waves, was very different from the sounds of the language of the Land of Morning Calm. But it strongly resembled what the Yankees had heard over the Elbe and Berlin. The secret of the Russian presence was revealed. After the pilots complained about draconian lexical censorship and the statement about the complete impossibility of masking nationality in this way, vigilant comrades in Moscow, without persisting, canceled the previous order.

"Knighthood" involuntarily. Only the order remained in force, prohibiting actions over the territory controlled by the enemy. This seriously interfered, since the maneuver in depth was replaced exclusively by actions from the depth, that is, the 64th AK fought only defensive battles. It was impossible to pursue the enemy. However, the Americans were hampered by similar obstacles. They were forbidden to cross the Chinese border. For this reason, the Yankees found themselves in the position of a fox under a vine: "even though the eye sees, the tooth is dumb." They knew the location of the Chinese airfields where the Soviet corps was based, and even saw them, but it was strictly forbidden to strike at them from Washington. China, like the USSR, did not formally participate in the war. In addition, Moscow had a mutual assistance agreement with Beijing, from which it followed that the Kremlin would regard the bombing of the PRC as the beginning of a big war and take appropriate measures. Stalin honestly made it clear that this would be the case. If the USSR had not had an atomic bomb, the Americans obviously would not have gone into diplomatic subtleties. But there has been a bomb since 1949. And although there were problems with its delivery to Washington and New York, Truman did not feel completely safe. As a result, the Yankees were in awe of Mao's far from obvious "neutrality". So the war in the Korean skies was conducted according to certain rules: the Americans were forbidden to beat the "sleeping" enemy, the Soviet pilots - to finish off the fleeing one.

Despite some vestiges of chivalry, the war went on with all possible bitterness. Without air supremacy, the UN contingent did not work out. The end was over for the "peacekeepers" in a permanent retreat. At the end of December 1950, the territory of the DPRK was restored to its former extent, which was mainly due to the contestability of the airspace.

April 12, 1951 was called "Black Thursday" by Americans. In an air battle over Korea, Soviet pilots managed to shoot down 12 American B-29 bombers, which were called "superfortresses" and were considered practically invulnerable until then.

In total, during the years of the Korean War (1950-1953), 1097 American aircraft were shot down by Soviet aces. Another 212 destroyed ground-based air defense systems.

Today, communist North Korea is perceived as a vestige of cold war, which once divided the world into Soviet and capitalist camps. However, six decades ago, hundreds of Soviet pilots gave their lives to keep this state on the world map.

According to the official version, 361 Soviet servicemen died during the Korean War. A number of experts believe that this is an underestimate, since the list of losses did not include those who died from wounds in hospitals in the USSR and China.

Data on the ratio of losses of American and Soviet aviation vary greatly. However, even US historians unequivocally admit that American losses are an order of magnitude higher.

This is explained, firstly, by the superiority of Soviet military equipment. The command of the US Air Force was forced to admit that the B-29 bombers were very vulnerable to the fire of 23 and 37-mm guns, which were in service with the Soviet MiG-15 fighters. Only a few shells that hit the bomber could destroy it. The guns with which the MiGs were armed (caliber 37 and 23 mm) had a significantly greater range of effective fire, as well as destructive power compared to the large-caliber B-29 machine guns.

In addition, the machine-gun mounts mounted on the winged "fortresses" could not provide effective fire and aiming at aircraft that attacked at an approach speed of 150-160 meters per second.
Well, and, of course, the "human factor" played a significant role. Most of the Soviet pilots who took part in air battles had vast combat experience gained during the Great Patriotic War.

Yes, and in the post-war years, the training of combat pilots in the USSR was of great importance. As a result, for example, Aviation Major General Nikolai Vasilyevich Sutyagin shot down 19 enemy aircraft in the three years of the Korean War. Apart from three, the death of which could not be confirmed. The same number (19 confirmed victories) was shot down by Evgeny Georgievich Pepelyaev.

There were 13 Soviet aces who shot down ten or more American cars.
Medium total strength personnel of the corps as of 1952 amounted to 26 thousand people. Alternately changing, 12 Soviet fighter aviation divisions, 4 anti-aircraft artillery divisions, 2 separate (night) fighter aviation regiments, 2 anti-aircraft searchlight regiments, 2 aviation technical divisions and 2 fighter aviation regiments of the Navy Air Force took part in the Korean War. In total, about 40 thousand Soviet military personnel took part in the Korean War.

For a long time, the heroism and even just the participation of Soviet pilots in fierce air battles in the sky over Korea were carefully hidden. All of them had Chinese documents without photographs and wore Chinese military uniforms.

Air Marshal, the famous Soviet fighter Ivan Kozhedub admitted in an interview that "all this disguise was sewn with white thread" and, laughing, said that for three years his surname became LI SI TSIN. However, during the air battle, the pilots spoke Russian, including with the help of "idiomatic expressions." Therefore, the Americans had no doubts about who was fighting them in the skies over Korea.

It is interesting that official Washington kept silent all three years of the war about the fact that Russians were behind the controls of most of the MiGs that smashed the “flying fortresses” to smithereens.

Many years after the end of the hot phase of the Korean War (officially, peace between North and South Korea has not yet been concluded), the military adviser to President Harry Truman, Paul Nitze, admitted that he had prepared a secret document. It analyzed whether it was worth divulging the direct participation of Soviet pilots in air battles. As a result, the US government came to the conclusion that this should not be done. After all, the heavy losses of the American Air Force were hard experienced by the whole society, and indignation at the fact that "the Russians are to blame for this" could lead to unpredictable consequences. Including nuclear war.

Today, without a shadow of embarrassment, the Americans write (Encyclopedia of Aviation, New York, 1977) that their pilots shot down 2,300 “communist” aircraft during the Korean War, while the losses of the Americans and their allies amounted to only 114 aircraft. Ratio 20:1. Our "liberals and democrats" happily repeat this nonsense - how can "civilized" Americans lie? (Although it’s time for the rest of us to get used to the idea that if the “civilized” can do anything well, it’s bullshit.)

But everyone needs to lie at the same time, and this is technically impossible. And therefore, when other US services begin to brag about their successes, the truth from time to time appears in the documents of the Americans themselves. Thus, the rescue service of the 5th American Air Force, which fought in Korea, reports that it managed to grab more than 1,000 people of the US Air Force flight personnel from the territory of North Korea. But these are only those who did not die in an air battle and who were not captured by the North Koreans, who, by the way, captured not only pilots, but also groups of rescuers themselves along with their helicopters. Is it that so many aircrew attacked from 114 planes?

On the other hand, the loss of aircraft during the Korean War amounted to 4000 units among the Americans, according to their own data of the 50s. Where did they go?

Our pilots flew in a narrow strip of North Korea, bounded by the sea, and only those downed aircraft that fell on this strip were credited to them. Those who fell into the sea and even confirmed by the Americans themselves did not count.
Here is an example from the collection "Air War in Korea", Polygraph, Voronezh, 1997:

“... The 913th IAP approached the guarded object when the battle was already in full swing. Fedorets heard a call on the radio: “Help, they hit me ... help!” Looking around the space, Semyon Alekseevich saw a smoking MiG, which he pursued, without ceasing to hit him at close range, the Saber. Fedorets deployed his fighter and went on the attack on the enemy, carried away by hunting. From a distance of 100-300 m, the Soviet pilot hit the American, and he went into his last dive.
However, having come to the rescue of a colleague who was in trouble, Fedorets broke away from the driven and driven pair and lost sight of them. The lone MiG is a tempting target. The Americans did not fail to take advantage of this.
The four Sabers, led by Captain McConnell, immediately attacked Fedorets' plane.

Semyon Alekseevich just broke away from the sight, knocking down the annoying Saber, as a line whipped through the cockpit. The glazing of the lantern and the instrument panel shattered to smithereens, but the plane itself remained obedient to the rudders. Yes, it was an ace blow! This is how Captain McConnell usually threw the enemy, but the skill of the Soviet pilot was no worse. He immediately reacted to the blow and abruptly threw the plane to the right at the attacking Saber. F-86 McConnell slipped through the "MiG" and was in front and on the left. The American ace, apparently, calmed down somewhat, watching the Soviet fighter twitch. This was a normal reaction of a "headless" (i.e., with a killed pilot) aircraft. When the MiG-15, being behind, began to turn in the direction of the Saber, McConnell was surprised, began to release flaps and shields, extinguishing speed and trying to let the enemy go forward. But it was too late - Fedorets offhand hit (and the MiG-15 has a good blow!) At the American. The queue fell on the right console, closer to the fuselage, tearing a piece out of the wing into good square meter! The Saber tumbled to the right and went towards the ground.
The experienced McConnell managed to reach the bay and eject there.

And the remaining F-86s immediately attacked the downed MiG. As a result of this attack, the control rods were killed, and the Soviet pilot had to eject.
Thus ended this dramatic duel of two aces in the sky of Korea.
It was Fedorets' 5th and 6th victories, while Captain McConnell's was his 8th. True, due to the fact that the American ace's plane fell into the sea, and the photocontrol film burned down along with the MiG, Semyon Alekseevich's victory was not counted as unconfirmed.
Pay attention, the American ace was credited as the downed plane of Fedorets, although he did not shoot him down, because others shot down - they probably also recorded the plane. But Fedorets was not credited with what he shot down - the wreckage drowned.

Nevertheless, even with such a stingy account, the results are as follows. Soviet pilots conducted 1872 air battles, during which 1106 American aircraft fell on the territory of North Korea.

This is official, according to declassified data from the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. (According to Lieutenant General G.A. Lobov, who commanded our aviation, 2,500 aircraft were shot down.) Our combat losses amounted to 335 aircraft and 10 non-combat ones. The ratio is 3:1 in favor of the Soviet pilots, and in terms of jet technology 2:1 in our favor. America's best ace shot down 16 of our aircraft (Captain D. McConnell), and the best Soviet ace of the Korean War shot down 23 American aircraft (Captain N.V. Sutyagin). Accordingly, 40 Americans shot down more than 5 of our aircraft, and we have 51 people shot down more than 5 American ones.

So, the losses of the Soviet Air Force were 335 aircraft, and another of China and Korea - 231. (Korean and Chinese pilots, by the way, shot down 271 American aircraft.) A total of 566 aircraft. And the American pilots, as already mentioned, recorded 2,300 downed "communist" aircraft on their personal accounts. That is, the personal accounts of American aces should also be reduced by 4 times for order in statistics. Nevertheless, it is necessary to record in the personal accounts of aces those planes that they shot down, and not photographed with a film-photo machine gun.
All the statistics of air battles among our opponents are propaganda nonsense and have nothing to do with reality.

In reality, our pilots were both much more professional and much more courageous than both German and American ones. If they, untrained and inexperienced, did not have time to shoot down in the very first battles. For military success even today, the spirit of our fathers and grandfathers must be preserved. As for the rest, if it suits us, then we need to adopt the best that our opponents have found in military affairs. Moreover, this is the best thing that was tested on us.