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HE WAR BETWEEN COMMUNIST NORTH KOREA T AND UNITED NATIONS BACKED SOUTH KOREA, WHICH RAGED FROM 1950-1953, WAS FOUGHT IN THE AIR AS WELL AS ON THE GROUND. RUSSIAN-BUILT MiG-15 SWEPT WING JET FIGHTERS DUELLED WITH NORTH AMERICAN F-86 SABRES, OFTEN IN A SECTOR KNOW AS MiG ALLEY...WHERE JET FIGHTER COMBAT WAS BORN.

STORY MAC MACDONALD ART CARLOS PINO COVER CARLOS PINO

4 HARNESSING THE POWER OF HIS F-86 SABRE’S GENERAL ELECTRIC TURBOJET ENGINE, CAPABLE OF SPEEDS UP TO ALMOST SEVEN HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR, ROOKIE PILOT LIEUTENANT BRAD TRIPPS OF THE AMERICAN AIR FORCE JUBILANTLY HOSED HIS TARGET WITH HIS SIX 0.5-inch M2 BROWNING MACHINE GUNS.

THE MiG-15 WITH ITS KLIMOV TURBOJET ENGINE AND THREE CANNON, TWO 23mm IN THE LEFT LOWER FUSELAGE AND ONE 37mm IN THE LOWER RIGHT FUSELAGE, WAS A FAIR MATCH FOR THE SABRE IN PERFORMANCE. THE NORTH KOREAN PILOTS, THOUGH, WERE NOT ADEQUATELY TRAINED AT TIMES AND BRAD HAD STRUCK LUCKY.

AAGH!

I GOT THE COMMIE JOCKEY AGAIN. HE’S FINISHED...AND IT’S MY FIRST KILL!

CHALK UP A SCORE FOR THE U.S. OF A...AND YOURS TRULY!

LESS AEROBATICS, RED TWO, AND GET BACK IN FORMATION. MORE BANDITS ARE HEADING OUR WAY.

5 THAT CELEBRATORY VICTORY ROLL ALMOST BECAME A DEATH DIVE AS ONE OF THE NEWLYARRIVED MiGs ATTACKED SECONDS AFTER BRAD’S FLIGHT LEADER VOICED THE WARNING OF DANGER.

WHERE THE DEUCE DID HE COME FROM?

HE WILL NOT EVADE ME.

THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA HAD SIDED WITH NORTH KOREA, AND THIS LATEST PILOT WAS CHINESE AND BETTER TRAINED. BRAD STOOD LITTLE CHANCE AS THE NEWCOMER PRESSED HOME HIS ADVANTAGE. CANNON SHELLS BEAT A TERRIFYING TATTOO ALONG THE AMERICAN JET’S FUSELAGE.

HOLY SMOKE!

HE IS FINISHED...

6 HIS FLIGHT LEADER DISTRACTED THE ENEMY PILOT AND BRAD, HIS HEART IN HIS MOUTH, TRIED DESPERATELY TO REGAIN SOME CONTROL OF HIS F-86.

I DON’T THINK I’M GOING TO MANAGE...

IT WAS NOT ONLY JETS WHICH WERE OPERATING IN THE SKIES OUT HERE. A TAYLORCRAFT AUSTER SIX LIGHT LIAISON AIRCRAFT, CRUISING AT ITS CUSTOMARY SPEED OF NOT MUCH OVER EIGHTY MILES PER HOUR, WAS BUFFETED BADLY IN THE TURBULENCE CAUSED BY THE MIGHTY SABRE.

WHAT IS THAT FOOL UP TO, DRAT HIM!

7 THE F-86 DID GAIN SOME HEIGHT, BUT FLIGHT LIEUTENANT LEN HAGGART OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE ONLY HAD EYES FOR HIS OWN AIRCRAFT’S CONTROLS. THE NEAR MISS HAD FLIPPED THE LIGHT PLANE OVER AND THE TURBULENT JET WASH WAS MAKING IT WELL-NIGH IMPOSSIBLE TO RECOVER.

IT’S LIKE TRYING TO FLY IN A STORM. HOLD ON, SERGEANT, THIS COULD GET ROUGH.

I THOUGHT IT WAS ALREADY ROUGH!

LEN HAD BEEN DELIVERING DOCUMENTS TO VARIOUS CAMPS AND HIS LAST CALL HAD BEEN TO A TURKISH UNIT, PART OF THE UNITED NATIONS FORCE. HE HAD AGREED TO TAKE SERGEANT SERDAR ORAN BACK TO A CENTRAL BASE FOR BETTER MEDICAL TREATMENT, THE TOUGH N.C.O. HAVING BEEN WOUNDED IN THE LEG DURING A RECENT CLASH WITH THE ENEMY SOMEHOW THE PILOT MANAGED TO GET THE TAYLORCRAFT ON TO AN EVEN KEEL…BUT, TOO CLOSE TO THE GROUND TO RECOVER FLYING SPEED, A CRASH-LANDING WAS INEVITABLE.

THIS LIFT MIGHT NOT BE SUCH A GOOD IDEA FOR YOU AFTER ALL, SERGEANT.

WHO KNOWS? LET’S SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

8 HAVING RADIOED A MAYDAY MESSAGE TO HIS BASE, LEN MANAGED A WELL-CONTROLLED LANDING, BUT COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT THE UNDERCARRIAGE SNAGGING THE ROUGH, WATER-LOGGED TERRAIN. NEVER DID LIKE THE SEASIDE! HANG ON...

THE KITE HELD TOGETHER, BUT ALARMING WISPS OF SMOKE RISING FROM IT URGED THE TWO SURVIVORS TO GET CLEAR. LEAN ON ME...THAT’S IT. SAVE YOUR LEG AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

THANK YOU. I CAN MANAGE WITH YOUR HELP.

9 THEY WERE SAFELY CLEAR WHEN THE PLANE’S FUEL IGNITED. AN INFERNO SPUN FIERY FINGERS OF FLAME INTO THE AIR. THERE GOES ANY CHANCE OF KEEPING IN CONTACT WITH H.Q., BUT AT LEAST I HAVE MY MAP WITH ME.

LEN DEDUCED THAT THEY WERE ROUGHLY NORTH OF THE YALU RIVER WHICH EMPTIED INTO THE YELLOW SEA ON THE WEST COAST OF KOREA. WE’RE IN ENEMY TERRITORY. WE NEED TO HIDE MEANTIME.

WELL, I AM READY TO MOVE.

THE TURKS HAD WON RESPECT AND ADMIRATION FOR THEIR BRAVERY IN THIS WAR, AND LEN HAD TAKEN TO THE QUIET, RUGGED SERGEANT FROM THE MOMENT HE HAD MET HIM. SERDAR SPOKE GOOD ENGLISH, HAVING WORKED WITH HIS FATHER IN THE TOURIST TRADE IN ISTANBUL.

TELL ME IF I’M GOING TOO FAST FOR YOU.

NO, IT IS FINE. THIS BRANCH HELPS A LOT AS A CRUTCH.

10 IT WASN’T TIREDNESS OR INJURY THAT SAW THE TWO FUGITIVES HIT THE GROUND NOT LONG AFTER, BUT A SQUAD OF NORTH KOREAN TROOPS IN A HURRY, S.K.S. RIFLES AT THE READY.

DO YOU THINK THEY ARE LOOKING FOR US?

NO, MY BLAZING AUSTER WOULD HAVE BEEN SEEN FOR MILES, AND THEY’RE HEADING IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. IT MUST BE SOMETHING ELSE.

THE FOCUS OF THE ENEMY ATTENTION WAS BRAD. HE HAD MANAGED TO BALE OUT OF HIS DOOMED SABRE BUT HIS ‘CHUTE HAD BECOME ENTANGLED IN SOME TREES.

I CAN’T CUT MYSELF LOOSE...

IT’S TOO FAR TO DROP. BUT MAYBE I’LL HAVE TO...