Startling!

This is coolbert:

From the wiki entry for the MiG-15 we find these startling revelations. Aerial warfare as I supposed did NOT exist during the  era of the Korean War. Air-to-air combat as was seen in the skies over Germany during World War Two [WW2]!

Massed formations of American long-range bomber aircraft [B-29] with escorting fighters attacked by massed formations of defending MiG-15. MiG-15 piloted by the elite aviators of the Soviet Union. Pilots neither North Korean or Chinese communists. War in the skies as would have occurred if and when the United States and the Soviet Union had gone to war, the Cold War become HOT!!

Korean War bombardment missions and aerial combat, "dogfighting" if you will, NOT going well for the American pilots and aircrews, grievous and almost disastrous losses the result. Unanticipated damage and embarrassing failure not boding well for the USAF, the mettle of Soviet combat aviation being tested and found to be not lacking, rather, something that must have been most worrisome to American military planners.

"The main mission of the MiG-15 was not only to dogfight against the F-86 however, but to counter the USAF Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers. This mission was assigned to the elite of the Soviet Air Force (VVS),"

1. "12 April 1951 - - A total of 44 MiG-15s . . . intercepted a large formation of 48 Superfortresses, 18 Sabres, 54 F-84 Thunderjets and 24 F-80 Shooting Stars heading towards the bridge linking North Korea and Red China over the Yalu river in Uiju. When the ensuing battle was finished, the experienced Soviet fliers had shot down or damaged beyond repair ten B-29As, one F-86A and three F-80Cs with the loss of only one MiG."

2. "22–27 October - - US strategic bombers [attempting to] neutralize the North Korean aerodromes of Namsi, Taechon and Saamchan, taking further losses to the MiG-15. On 23 October 1951, 56 MiG-15bis intercepted nine Superfortresses escorted by 34 F-86s and 55 F-84Es. In spite of their numerical inferiority, the Soviet airmen shot down or damaged beyond repair eight B-29As and two F-84Es, losing only one MiG in return and leading Americans to call that day 'Black Tuesday' . . ."

Here are images of some of those Soviet pilots that the American 

USAF encountered in the skies over North Korea. 

Worthy opponents it must be acknowledged!

According to the defecting combat pilot Victor Balenko, Soviet aviators were and are AT LEAST ROUGHLY ON A PAR WITH AND EQUAL IN ABILITY TO THE BEST AMERICAN COMBAT FLIERS! The difference in ability between the two groups minuscule if any!

[these figures are strictly from Soviet sources and are not 100 % accurate or to be trusted? I cannot say for sure! My intuition tells me that those shoot-down statistics do not lie and are pretty much on the money!]

coolbert.