interview with KW ace
 

http://www.airforce.ru/history/cold_...n/mihin_en.htm
It would be nice to recieve comments and additions

Re: interview with KW ace
 

The interview itself is highly valuable first hand oral history.

As far as the list of claims and confirmations at the end, it's a similar story to the other such lists we've gone over on this forum, directly or indirectly, which come from the same sources.

Sept 4 1952: 3 direct F-86 air combat losses plus one F-86 loss to MiG debris (4 is most for one day in KW), 9 Soviet claims, 5 known Chinese claims, no particular evidence to tie Porter's a/c to Mihkin's claim, though it has potential validity.

Sept 8 1952: F-84 claimed by Mikhin around 1510 Item in Suncheon area (though it doesn't appear on the all-in summary list of claims), a formation of 2 F-84's with 2 F-86's. 5th AF Intel Summary records combat between F-86's and MiG's in same area 1506-1600, but no encounters by F-84's. F-86's did spot one unidentified straight wing a/c, possibly prop, in the area at 1520. No such friendly a/c in the area, states the US summary. This is a rare case where Soviet and US records don't agree about a combat having happened and which general type (sweptwing, straightwing etc) of a/c was involved. There's no evidence to tie the non-air combat F-84 loss that day listed in Korwald (51-596) to this incident: that's arbitrary.

Sept 9 1952: F-86 50-672 was probably cannibalized for spares after major air combat damage on Sept 9 *1951*, as far as I've been able to determine: the a/c is not mentioned in any incident after that. 50-666 suffered major damage on landing Sept 10 1952 after a flameout, as given in the 5th AF Lost, Damaged and Aborted A/c File; transported to depot in Japan for repair but eventually stripped for parts, written off in December. Neither side reported combat encounters Sept 10. The 5th AF Intel Summary for Sept 9 records MiG/F-86 actions but no F-86 loss or major damage.

Sept 18 1952: as shown, this claim was for an F-86 not an F-84. Both sides agree on F-86 v MiG encounter in the relevant time period, neither side says there was an ecounter involving F-84's, and neither side says any F-84's were lost in air combat.

Joe

Re: interview with KW ace
 

Very interesant and thanks to post the interview.Rest in peace Mikhail Ivanovich Mikhin.

Already , Had the airfield of Myaogou another name? Manpo I know is Dadonggou(or Tatung-kao depending the spelling).
I have checked the position and existence of some of this airfields with the Goggle satélite and I have finded another one some 15 to 20 nm SW of Antung(today ZYDD Dandong). Also Antung was called Andong and for the PLAAF was named aparently Langtou.

I dont know the name of this misterious airfield , maybe is Dagushan or Dabao.

The position of Manpo(Dadonggou)is also a mistery and I dont have finded this one; after the charts of the KW times the airfield was very near of the coast; maybe was closed , and the terran destined to agricultural use and his structures to civilian use.

Regards

Daniel

Re: interview with KW ace
 

Here is a link to the map with very general AB positions, so you may take a look at real map....
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-51-jul-53.png
I was able to locate 2 airfields on wikimapia
1:
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.0241967...6&z=12&l=1&m=b
2:
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=39.9510694...7&z=12&l=1&m=b

Andun, Anshan, Mukden, Dapu and Myaogou were the names of the towns in Russian transcription, close to which ABs were placed. Unluckily, i can't say more.

Re: interview with KW ace
 

Andun: this name has changed in Chinese. In KW era it was still 安東* 'peaceful east', usually transliterated as Antung in English, changed to 丹東 'red east', now transliterated as Dandong, during the Cultural Revolution

Anshan: 鞍山 'saddle mountain', still written that way, southwest of Shenyang

Mukden: the Manchu language name for this city, used at time of the Korean War. But in pre-Manchu China and now it's known by its Chinese name, Shenyang, 沈陽 'city above Shen [river]', biggest city in NE China, clearly visible on any map as a starting point.

Dapu: 大堡 'great fort' Dabao, small town north of Dandong, south of the Anshan area.

Myaogou: 廟溝 'temple ditch', Miaogou. But, it's a common place name, with more than one example just in the area of Anshan, where this air base was probably located

*I'm typing Chinese characters from a Korean keyboard so they come out in 'traditional' form, as they would have appeared on Chinese maps in KW, but different than the 'simplified' characters now used in the PRC.

Joe