[JoeB]

The Soviets also strongly believed that some of the pilots *they* were facing in Korea were ex-Luftwaffe. One Soviet pilot has told the story of meeting one after that pilot was captured and brought to the Soviets' base...however it's quite clear from other Soviet pilots' accounts from same unit that he was making it up, the kernel of truth was that the ID card of a downed (KIA) US F-86 pilot was shown around their unit; but the guy, whose name we know, was definitely not ex-LW.

As Mars said, ex-LW pilots, either side, didn't happen, by any evidence. The MiG units faced by the USAF from November 1950-September 1951 were almost entirely regular fighter units of the Soviet AF's, no motley collection of 'volunteers', but whole regular units which had been 'volunteered'. Or in a handful of combats in that period, but many thereafter, the MiG's were separate units of the PLAAF (also styled as 'People's Volunteers' but again whole units of the PLAAF that had been 'volunteered'), and North Korean MiG units from November 1951. In general those units fought under unified command but separately at regimental level. Sometimes in the early experimental phase of Chinese involvement (ca. late 50 early 51) it was a Chinese battalion with Soviet battalions. And, Soviet advisors flew in combat with NK units in at least some instances according to both NK and Soviet accounts; but AFAIK there's no Chinese account of Soviet advisors flying in their units in combat, though some Soviet accounts mention it. Anyway the MiG opposition was not typically the multinational mix of pilots in the same small units that the US often assumed prior to 1953.

But in 1953, the NK MiG defector No Gum-Suk explained the actual nature and organization of the MiG opposition to the USAF. He was based at Antung along with the separate Soviet and Chinese units from late '51, alternately ate in their respective messes (he liked the food at the Chinese mess, the liquor ration at the Soviet mess), never ran into any third nationalities. So, this was all basically known a long time ago to the USAF, but later publicized Soviet and Chinese accounts confirm it, confirmed almost everything No said on various subjects, he turned out very reliable.

Joe