German pilots in Korea War?

[bearoutwest]

The timing may not be suitable for any ex-Luftwaffe personell to serve in the USAF in Korea. If we look at typical immigration times/waiting periods:
- 12-24 months wait post application (clearance checks, processing time);
- 6-12 months post-approval to travel and settle in the USA
- 6 months between applying to join USAF and being accepted (post-war glut of ex-USAAF aircrews wanting to stay in service)
- 6 months initial flight training (even an ex-Luftwaffe pilot would need to be taught USAF procedures and protocols)
- 6-12 months operational training (e.g. fighter stream onto T-33s, F-80s, F-84s or F-86s)
- finally to an operational squadron
- into the queue of operational pilots wanting to go to Korea to bag a MiG (there were also units in continental USA, Greenland/Iceland, and NATO regions as well as parts of SE Asia that needed pilots).

So as a rough guess, minimum of 3 years (probably longer) between applying for US citizenship to being operational and in the queue for Korea. You would need to apply in 1946 to be operational in 1949/50. Would the US have had any real need to fast-track ex-Luftwaffe pilots, when there were so many ex-USAAF aircrew wanting to re-enlist? (Ace pilots like Robin Olds were sent to USAF Europe, having had their application to serve in Korea turned down.) Probably why so few stories exist of ex-Luftwaffe types in Western air forces.

I'm aware of one case - Frank Korbl - ex-Luftwaffe and was in initial pilot training in 1945, when redirected to radio school. Eventually immigrated to Australia, and served in the RAAF in Vietnam in a helicopter squadron.
Book listing on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Luftwaffe-.../dp/B00A1WY094

Or possibly available to download free from Australian Government publications:
http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/Publ...-Luftwaffe-MBE (original title? Ex-Luftwaffe-MBE)

...geoff