F-86 vs MiG 15, the claims...

[rldunn]

Jim and others

I have not seen mention of "Red Wings Over the Yalu" by Xiaoming Zhang (Texas A&M Univ Press, 2002) in this discussion. Zhang has accessed available Russian and Chinese records and tried to present a balance view on this issue. The data from the USSR/ChiCom/NKor side is presented but not absolutely definitive. US data, as noted in the discussion above, also leaves some room for additional investigation.

The 10:1 ratio whether correct or not (and probably not) is a very coarse measure. As in so many other debates who was flying the a/c, their skill level, and the tactucal situation among other matters need to be considered. One thing Zhang points out is that in many cases the MiGs tried to avoid the F-86s and engage strike a/c like F-51s, F-80s, and F-84s (not to mention B-29s). They also paid special attention to Aussie Meteors.

Opinions and fun discussions are fine but like so much about WW2 and other wars, not everything is known or printed in books. More hard research still needs to be done.

Rick