North American F-82 Twin Mustang

Four F-82s were deployed to Alaska from McChord where the pilots provided transition training to the 449th Fighter (All Weather) Squadron which used Twin Mustangs in the air defense mission.

They remained in Alaska for about 45 days, returning to rejoin the rest of the group at the beginning of November 1948.

In January 1949, Eighth Air Force planned a large celebration at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

All of its assigned units were to participate in a coordinated flyover.

Most of SAC's bombers were to participate, along with SAC's only "Long Range" fighter group, the 27th. The weather in Nebraska in January that year was especially horrible, with most airports in the Midwest weathered in the day of the display.

At Kearney AFB, the base was socked-in with a blizzard. Nevertheless, the crews had an early morning mission briefing, the aircraft in the hangars were preflighted and prepared for the flyover mission.

Paths were cut though the snow for the aircraft to taxi and somehow the F-82s got airborne, with the 27th's
Twin Mustangs joining up with SAC bombers over [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on schedule.

The flyover by the Twin Mustangs was a tremendous success, with SAC leadership being amazed that the F-82 was truly an "all weather" aircraft and the 27th being able to carry out their mission despite the weather.
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In early 1949, the 27th began carrying out long-range escort profile missions. Flights to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], Mexico, the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and nonstop to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] were carried out. For [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]'s 1949 inauguration, the 27th FEW launched 48 aircraft to fly in review, along with several other fighter units, in formation down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Another flyover over the newly -dedicated [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in New York City soon followed, with the aircraft flying non-stop from Kearney AFB.

In March 1949, Kearney AFB was closed primarily for budgetary reasons and the 27th FEW was reassigned to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Other long-range missions were flown cross-country and simulated "dogfights" with [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] units were carried out.

The 27th FEW began transitioning to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] beginning in March 1950, and the F-82Es were largely declared surplus, with the last Twin Mustangs being phased out by September.

A few were sent to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] for combat in Korea and a few were sent to Alaska to fly bomber escort missions over the Arctic from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] until 1953. The majority were sent to reclamation and were gone by 1952.

With the appearance of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] over the skies of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in late 1950, the B-29, as well as all of the propeller-driven bombers in the USAF inventory, were simply rendered obsolete as strategic offensive weapons.

The straight-winged F-84Gs used in Korea as bomber escorts were ineffective against the MiG, and it took the swept-wing [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to clear the skies.

It was clear that it would take a new generation of swept-wing jet bombers, being able to fly higher and faster to
effectively defeat the defense of the jet propelled MiG-15 or subsequent Soviet-designed interceptors.

Also, the era of large groups of bombers flying in formations to a strategic target ended after the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Strategic bombing evolved into a one-plane, one target affair, with the nuclear-armed [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
flying higher and faster than most enemy interceptors.

The escort fighter concept became redundant and by 1957, SAC inactivated the last of its strategic fighter escort wings.

Air Defense Command

The appearance of the Soviet [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 'Bull' copy of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress in 1947 posed a new threat
to postwar USAAF planners, and largely as a result of its appearance and the beginnings of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in 1948, led to the establishment of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (ADC) as part of the postwar [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

In 1947, the embryonic ADC was not particularly effective.

During a number of simulated raids on the United States carried out by [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] during the period 1947-1949, defending [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], being used as interceptors, repeatedly failed to find the incoming bombers, even when they knew they were on their way, and seldom got themselves into positions to shoot them down.

Furthermore, when they did, the bombers (usually B-29 Superfortresses) had already made their runs over the intended targets of New York City, Los Angeles, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], Chicago and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

It was found that the RADAR-equipped wartime Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter was effective in locating and attacking the incoming SAC bombers, and also had the range to attack the bombers far from their intended targets.

In the late 1940s there were no suitable jet US interceptors yet developed, so the Black Widow was transitioned into the
ADC interceptor mission.

The F-61s available, however, were largely war-weary and the night fighter F-82C/D models were modified into an all-weather interceptor to replace it.

The production interceptor versions of the Twin Mustang were designated the F-82F and F-82G; the distinguishing feature between the F and G models was largely the nacelle beneath the center-wing that housed radar equipment (F-82F's AN/APG-28 and F-82G's SCR-720C18).

In addition, the interceptor version required numerous modifications.

The right side cockpit was replaced with a radar operator's position without flight controls.

A long radar pod, resembling a sausage and irreverently known as a "long dong," was attached to the underside of the center wing, below the six .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and with its dish in front of the propellers to prevent signal interference.

This unconventional arrangement was found not to affect the aircraft's performance seriously. Additionally the unit could be jettisoned in an emergency, or for belly landings; it was sometimes lost during high-G maneuvers.

F-82F models were designated for ADC units in the United States, while the F-82G models were deployed to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] for air defense of Japan and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. No F-82s were deployed to Europe.

The first F-82F models began to reach operational ADC squadrons in September 1948. By the end of September, ADC had 29 F-82Fs.

By the middle of 1949 the F-82 was replacing Black Widows in service with Air Defense Command along the west coast at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (317th FIS) and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (318th FIS, 319th FIS).

East coast defense was the mission of the Twin Mustangs assigned to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (2d FIS, 5th FIS).

In addition to the forces in the Continental United States, the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 319th FIS at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] received 15 F-82Fs in December 1948 to replace their Black Widows for the defense of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. The Twin Mustangs remained in Panama only briefly, being reassigned to McChord AFB in May 1949.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}

The Twin Mustang was phased out of ADC during 1950-1951 by the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien],
the last being with the 318th FIS at McChord in late 1951. Some were
sent to Alaska where they were modified into the F-82H configuration;
most, however, were sent to reclamation.

Far East Air Forces

See also: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

In the years following World War II, the Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (FEAF) primary air defense interceptor.

However, a chronic lack of spare parts and constant maintenance made it difficult to keep the war-weary aircraft in the air.

Until an all-weather jet interceptor was available, the F-82G Twin Mustang was seen as the interim solution.

The last operational P-61s were sent by the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to the reclamation yard at Tachikawa Air Base in February 1950, with Twin Mustangs arriving as replacement aircraft.

In Far East Air Forces, there were three squadrons operating the Twin Mustang consisting of 45 aircraft.

^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]} The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] was attached to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien],
Okinawa, with the mission of providing air defense within the Twentieth Air Force's area of responsibility during hours of darkness and inclement weather.

The 68th F(AW)S area would cover southern Japan from their base at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], with the 339th F(AW)S covering Tokyo and northern Japan from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

FEAF had about 40 Twin Mustangs assigned to the command.

With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, the F-82 was pressed into operational combat duty. On the night of 24/25 June 1950, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] F-82 aircrews standing alert at Itazuke AB were notified at 0400 that FEAF had received a report that North Korea had crossed the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and their mission was to fly to the area and report back on any activity seen on the main roads and railroads.

When the alert aircraft reached the area it was overcast with cloud tops at about 8,000 ft (2,438 m).

Using their airborne search radar, the Twin Mustangs flew through the clouds and broke out at about 2,000 ft (610 m), heading for [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] near [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The pilots observed huge convoys of North Korean trucks and other vehicles, including 58 tanks which had crossed into South Korea. Heading back into the clouds and turning back to Japan, the crews returned to Itazuke AB where they were debriefed by a U.S. Army colonel from General[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]'s staff.

This reconnaissance flight was later recorded as the first combat mission flown in the Korean War.

With this information, along with other intelligence reports available to them, FEAF confirmed that the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] had, indeed, launched a full-scale invasion of South Korea.

FEAF's first priority, however was to evacuate United States citizens.

On the morning of 26 June, the nearby Norwegian freighter Reinholte was sent to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] harbor to evacuate non-military personnel from Seoul, which lay directly in the invasion route.

A flight of Twin Mustangs from the 68th F(AW)S were dispatched to the area, arriving at dawn to provide air
protection for the evacuation.

Two of the F-82s were dispatched to fly over the road from Seoul, while others flew Top Cover over the Inchon docks.

The patrol went without incident until about 1300, when a pair of Soviet-built aircraft (the exact aircraft type has never been determined) came out of the clouds.

Orders given to the F-82 pilots prohibited any aggressive action, however the gun switches were activated when the leader tightened up his turn and peeled off at the F-82s with his wing man in close tail.

The F-82s dropped their external tanks, turned on combat power and started a climbing turn towards the North Korean aircraft.

For some reason, the North Korean leader fired while too far away with his bullets falling short of the Twin Mustangs.

The F-82s pulled up into the clouds and above the overcast, putting them in a position to return fire if the North Koreans followed them.

However, they did not, and no further contact was made for the rest of the day.

The evacuation at Inchon was successfully carried out with a total of 682 civilians being transported to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Once the bulk of civilians had been evacuated out of South Korea by ship, the priority of FEAF changed to a military nature.

The 339th F(AW)S received orders from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to move all available aircraft, along with crews and equipment to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to assist the 68th in providing air cover for the evacuation of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

However, the 339th's complement of aircraft were scattered over several bases at the time.

Seven F-82s were at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] which were flyable and two were in the hangar undergoing maintenance for major repairs.

Four other F-82s were at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on TDY.

The three at Yokota were dispatched immediately to Itazuke and well as the four at Misawa making a total of seven combat ready F-82Gs present for duty on 27 June. The 68th F(AW)S had a total of 12 operational F-82Gs.

This, combined with what the 339th could contribute was insufficient to meet the combat needs thrust upon FEAF.

The F-80 Shooting Star was available, but its thirsty jet engine meant it could only remain over the airfield for a few minutes before having to return to base and could not reach the forward combat area from Japan.

No USAF P-51 Mustangs were available, and the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] had not yet made a decision to commit to combat Korea, making the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Mustangs in Japan academic at this critical situation.

FEAF ordered [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to send eight F-82s from its 4th F(AW)S from Okinawa to Itazuke making a total of 27 F-82s available for combat duty.

This was commendable, considering that on 31 May 1950, a total of 32 F-82s existed within FEAF.

With these combined squadrons, the 347th Provisional Fighter Group (AW) was formed.
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Before dawn on 27 June, the 347th Provisional Group was up in the air over Korea, with a mission to provide cover for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] transports flying in and out of Kimpo Airfield safely as they moved the last civilians out.

Fearing that the North Korean Air Force might try to shoot down the transport (a C-54 had been destroyed on the ground at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] by North Korean fighters on 25 June), the Air Force requested air cover to protect the aircraft during takeoff. Fortunately, 339th Fighter All Weather Squadron (F(AW)S) with their F-82Gs were based at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and the 68th F(AW)S was based at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Japan.

With [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] John F. Sharp in command, 27 F-82Gs of the 35 in Japan answered the call. Arriving in the early morning, they orbited Kimpo Airfield in three flights, each above the other. Suddenly, at 1150 hours, a mixed lot of five North Korean fighters (Soviet-built [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], Yak-11s and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]) appeared, heading for the airfield.

One of the Yak-11s immediately scored several hits on 68th F(AW)S pilot Lt. Charles Moran's vertical stabilizer.

Moments later, Lt. William G. "Skeeter" Hudson, also of the 68th F(AW)S, initiated a high-G turn to engage the Yak.

Soon Hudson was closing in on the Yak's tail. He then fired a short burst at close range, scoring hits with his six .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns.

The Yak banked hard to the right, with the F-82G in close pursuit.

A second burst hit the Yak's right wing, setting the gas tank on fire and knocking off the right flap and aileron.

The North Korean pilot bailed out, but his observer, who was either dead or badly wounded, remained in the doomed aircraft.

Parachuting down to Kimpo Airfield, the North Korean pilot was immediately surrounded by South Korean soldiers.

Surprisingly, he pulled out a pistol and began firing at them.

The South Korean soldiers returned fire, killing the pilot. Moments later, Lt. Moran shot down an La-7 over the airfield, while a few miles away, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] James W. Little, commanding officer of the 339th F(AW)S, shot down another La-7.

The C-54 was able to escape safely. Of the five North Korean aircraft dispatched, only two returned to their base. In the process, Lt. William G. "Skeeter" Hudson, with his radar operator Lt. Carl Fraiser, had scored the first aerial "kill" of the Korean War.

Considering these crews had not been extensively trained in air-to-air gunnery, they came out of combat looking very good.

It is generally believed that the aircraft Hudson and Fraiser flew that day was an F-82G named "Bucket of Bolts" (s/n 46-383), as their usual aircraft was down for repairs.

"Bucket of Bolts" would survive the Korean War and eventually be reassigned to escort duty in Alaska.

It is believed to have been scrapped at Ladd AFB, Alaska in 1953.