MiG Alley: Air to Air Combat over Korea - Aircraft Specials series

Squadron Aircraft Specials #6020

by Larry Davis

A pictorial record of the American pilots who ran up a 10 to 1 victory ratio over the MiG-15. In the pilots own words of what it was like to fly the F-86 Sabre against North Korea & Soviet pilots. 145 photos, 7 maps, 28 dwgs, 40 full color paintings, 10 photos. 80 pages.

Paperback

First published October 1, 1984

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg]

Another thrift store/Charity Shop find for me- and one I found very interesting. Larry Davis, Squadron/Signal Publications veteran aviation author presents us with a good selection of photos of the Korean Air War- along with some basic history and a lot of great after action reports/memories from the American pilots who participated. While the overall book covers the whole air war- the real meat of it is the battles between the Soviet/Chinese/Korean MiGs and the Americans pilots who flew the F86 Sabre jets- the only UN aircraft that could consistently best the Soviet swept wing airframe. I read other books about the MiG killers when I was a kid-so getting re-acquainted with names like Jabara (15 Kills) and Fernandez (14) was a trip down memory lanes. The pages are filled with b/w photos of aircraft in the air and on the ground, and the pilots whose stories are told, with a great colour center section with silhouette schemes of many of the aircraft discussed. If you don't know much about the Korean Air war, this is a good basic book to bring anyone up to speed.

The North Koreans attacked South Korea with over 200 WWII era propeller aircraft at the start of the War. The US responded with a mainly Propeller driven force that pretty rapidly erased the North Koreans from the skies and established Air Supremacy for the UN forces. But as the UN forces got near the Yalu river border with China, and began to try B-29 raids of the northermost North Korean bases , the Chinese Volunteer Army appeared to drive back the ground forces, and Stalin released the New Soviet Interceptor, the MiG-15 for use in Korea. The USAF was shocked by the the speed and gunpower of the Soviet's new toy- and outclassed F-80s and F-84s were soon supplanted by the F-86- America's swept wing interceptor- heretofore kept stateside to stop Soviet long range bombers. Soon the MiG's only advantages were a higher ceiling and climb rate- things that America's more experienced fliers (almost all were WWII vets with many Messerschmitts and Mitsubishis already shot down) could overcome. "MiG Alley" was the strip of land below the Yalu along the border with North Korea, where for several year Sabres and MiGs would tussle almost every day. The US pilots usually won, as about 8 MiGs were lost for every Sabre downed- but this book explains it was never easy. With the Korean War fading from popular memory as I write in 2025, this book reminds us of a key Cold War conflict.

There are not a lot of adult themes, save communism, and not much graphic injury description, so this is a good book for the Junior Reader over 10/11 years with an Aviation interest. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, at whom this book is aimed, it's a rich package. I think with a little work, many of the episodes in the narrative could be turned into scenarios for Blood Red Skies/Aerial Combat Rulesets and those silhouette schemes give good painting guides. The Modeler will also find a lot of help with Build and Diorama ideas for both Jets and the many prop planes that flew in this war. The Military Enthusiast gets a good curated photo collection from the Korean war- as well as useful if not exhaustive prose sections and those great After Action reports that bring the conflict to life for the reader. General audience readers, who might now know anything about the Korean War from school can get filled in on a key aspect of the start of the Cold War.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1978, 'MiG Alley - Air to Air Combat over Korea' is another in the Squadron/Signal series of publications telling the story in well captioned photos accompanied by artworks and other illustrations. Clearly aimed at the aviation modeller, this provides some excellent inspiration for modellers starting a project in the area of interest.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the color plates are good for modelers it enhances the grainy black and white photos of the time. The bits of history of the air war in Korea set the background for the first person pilot reports of air combat, which made the book enjoyable.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book based on the pictures mostly for modelers. There is nothing new other than looking at the cool pictures which are some excellent finds. Most of the information is combat reports which make it worthwhile from that standpoint to read.