TRUCKBUSTERS FROM DOGPATCH
The Combat Diary of the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing in the Korean War, 1950-1953
Truckbusters from Dogpatch, a remarkable, 712-page, true-life account of the U.S. Air Force’s 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing from 1950 to 1953, the time during which their heroic air-combat efforts flying F-51 “Mustang” fighter-bombers helped save South Korea from occupation by North Korean and Chinese military forces.
Truckbusters from Dogpatch is the most comprehensive Korean War unit history yet prepared--over 700 pages summarizing squadron histories and first person accounts—and includes over 1,000 never before published photographs and images, highlighted by the 8 ½ x 11-inch format. Arguably, Truckbusters From Dogpatch is the most authoritative unit history ever prepared on the Korean War. In addition to consulting formerly classified squadron histories filed monthly throughout the conflict, the author was in touch with hundreds of veterans of the 18th—pilots and ground crew—whose personal recollections add vivid detail and emotion to the facts recounted in the official documents.
Click here to see and hear Captain Connors explain why he wrote Truckbusters From Dogpatch.
Truckbusters From Dogpatch documents the records established by the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing during 37 months of arduous, costly combat—chronicling the events, accomplishments and sacrifices by some of the bravest “characters” in American military history who bequeathed an important heritage to subsequent generations serving in the U.S. Air Force. It moves past the relative sterility of fact and data, to reach a better understanding of the personalities behind the facts and data. It is not intended to be a comparative study of “props vs. jets” or to compare one unit’s statistics to another and thereby declare a “winner.”
Air-Ground Combat Videos
For the first time, air combat film taken by pilots of the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing during its 37 months of Korean War service is available on this site.
Subjects of videos include:
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See the Legendary 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing in Korean War Combat (Just Released)
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Living conditions (deplorable)
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Mustangs on the flight line
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Mission preparation by the dedicated ground crews
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Take offs and landings from K-46 and K-16
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Close Air Support
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The history-making 45,000th mission by Capt. Elliott Ayer
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F-86 versus Mig-15
18th FBW in combat...gun camera film
Monthly records and reports were used to establish a helpful context and matrix into which as much information as possible could be included that profiled and spotlighted the men actually earning the records. As such, Truckbusters becomes for the reader a gritty, dusty, tent city full of the sounds, smells and character of those who served with the 18th in Korea—pilots, ammorers, mechanics, clerks, medics, and supply sergeants—who still live and speak and fret and worry about how to keep their F-51 Mustang “Spam Cans” flying. They also teach us important lessons about professionalism, dedication, commitment, bravery, fear, sacrifice and humanity—lessons we should never forget, lest democracy and freedom themselves become potential victims.
Highlights of Truckbusters From Dogpatch...
Bowker BookWire Reviews... accorded a 3 1/2 star review, the highest rating of any listed book to Truckbusters From Dogpatch.
"With more than 1,000 black-and-white photographs and an engaging page layout somewhere between magazine and scrapbook, Truckbusters from Dogpatch is a rich historical document, entertaining read, and ode to the dedication, professionalism, creative problem-solving, and sacrifice of more than 3,500 of the Air Force's finest. Author Tracy D. Connors has done a truly admirable job in writing and assembling this book. From the macroscopic view of the Wing's role in the war, to the workarounds crew chiefs used to keep their Mustangs in the air, Truckbusters from Dogpatch is fascinating, informative, and visceral."
- Bowker BookWire
Read the complete Bowker BookWire review
Don't Pass The Buck...
With his humorous, wry insights, Buck Matthews writing style is reminiscent of Lewis Grizzard. Matthews was a student at Ohio Wesleyan University when the Korean War broke out. After enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 and training as a ground radio operator, he was assigned to the 18th Communications Squadron in late 1951. Following his discharge from military service in 1954, he spent more than 40 years as a broadcaster, writer, and public speaker.
You will want to see and hear his previously unpublished photographs and his fascinating recollections of life at Dogpatch during the Korean War.
One Lucky Fighter Pilot
Col. William May, Korean War Commander of the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. I won’t say I’ve never told “War Stories”, I’m sure I have, but this is what I’m telling here. I’m not sure who I’m telling it to, but I want to tell it.
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