Korean War Air-Ground Glossary
Letters: A-Al ♦ Am-Az ♦ B-Bi ♦ Bi-Bz ♦ C-Cl♦ Co-Cz ♦ D ♦ E ♦ F-Fl ♦ Fm-Fz ♦ G ♦ Ha-Hf ♦ Hg-Hz ♦ I ♦ J ♦ K ♦ L ♦ M-Me ♦ Mf-Mz ♦ N ♦ O ♦ Pa-Pi ♦ Pj-Pz ♦ Q ♦ Ra-Ri ♦ Rj-Rz ♦ Sa-Sh ♦ Si-Sz ♦ Ta-Tg ♦ Th-Tz ♦ U ♦ V ♦ W ♦ X ♦ Y ♦ Z
Note: the Korean-War Air-Ground Glossary is under construction. New pages and images are being added daily. Find terms or phrases more easily by using the Google Search Engine above. Click on the Truckbusters From Dogpatch web site button.We welcome your suggestions for new slang or terms from the Korean War. Use the Contact link above to submit your term.
The Korean War Air Combat Glossary includes military terms, slang and definitions used by the Korean War veterans to whom Truckbusters From Dogpatch is dedicated.
To help establish additional military and air force history resources about the so-called "Forgotten War," the Glossary also includes biographical information, Korean War stories and photographs of many leaders of the 18th Fighter-Wing, Fifth Air Force and other senior military leaders whose decisions affected the missions and operations of the 18th Wing, 18th Fighter-Bomber Group and the Wing's associated squadrons. The Glossary includes many photographs and video of 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing Korean War air combat operations when they were flying the P-51 Mustang and the F-86 Sabrejet aircraft.
The list includes the names and where known, biographical information about those pilots and Airmen who lost their lives during 37 months of Korean War combat. The information is far from complete and will certainly be expanded through the efforts of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing Association and others.
The names of Two Squadron, South African Air Force (SAAF) fliers are also included.
Information on American pilots is drawn from the files of the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing Association, family records and recollections, and, where possible, from unit history reports. Sadly, even the unit histories were often incomplete or hasty in recording the status or circumstances of a pilot and his loss to the unit. When the unit history does mention the pilot, however briefly, that notation is included.
Excerpted from over 3,500 terms and definitions found in Truckbusters From Dogpatch
Letters: A-Al ♦ Am-Az ♦ B-Bi ♦ Bi-Bz ♦ C-Cl♦ Co-Cz ♦ D ♦ E ♦ F-Fl ♦ Fm-Fz ♦ G ♦ Ha-Hf ♦ Hg-Hz ♦ I ♦ J ♦ K ♦ L ♦ M-Me ♦ Mf-Mz ♦ N ♦ O ♦ Pa-Pi ♦ Pj-Pz ♦ Q ♦ Ra-Ri ♦ Rj-Rz ♦ Sa-Sh ♦ Si-Sz ♦ Ta-Tg ♦ Th-Tz ♦ U ♦ V ♦ W ♦ X ♦ Y ♦ Z
- Mf-Mz -
MFA - Military Flying Area
MHz - Megahertz, the frequency of radio carrier waves measured in millions of cycles per second.
MIA - Missing in Action
MIG Alley - The area between the Chongchon and Yalu Rivers in northwestern Korea—roughly bordered by Sinuiju/Antung, Changju , Huichon and Sinanju—where Communist air forces were numerically superior.
MIG-15 - Mikoyan “Fagot”: single-engine jet fighter (Soviet)
MIG-21 - Mikoyan “Fishbed”: single-engine jet fighter (Soviet)
Mil - Military
Milk run - Easy mission or assignment.
Million dollar wound - A wound serious enough to get you sent home, but from which one would recover with no permanent disabilities. “One man was shot through the fat of his leg--the million dollar wound, another broke his leg, one had his helmet creased by a bullet.” (Lt. Ken Barber’s Korean War diary)
MILSPEC - Military Specifications
MIS - Military Intelligence Service
Mission assignment - “Normally, all mission assignments will be extracted form the Fifth Air Force Operations Order for the day by A-3 [Operations Officer] of the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing, who will coordinate the assignment with S-3 section of the Group. Breakdown of commitments will be accomplished by Group Operations and distributed to each squadron in sufficient time to accomplish the assigned mission. Flight Scheduling for each mission will be at the discretion of the individual Squadron Commanders, however, care should be exercised to insure equitable distribution of missions to pilots in his organization.”
Pre-Flight Briefing. “A routine pre-flight briefing by the 18th Group Intelligence and Operations staff,” Col. Ed Mason explained. Briefing is Capt. Harold R. Edwards, 18th Group Intelligence Officer. Major John A. Kindig, infantry ground liaison officer attached to the 18th Wing, stands by to further brief the flight on recent intelligence reports. A weatherman will also brief the pilots on the weather situation over the target area. After the briefing, the flight will check out their personel equipment, including parachutes and helmets from the operations tents, check over their airplanes and “sweat out” the take off time. (L-R) (Seated) Lt. George Olsen, Capt. Ed Mason, 1st Lt. Ken Barber, and Capt. Charles Morehouse.
MLR - Main Line of Resistance or the location of the main battle lines or front lines.
MN - Magnetic North
Monologue - Early radio call sign for the 12th Fighter-Bomber Squadron.
Moolah - An offer in May 1953 to Red pilots of $50,000 and political asylum if they would deliver their MIG-15 to the UN forces. The objective was to obtain a flyable MIG-15 for testing and evaluation. Even if the ploy did not produce an airplane prior to the Armistice, General Clark hoped to make Red air commanders suspicious of regarding the loyalty of their pilots.
Mort - Mortar
Mortars - High-angle fire weapons, making them particularly suitable for Korea’s mountainous terrain.
Mosquito Mellow - Air borne forward air control aircraft, whose crew included U.S. Army personnel, relayed information to aircraft and could divert air strikes for greater efficiency. See Mellow Control.
Mosquito - A Fifth Air Force (FAF) fragmentary operations order issued on July 15, 1950 assigned airborne controllers radio call signs as “Mosquito Able,” Mosquito Baker,” and “Mosquito How.” The catchy call signs soon became the unofficial nickname for the “Mosquito squadron.” Soon, pilots were calling airborne controllers and their planes “Mosquitoes.” By August 1, 1950, the 614th Tactical Control Squadron (Airborne) was created and assigned to the FAF at Taegu. Almost immediately, the Eighth Army began to assign officers and NCOs to the “mosquito” squadron as observers to ride in the back seat of the T-6s patrolling the lines and controlling air strikes. Because the T-6s often flew far below the “radio horizon,” the 614th kept another plane orbiting at a much greater altitude—“Mosquito Mellow”—that relayed messages of the airborne controllers into the TACC. Mosquitos were seldom permitted to penetrate more than several miles into or over enemy territory.
MPC - Military Payment Certificate
MS - Manuscript
Msg - Message
MSgt - Master Sergeant
MSL - Mean Sea Level
MSR - Main Supply Route
MSTS - Military Sea Transportation Service
MTBF - Mean Time Between Failures
MTD - Mobile Training Detachment. “Pilots were scheduled to attend a 10 day MTD course consisting of 40 hours of instruction and a short ground school course conducted by the CCTF unit (see). Concurrently, they started flying in the T-33 for jet familiarization and progressed into the F-86 early in February,” the 12th reported.
Mustang - (Air Force) Name of the F-51 Mustang fighter plane, a single engine, propeller driven aircraft, primarily used for fighter-bomber missions during the Korean War. (Navy) Officer promoted from the enlisted ranks.