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
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L-19 - In the late 1940’s the United States Army issued a requirement for a light two seat observation and liaison monoplane aircraft. Cessna Aircraft. Combat roles for the L-17 included artillery spotting, scouting and reconnaissance. “For the first time, the U.S. Army began using its own aircraft, the L-19 Bird Dog, for forward air control, artillery spotting, and other front-line duties, relieving Fifth Air Force of demands for these types of missions.”
LAB - Low Angle Bomb (Napalm)
LAS - Low Angle Strafe
LAT - Latitude
Lawrence, Lt. Col. Henry W. “Hank” - On 31 March 1951, Lt. Col. Lawrence relieved Lt. Col. William E. May as Commanding Officer of the 67th Squadron. Lawrence was relieved by Major Carl C. Colson in June 1951.
LCVP - Landing craft, vehicle, personnel
Ldr - Leader
Levenson, Col. Seymour - Commander, 18th Fighter-Bomber Group. On 30 November 1951, Colonel Seymour M. Levenson, assumed command of the 18th Fighter-Bomber Group from Colonel Ralph H. “Salty” Saltsman, “the ever popular and efficient Group Commander,” who departed for the States. Lt. Col. Henry W. Lawrence was assigned as Group Executive Officer.
LITTLE SWITCH - Operation Little Switch, April 20–May 3, 1953, was the initial exchange of sick and wounded prisoners of the Korean War that was agreed to during the truce talks at Panmunjom on April 11, 1953. The Communist side repatriated 684 U.N. sick and wounded troops, while the UNC turned over 1,030 Chinese and 5,194 Koreans. The exchange was marked by demonstrations by the prisoners designed to embarrass UN forces by throwing away food and clothing that had been issued to them.
Log - Logistical
LON - Longitude
Long, Lt. Col. Stanley A. - Commanding Officer, 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron from April 1952, succeeding Lt. Col. Julian Crow. Born in August 1918, during WWII he flew with the 11th AF in the Aleutian Theater as CO of the 54th Fighter Squadron flying the P-38 Lightning aircraft. During 100 missions in the Lightning, he scored three kills on Japanese aircraft. Between WWII and the Korean War, he was the owner and operator of “Long’s Air Activities” and taught flying courses to civilian pilots.
Loran - Low-frequency radio long-range navigation system; measures time difference between reception of synchronized signals transmitted from ground transmitters.
Col. Curtis Low
Low, Col. Curtis R. - Commander, 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 1 December 1950-1 February 1951. On 5 July 1951, Col. Low received the Korean Presidential Unit Citation on behalf of the Wing” presented by Maj. Gen. Kim Chung Yul, chief of staff of the Republic of Korea Air Force.
Ltr - Letter
Lufberry - A tight circling turn, usually horizontal. A common practice when attacked from the rear was to make a tight turn, the ‘Lufberry Circle’, causing the less maneuverable jets to fly past. “It is important that one man control the rescue. It will be his responsibility to establish high and low cover and to neutralize the ground fire in the vicinity of the downed pilot prior to the arrival of the rescue aircraft. When the rescue aircraft reaches the location of the downed pilot, a luftberry [tight turning circle] should be established around the rescue aircraft so as to discourage ground fire and keep the rescue operation under constant observation.” [18th Fighter-Bomber Wing Combat Operating Procedures] Additional insights were provided by Lt. Col. Duane “Bud” Biteman. The Lufberry, in the described case, is a slight misuse of the term. The original Lufberry maneuver was developed by a French-American Raoul Luftberry, who moved to Connecticut in 1904 and became a U.S. citizen. In WWI he joined the Lafayette Escadrille, was eventually credited with 17 “kills” and was killed in combat on 19 May 1918. A Lufberry is nothing more than a very tight turn, usually almost horizontal, to prevent the trailing attacker, who is also in a very tight turn, from sighting far enough ahead of your aircraft to “lead it” and for his bullets to possibly strike your aircraft. It’s an effective defensive maneuver, but sooner or later one or the other aircraft is going to have to break out of the circle—and that is the moment of greatest danger because the enemy can follow and fire straight on. The use of the term Lufberry in the unit history report is therefore erroneous, and instead should have been described simply as a “tight circle” around the downed pilot, rather than a Lufberry. It takes at least “Two to Tango” in order to fly a Lufberry Circle.
LW - Light Weight