Korean War Air-Ground Glossary
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
- Y -
Lt. Kenneth Barber and his TACP (Tactical Air Control Party) Team inspected this destroyed North Korean YAK fighter on the ground at Yongpo airfield in December 1950.
Yak-18 - Yakovlev: single-engine trainer (Soviet)
Yak-9 - Yakovlev “Frank”: single-engine fighter (Soviet)
Yalu River - The 491-mile long Yalu River flows from Mount Paektu in central North Korea westward to the Yellow Sea.
Yechon, Battle of - On July 20, 1950, at the town of Yechon, the first successful counterattack of the Korean War was launched.
Yellow Sea - The Yellow Sea lies between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula and forms the west border of Korea.
Yo-yo maneuvers - Developed shortly after Mustangs were introduced into the Korean conflict. “Instead of two or more ships going in to search or attack a target simultaneously, we’d keep one ship high—above 2000 feet, just high enough to stay out of much small arms (rifle and machine gun) range—while the other went down onto the deck. Then, if the enemy fired on the attacking plane, the top-cover could usually spot the muzzle blasts and be able to dive in to attack, while the first attacker would pull up to fly “shotgun,” continuing the one up, one down coverage for as long as there were targets in the area.” (Lt. Col. Duane Biteman).
Yo-Yo - All attacks pressed by enemy jet type fighters “were made from altitude and a “yo-yo” pattern (i.e. Dive and Zoom) would be established. With the conventional type aircraft an enemy peculiarity was revealed. Whether pressing an attack and/or fleeing from an attack, these fighters (Yak-9 type) would turn with great maneuverability and/or snap-roll, sometimes 3 or 4 snap-rolls, followed by a split “S”. 40 Maneuver reintroduced in June 1951 by Communist MIG pilots in which 20 or more of them would establish orbits over UN air formations, then “preferably from up-sun and usually in elements of two, the MIG’s dived downward and attacked United Nations aircraft from high astern,; and, finally, the elements zoomed back up into the pool of orbiting MIG’s overhead.” 41 “On another day, while in a mock dogfight with another pilot, I found myself turning the P-51 as tight as I could, and not improving my position. He was gaining slightly, or we were staying equal to each other in the turn. No matter how tight I turned, he was able to stay even. Without having any other ideas, I started diving the plane within the turn and pulling up towards my opponent’s airplane and pulling up above the turning plane and diving at him. In this manner I was able to slowly gain and finally ended up on his tail. Years later the fighter school at Nellis AFB started calling this maneuver the Yo-Yo. I’d been doing it for years and didn’t know what it was!” explained Col. Howard “Scrappy” Johnson.