Korean War Begins
Sunday, June 25, 1950
On Sunday, June 25th, FEAF duty officers at the Meiji GHQ building in Tokyo were shocked by reports early that morning coming from U.S. Korean Military Advisory Group (KMAG) field advisors that Communist North Korea troops had unexpectedly invaded the Republic of Korea (ROK).
Far East Air Forces headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
Thousands of North Koreans were pouring across the 38th parallel and forcing South Korean defenders to withdraw southward in the face of far superior numbers of troops and armor.
By 0900 the South Korean town of Kaesong had fallen. This was no raiding party, this aggressive military force was organized, equipped and determined to conquer the Republic of Korea.
U.S. commands responded in those first hours by alerting their military personnel in the area to possible operations and preparing to carry out any directives and policy established by Washington. Military actions would depend on political decisions and orders.
“On Sunday, June 25th, the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing was made aware of the invasion of South Korea,” Col. Stan Chatfield recalled. “Sundays were not generally training days, although most of the personnel were on base at Clark AFB. I received a call from Lt. Col. Wintermute to meet with him and the Wing Commander, Colonel Davies, at Wing Headquarters, where we were briefed on the situation. We were told to make preparations for deployment to Korea of a cadre of pilots in the near future. This was to become the ‘Dallas’ Project.”
The next morning, Monday, June 26, FEAF ordered Fifth Air Force (FAF) to provide fighter cover for freighters loading refugees in Inchon Harbor. It was the first U.S. military response.
As the air arm for General Douglas MacArthur’s Southwest Pacific Area Theater, Far East Air Force’s (FEAF) mission was to ensure an active air defense for the FEAF area, including Japan, the Ryukyus, the Marianas, and American bases in the Philippines. Its missions included that of maintaining a mobile air striking force and to provide air support of operations in cooperation with Army and Navy commanders.
The Joint Chiefs also approved the use of armed force if it was necessary to ensure the safe evacuation of Americans from Korea.
[A time difference of 14 hours exists between Korea and Washington, D.C. Sunday, 0400 in Korea is the same as Saturday, 1400 in Washington, D.C.]
Fifth Air Force immediately set out to establish air superiority over South Korea, “partially to prevent the North Korean air force from attacking ROK forces and to protect evacuation forces.”
When North Korean aircraft appeared over Kimpo and Suwon Airfields, U.S. Air Force aircraft flying air cover engaged the enemy in the first air battle of the war.
By Monday evening, June 26th South Korean President Syngman Rhee was advising American Ambassador Muccio that the North Korean tanks then approaching Seoul could not be stopped and that the South Korean government was moving to Taejon immediately.
An emergency air evacuation from Seoul was ordered.
Far East Air Forces used Kimpo Airfield near Seoul and Suwon Airfield some twenty miles south of the capital for emergency air evacuation of 748 persons to Japan on C-54s, C-47s, and C-46s.
By midnight on June 27th, nearly 800 people had been flown to safety in Japan. All were removed safely, but only because Air Force fighter cover protected the transport aircraft from circling Yak fighters.
Fighter cover was all that U.S. air forces were providing at that early hour, FEAF planes were not released to go after North Korean ground forces. The U.S. was not about to enter a new war, less than five years after World War Two had ended, until it could be seen whether or not the South Korean military could win its own battles without outside assistance. That answer was not long in coming.
Within hours, the three ROK divisions protecting the South Korean Capital first attacked and then were driven back by the far better equipped North Korean forces. As the broken ROK units streamed toward the Han River, General MacArthur advised the JCS that the Republic of Korea would not survive without active American military assistance.
Despite hastily planned attacks by U.S. Air Force units, “the invaders quickly captured South Korea’s capital, Seoul, overran the port of Inchon, seized the airfield at Kimpo, and threatened the city of Suwon.”