Foreword
Truckbusters From Dogpatch
by
Lt. General Devol "Rock" Brett, USAF-Ret.
Fighting 39th-Nickname for the 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. Also, “Cobra in the Clouds” Squadron.
There can be no question the Truckbusters of Dogpatch understood completely the mission of the United States Air Force--with it being the bedrock of their lives.
For those of us privileged and proud to be Truckbusters fighter pilots, we lived on a daily basis the dynamic application of the Air Force Mission made possible by the extraordinary efforts of all members of the Wing.
Time and time again our maintenance and armament personnel under the toughest climatic and environmental conditions prepared our war-weary Mustangs for combat. From a combat fighter pilot’s viewpoint their efforts were never-ending miracles. The same held true for all members of the Wing with each in his own specialty contributing significantly to the Wing’s effective achievement of the Air Force Mission.
I had the opportunity to verify over and over the awesome performance of the Truckbusters, first as a combat fighter pilot assigned to the 39th Fighter Squadron and later as its Operations Officer; and then as a Senior Operations Duty Officer in the Joint Operations Center (JOC) at Headquarters Fifth Air Force.
In each of these positions I was always greatly impressed and pleased with the performance of the Truckbusters--dependability and effectiveness were always present in mission accomplishment.
Over the many years since those times I have been reminded of the awesome tactical fighter combat achievements of the Truckbusters when compared to other combat fighter units to which I have been assigned.
The Truckbusters flew every possible type mission that could be done by a fighter aircraft and on almost a daily basis. During my observation time daily large formations north (Gaggles) to almost the Yalu River were done three times a day and into extremely well defended areas with aircraft shoot-downs and/or battle damage a constant hazard. These gaggles demanded the utmost from the maintenance and armament personnel in terms of rapid refueling, armament loading and battle damage repair to meet the need for a quick turnaround.
Four “Cobras.” Lt. Ernest “Ernie” Wakehouse, Capt. John Taylor, Jr., Capt. Devol “Rock” Brett and Lt. Fred Rockmaker of the 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron after a 1951 mission with the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing.
At the same time there was always a squadron on Close Air Support (CAS) alert, again demanding quick turnarounds. And it never seemed to fail that a requirement for a special mission would be placed upon the Wing necessitating a unique configuration with an instant response.
I remember the day at K-46 [Hoengsong, SK] when the JOC needed immediately, as many as possible, of our aircraft configured with fuel tanks to search in the Yellow Sea for downed B-29 aircrews. The ’29’s had been on a daylight mission well north in North Korea.
I had just returned from a gaggle and we did a quick turn around and headed out to sea. It was a very long mission--about seven hours--and we did spot some dingies (yellow one-man inflatable life rafts) and directed the Dumbo’s (SA-16 Amphibians) to them.
Based on this mission and many other rescue escort missions I believe the Korean Mustangs were the founders of the A-1 Sandy roles in Vietnam and the current A-10 Sandy missions which were and are so critical to effective Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) Escort Missions.
I honestly believe that no other Fighter Wing during the Korean War came even close to performing such diverse, challenging and tough missions, as did the Truckbusters. If one statistically measures the cost effectiveness of all types of ground targets destroyed the Truckbusters would come out clearly on top.
Case in point, unlike the fighter bomber Jets, we Mustang drivers on almost every mission hit more than one target and frequently two, three or more with our bombs, rockets and .50-caliber ammo and rarely came home with any ordnance on board having expended it on either the assigned target or targets of opportunity.
For us Mustang drivers North Korea was always a target rich environment, as we could take the time and get down low to find targets and then work them over with deliberate skill.
I would be in arrears if I did not dedicate some deserved space in this Introduction to Truckbuster personnel.
When I was assigned to the 39th Fighter Squadron in August of 1951 I was a regular officer and a graduate of West Point. I had no combat experience, but had been assigned to two P-47 fighter units in Europe and had quite a bit of time in both the P-51D and P-51H.
The personnel assigned to these outfits were all regular officers and enlisted.
My first experience with Reserve and Air National Guard personnel was upon being assigned to the 39th. To me this was then and is now very important, as the Reserves, both officers and enlisted, made up the majority of Wing Personnel. In every respect they were absolutely superior individuals, not only being incredibly dedicated and patriotic, but their experience and professional skills made the never-ending exceptional performance of the Truckbusters possible. In modern terms they made the outstanding performance of the Wing a “GIVEN”!
I still remember in detail many of these wonderful individuals and have treasured always my times with them. They taught me a great deal about combat fighter flying which served me well in my subsequent many years of flying fighters both in combat and peace; but most of all I learned from them the true meaning of the words dedication, loyalty and service; all of which equates to the motto of West Point, “Duty, Honor and Country.”
It is a significant honor and privilege to be asked by Captain Tracy Connors to write the Introduction to the “Truckbusters of Dogpatch,” as the story of this awesome and so unique a Wing is long overdue. It is a saga that clearly illustrates the gathering and performance of the best, brightest and bravest group of combat fighter pilots and their exceptional support personnel that I have ever known.
For me my days as a Truckbuster are truly amongst the very finest days of my life and believe me, as I look back from my ninth decade there have been some great days.
With profound admiration and respect, Devol “Rock” Brett Mustang Pilot Lt. General, USAF (Ret.)