Volume 8 Number 1 Spring 2000 - Sabre Pilots Association

The 'Ace of Aces', Colonel Frances Gabreski leans on the
wing of a 4th FIG F-86A at Suwon in the Summer of 1951.
'Gabby' scored 2 kills with the 4th FIG, and another 4 1/
2 kills with the 51st FIG, becoming the 8th 'Ace' in the
Korean War. (credit - USAF)
As I flew past the MiG, he had rolled inverted, starting
an almost vertical dive. I was sure he had lost his engine
and would ultimately crash. With that I rejoined
with Gabby, who was in a right turn looking for other
bandits. I had just regained my position on Gabby's wing,
when he again dove for the deck. This time though, the
descent was much more gradual. As we leveled off at
about 6,000 feet, he opened fire at a MiG at a range of
about 1500 feet.
1 watched as numerous pieces of the MiG's tail started
to come off as Gabby's rounds found their mark. The
MiG took no evasive action, continued a slight descending
path, crossed the Taedong River, and crashed into a
hill on the south bank. At this point, we were both at a
Three 'Aces' equals 1 6 1/2 MiGs. (1-r) Captain Dick Becker,
and Captain 'Hoot' Gibson, receive congratulations from
Colonel Gabreski on 9 September 1951, the day both
pilots scored their 5th MiG kill. All three pilots are members
of the F-86 Sabre Pilots Assn. (credit - Dick Becker)
very low altitude, both at Bingo fuel, and the radio chatter
had subsided to the point that it was obvious the
Migs had left, and we started for home.
As we climbed back to altitude enroute back to Suwon,
I asked Gabby - "Was that two?" He replied - "Negative."
And said nothing further all the way back. At the debriefing,
he explained that he had attacked a single MiG,
which dove for the deck and leveled off, probably hoping
to escape another beating like the one he had just
sustained. But Gabby saw him again. It's highly unlikely
that he'd have been able to make the 100 mile flight
back to Antung anyway. Gabby got the kill and I was a
good wingman, which is what they were paying me for
at the time.
The B-29A behind the 4th FIG F-86A was damaged by MiG cannon fire during a raid on the Yalu River bridges in the
Summer of 1951, but li mped back as far as Suwon AB where it made an emergency landing. The 307th BG Superfortress
suffered extensive damage and never flew again. 4th FIG maintenance people, rigged up some large canvas tarps over
the wings and used the B-29 as an impromptu. open-air engine shop. (credit - Iry Clark)
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