One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University

1950
June 27: Authorized by a United Nations Security Council resolution, President
Harry S. Truman ordered the Air Force to enter the Korean conflict.
C–54, C–47, and C–46 transport aircraft from the 374th Troop
Carrier Wing and Headquarters Far East Air Forces began airlifting
hundreds of evacuees from Seoul and Suwon Airfields to Japan. They
were escorted by F–82s, F–80 jet fighters, and B–26 light bombers. On
the same day, an F–82 Twin Mustang pilot, 1st Lt. William G. Hudson,
earned the first aerial victory credit of the Korean War. He shot down
a North Korean Yak–11 that was attacking a South Korean airfield near
Seoul. Five other USAF pilots also shot down enemy airplanes.
June 28: The Far East Air Forces launched the first USAF air strikes of the
Korean War, sending more than 20 B–26s of the 3d Bombardment
Group to bomb the Munsan railroad yards near the 38th parallel and
rail and road traffic between Seoul and the North Korean border.
North Korean forces occupied Seoul, the South Korean capital, and
nearby Kimpo Airfield.
June 29: Eighteen B–26s of the 3d Bombardment Group, based in Japan,
attacked Heijo Airfield near Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, in
the first Far East Air Forces action against North Korea.
June 30: As Far East Air Forces began evacuation of Suwon Airfield near
Seoul, President Truman authorized the use of U.S. ground troops in
Korea and a naval blockade of North Korea.
July 1: North Korean Communist forces occupied Suwon Airfield, the last
major airfield in the Seoul area, ending the airlift from there and forcing
U.S. fighters to operate from bases much farther south. The first
U.S. troops arrived in South Korea by airlift, carried by 374th Troop
Carrier Wing transports from Japan to Pusan.
July 6: The U.S. Air Force conducted the first strategic air attacks of the
Korean War, sending nine B–29 Superfortresses to bomb the Rising
Sun oil refinery at Wonsan and a chemical plant at Hungnam in North
Korea.
July 14: The 35th Fighter-Interceptor Group moved from Japan to Pohang,
becoming the first USAF fighter group based in South Korea during
the Korean War. The 6132d Tactical Air Control Squadron, the first
tactical air control unit in the war, activated at Taegu.
August 5: Maj. Louis J. Sebille, USAF, crashed his severely damaged F–51
Mustang fighter into an enemy position. For this action, Major Sebille
earned the first Medal of Honor awarded to a member of the Air
Force.
August 10: The first two Air Force Reserve units were mobilized for Korean
War service. By 1953 all 25 Reserve flying wings had been mobilized.
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