Any ideas about North Korea?

Close to what i posted just a minute ago, but since its the “Victorious Fatherland War Museum” and not a aircraft/aerospace museum, I’m pretty sure they have used wrecks on purpose.

No point of showing the enemy to have been strong (or posessing better technology).

This might not mean, that they have better aircraft somewhere else, just that I don’t think the wrecks on display mean anything.

An interesting thread. I had often wondered the same thing. On discussing it with a veteran of the conflict previously, he raised the point that some of the piston aircraft may have survived, but most of the jets would have “created a crater”.

Like JoeB, I’ve seen the images of allied aircraft on display, but they were seemingly pieced together wrecks on static display.

As for getting access to the region…..

Cheers

Owen

Hi Joe,

Thanks for clearing up the F-51 location. I simply grapped the picture somewhere and placed it here as described.

I have seen a few pictures from “Victorious Fatherland War Museum” and just assumed the state of the “Yankee” planes was deliberate, to show the people what little there was left of the enemy. In other words – propaganda.

From your post it seems that the “best” possibility is of finding a wreck, and not whole abandoned aircraft.

Seems too much trouble to battle the North Korean state beaurocracy, just to get the chance of finding a wreck, which could be found in other parts of the world.

Of cause there is a question of MIA airmen, but I’m sure the US is working on that.

I came across this picture. Its a P-51 (or did they call them F-51 then) on display in North Korea (at least that what the caption said).

But besides those shot down, does anyone know if aircraft was left behind for technical reasons, or simply discarded and left?

The stone in the foreground says: Air Force Hill 351 combat support operations memorial, ie. that memorial is in South Korea, memoralizing ROKAF ground support with F-51’s in the Battle for Hill 351 (a notable episode for their AF in the Korean War).

On general question, the ‘Victorious Fatherland War Museum’ in Pyongyang (NK) has some US a/c, but seem to all be pieced together wrecks not ones restored to flying condition (just from seeing pictures).

US a/c operated from bases in North Korea between the collapse of the (North) Korean People’s Army after the Inchon invasion (late Sep 1950), to when the UN forces were driven out of NK in the winter of 50-51. Some had to be destroyed to prevent capture, and in such situations destruction is often not 100% complete. In 1951 there were several reports of a captured F-80 operating for the enemy, but AFAIK the real story is unknown. Later, in October 1951, a USAF F-86 bellied on a mudflat off the NK coast and was recovered and returned to flying condition by the Soviets (flown back in the USSR though, not over North Korea). A thread here covered it, that case is well documented unlike the mysterious F-80 case.

There were also reports of enemy F-51’s over Korea, but it’s fairly easy to confuse different types of in-line piston fighters. Also the Chinese Communists definitely operated F-51’s (they’d captured from the Nationalists) inside China, so if one was sent to NK it wouldn’t necessarily have been one captured directly from the US.

But the F-51 case is also unconfirmed, the F-86 case is the only certain one, AFAIK.

Joe

I have read about sat pics of a Corsair, but thats really all i could find.

isn’t there an MoH Corsair still where it it was put down in an emergency?