Korean War photos 1950-53 COLOUR

Nice shots of Sabres and what looks to be a factory new Sikorsky H-19.

Also, did you note the Catalina in the background? I’d guess it’s an OA-10 which stayed in USAF service until the Albatross arrived.

Thanks! It really brings these planes and choppers to life — and often suggests the cold of Korea.

This was the golden era of the USAF buzz number, the large figure consisting of (usually) two letters denoting mission and design (e.g., FU for F-86) and the last three digits of the individual craft’s serial number. A few comments on the buzz numbers in the pictures in the first link:

FS-613-A This F-84 has a rare buzz number with a suffix, done only when two units of the same type had the same last three digits in their serials.

LTA-582 One of the LT-6G Texans used on “Mosquito” forward air control missions. As far as I know, this was the only type with a buzz number with a three-letter prefix.

RF-843 The RF prefix is a giveaway that this an RF-51 — note the camera windows aft of the cockpit.

FT-487 A Shooting Star with a fighter prefix even though it’s an RF-80 (camera window instead of gun ports). The olive drab paint on the upper surfaces is interesting — I’ve seen shots of an F-86 similarly painted as part of some USAF camouflage experiments about this time.

Excellent Kodachrome link, thank you