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Case Studies in the Achievement of Air Superiority - Air Force ...

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AIR SUPERIORITY<br />

F9F-2 Pan<strong>the</strong>r jets over <strong>the</strong> port area <strong>of</strong> Wonsan, North Korea.<br />

qualified as those fly<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>the</strong> U.N. command, and <strong>the</strong> only modern aircraft<br />

<strong>the</strong>y possessed were jet fighters <strong>of</strong> limited range which were ill-suited<br />

for ground attack operations. Moreover, all <strong>the</strong>ir aircraft and parts were<br />

supplied by <strong>the</strong> Soviet Union, which meant that basic decisions about <strong>the</strong><br />

Ch<strong>in</strong>ese air order <strong>of</strong> battle were made <strong>in</strong> Moscow. The Ch<strong>in</strong>ese air leaders<br />

apparently believed <strong>the</strong>y could deny air superiority to <strong>the</strong> U.N. command<br />

even with <strong>the</strong>se limitations. When events proved o<strong>the</strong>rwise, <strong>the</strong> air superiority<br />

battle took a new turn.<br />

Phase 111 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Air</strong> War: July 10, 1951-July 27, 1953<br />

In late May 1951, General Stratemeyer, FEAF Commander, was<br />

stricken with a heart attack. His formal replacement (General Partridge had<br />

taken temporary command <strong>of</strong> FEAF before return<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> U.S. to head<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Research and Development Command) was Lt. Gen. Otto I-? Weyland,<br />

who had been FEAF’s Vice Commander <strong>in</strong> 1950 (succeed<strong>in</strong>g General<br />

Partridge) until he was appo<strong>in</strong>ted head <strong>of</strong> Tactical <strong>Air</strong> Command <strong>in</strong> April<br />

1951. Weyland wanted to <strong>in</strong>crease FEAF’s <strong>in</strong>terdiction campaign, and he<br />

requested FEAF Headquarters staff to exam<strong>in</strong>e possible Ch<strong>in</strong>ese and<br />

476

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