gray01 Jan-Feb 2011_Gray01_Jan-Feb 2005.qxd - Korean War ...

Left, the alert shack at
K-13
At right, Harry Bauser
displays a “tow” used
to pull aircraft at K-
13. The barrels in the
rear are filled with
sand and stacked
there to halt the hot
air blast from the
engine when a plane
is parked and ready
for a mission
An Army artillery
position at K-13,
located next to the
alert shack
Occasionally, during the night we were
awakened by the air raid siren indicating a
red air alert. These were caused by the
Communist North Koreans flying what we
called “Bedcheck Charlie” aircraft flying
across the front lines to inflict whatever
damage they could to our most northern
air bases. The planes used by them were
all piston-engine prop aircraft like the
Russian built Yak-18 and the PO-2.
The PO-2 aircraft in particular was
built with wood and fabric and fitted with
bomb racks. It was invisible to radar and
impervious to infrared seekers because of
its small engine, making it a stealth-type
aircraft. Air defense of our base at Suwon
was the responsibility of the Army. If I
recall, they were called “SCARWAF” personnel,
who were assigned to the Air
Force base.
They were situated out in the open, barren
perimeter of the air base in tents. The
SCARWAF personnel had anti-aircraft 50
caliber machine guns mounted on halftrack
vehicles. These intrusions by the
communists where mostly for harassment,
and did little or no damage. But, when the
sirens blew, we still ran outside into the
sandbag shelters. A few of these piston
aircraft were shot down in our area by a
Navy pilot flying a piston-engine, landbased
WWII-era Corsair fighter.
I also remember the night the sky was
glowing bright orange during a red air
alert when some communist planes
bombed some oil storage tanks in the port
city of Inchon. The 51st
Fighter Wing shared the
one and only runway at my
airbase with the 8th
Fighter-Bomber Wing.
They flew the F-80s and
then changed over to the
F86s, flying ground support
and bombing missions.
Also on that side of the
base was a squadron of F-
94 all weather-radar
equipped jets, which was
always on overnight alert to also protect
the airbase. These jet planes proved to be
too fast to engage the slow moving
“Bedcheck Charlie” piston prop planes.
Nevertheless, they were a comforting factor
when they would scramble and take off
with their engine afterburners blasting
away during a red air alert.
We had a few Marine Corps pilots
assigned temporarily to the 51st Fighter
Wing while I was there. One in particular
was a then Major John Glenn, who later
became an astronaut and a U.S. Senator
from Ohio. While with us, he shot down
three Mig-15s. On the aircraft assigned to
him he had “Mig Mad Marine” painted in
big letters on the left side of the fuselage.
Harold (Harry) Bauser, 8 Redwood Rd.,
Saugerties, New York, 12477, (845)-246-
5818
Aircraft 584, “Mig Mad Marine,” piloted by USMC Maj John Glenn,
an exchange pilot at K-13
17
The Graybeards
January – February 2011