<p>Hence, the limited war in Korea, the first fought by US forces. Hindsight, so liberally applied by conservative spokesmen, decries the actions taken then. In June 1950, the view forward was not clear at all. Besides, the USAF was a weak reflection of its wartime greatness.
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<p>The Republic of Korea (RoK) air force would be no help; the 16 trainers and liaison types had not a single bomb rack or machine gun mount among them. Fortunately, the North Korean AF was weak, numbering 62 Il-10 attack aircraft, about 70 Yak piston-engined fighters, and some supporting planes. Its first combat was its first defeat, when five Yaks struck Kimpo about noon on 27 June. In less than five minutes, three were burning on the ground. The first USAF kill was credited to Lieutenant William G. Hudson, 68th FAWS. An hour later, eight Il-10s made the same mistake, and four were flamed by four Lockheed F-80Cs of the 35th Fighter-Bomber Squadron.
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<p>That evening, President Truman told MacArthur to send the USAF and Navy to battle. MacArthur ordered Fifth AF to hit targets between the battle line and the 38th parallel. First on the offensive were a dozen elegant Douglas B-26 light bombers (in World War II, designated A-26 attack aircraft). The 8th Bomb Squadron, 3rd Bomb Group, hit the rail yards at Munsan early on 28 June, and at dusk four 19th Bomb Group B-29s sailed in and hit roads and railroads north of Seoul.
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<p>Next day, nine more B-29s flew from their base at Kadena, Okinawa, to hit Kimpo airfield, now in enemy hands. On 30 June, Truman authorized the use of available land forces in the fight, and the war escalated when the Navy took up positions to blockade North Korea.
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<p>The 22nd and 92nd Bomb Groups (Medium), equipped with B-29s, were deployed from SAC's Fifteenth AF in the US to operational control of FEAF. Together with the 19th BG and the 31st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, they were formed into FEAF Bomber Command, under Major General Emmett O'Donnell.
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<p>The NKAF was obliterated in less than one month, and the USAF had control of the air. Now the need was for ground support, but available Korean airfields could not handle the Lockheed F-80C fighter-bombers. Six squadrons converted backwards, trading their F-80s for F-51s.
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<p>The ground-air team established in World War II to coordinate air strikes with Army needs was not working well in the rugged and dangerous Korean hills. Field liaison officers with Eighth Army, Task Force 77 and the USAF set up an informal control system, and borrowed a pair of North American L-17s assigned to the 24th Infantry Division. Two USAF lieutenants flew the first Korean airborne FAC missions and called in about 20 flights of F-80s their first day on the job.
