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Wild Blue Yonder 1: 50 Years of Gs & Jets
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Wild Blue Yonder - Episode 1 - 50 Years of Gs and Jets (Digital Ranch) (Spectrum Holobyte)(1-107-40-101)(1994).iso
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00018_Field_18.txt
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1994-08-29
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33 lines
A Sharp-Edged Fighter
In his book "No Guts, No Glory," Major General Frederick "Boots"
Blesse captured the spirit of the time when North American F-86
Sabres fought at long odds against MiG-15s in North Korean skies.
Blesse's book was actually a treatise on aerial tactics. It
told pilots how to fly the heavier Sabre against the lighter,
more nimble MiG.
In No Guts, No Glory, Blesse emphasized that the lead pilot must
think offensively, while the wingman defends the team from
attackers. He also advised Sabre pilots to be aggressive.
Colonel Francis "Gabby" Gabreski employed these tactics. Just
like the legendary Baron von Richthofen, Gabreski liked to attack
enemy fighters from behind and below and get as close as possible
before firing. During the Korean War, Gabreski scored six and a
half victories in his F-86.
Although the F-86 was equipped with the most advanced technology
of the day, it was still flown and fought in the style of World
War II dogfighting, with an individual pilot's skill determining
victory. Blesse's book brought those tactics into the Jet Age.
In the hands of pilots like then-Major Blesse (8 kills), Major
James J. Jabara (15 kills), Captain Joseph J. McConnell (16
kills) or Captain Manuel J. Fernandez (14.5 kills), the F-86 was
a potent weapon.
The Sabre was one of those rare aircraft, like the Fokker D VII
of World War I or the Mustang of World War II, that made decent
pilots look better, and better pilots look like aces. An
absolute joy to fly, it was beautiful to everyone who saw it --
except the MiG pilots who met it in combat.