Museum Audio Tour 23: Modern Flight Gallery: Korean War Air Rescue

DAYTON, OH, UNITED STATES

12.31.1969

Courtesy Audio

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

The U.S. Air Force’s air rescue mission came into its own during the Korean War. Crews of amphibious aircraft performed spectacular rescues from North Korean rivers and off the coast, and Air Force air rescue units used helicopters to reach downed Airmen on land deep in enemy territory. Rescue crews flying modified B-29 and B-17 bombers also dropped lifeboats to Airmen downed in the ocean, and a small number of Air Force crash rescue boats operating from Japan and Korea retrieved downed Airmen. Knowing they could be rescued quickly by air or sea greatly improved aircrews’ morale. The Air Force also evacuated many wounded troops from the front lines. In the war’s early stages, U.S. Air Force H-5 helicopters rushed critically wounded soldiers from the front to Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, or “MASH,” units. Many would have died without such timely transport and treatment. During the course of the war, the U.S. Army eventually took over front-line helicopter medical evacuation, though Air Force helicopters were still used on occasion. Using helicopters for air rescue and front-line evacuation in Korea represented a fundamental change in tactics. Although helicopters were used for rescue at the end of World War II, it was not until Korea that their use became widespread and efficient helicopter rescue methods were developed. At the same time, the Korean War was the last time the Air Force used sea-going boats for combat rescue. The Air Rescue Service brought back 996 UN personnel from behind enemy lines, including 170 American Airmen. Air Rescue also evacuated 8,598 sick and wounded UN troops, many of these from the front lines. With this record, the Air Rescue Service in Korea truly lived up to its motto, "That Others May Live."

• Date Taken: 12.31.1969
• Date Posted: 09.02.2015 12:11
• Category: Newscasts
• Audio ID: 41927
• Filename: 1509/DOD_102704189.mp3
• Length: 00:02:09
• Album: Museum Audio Tour
• Track #: 23
• Location: DAYTON, OH, US