The Korean War

The Korean War. On 25 June 1950 North Korea, backed by the Soviet Union and Communist China, launched an invasion of their neighbors to the south. An American-led United Nations coalition mounted a military response, desperately holding the Pusan perimeter in the southeastern peninsula, while General Douglas MacArthur built up forces to land at Inchon, near Seoul. This assault was successful and led to a US/UN advance to the Yalu River, an operation soon countered by Chinese intervention and a frozen retreat back to the south. Combat Cargo Command dropped 140 tons of ammunition in two days to Marines at the Chosin Reservoir in November and airlifted out 4,600 wounded personnel., In Korea, the U.S. Air Force engaged in combat for the first time as an independent service. In the wake of world war two's demobilization, Airmen were working with old equipment and a shortage of manpower; Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt Vandenberg called it "a shoestring Air Force." The harsh climate of the Korean peninsula made the work of young Airmen much more difficult. Despite these challenges, air warriors quickly responded to the threat from the North., North American F-86 Sabres faced Soviet-built MiG-15s in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. The first large-scale jet-vs-jet air battles in history took place in MiG Alley, the region in North Korea over the Yalu River. American fighter pilots prevailed over Soviet MiGs because of better tactics, leadership and training. Meanwhile, U.S. bombers attacked North Korean and Communist Chinese forces and exerted relentless pressure on North Korean supply lines. The bloody war of attrition ended in July 1953 with the signing of the Armistice., The year following the armistice, Congress passed the Air Force Academy Act of 1954. Under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Hubert Harmon, the first class started their four-year experience in July 1955 at Denver's Lowry Air Force Base. In August 1958 the Cadet Wing was welcomed by Colorado Springs, the site of today's Academy. In 1959 the first graduating class of 207 cadets were commissioned as officers in the U.S. Air Fore.