BROTHERS IN SABRES
from LtGen. Frank Hettlinge
This story doesn't include any hair-raising tales or combat related experiences. But it does relate a most memorable eperience for me that I'd like to share with the readers of SabreJet Classics.
In the Spring of 1958, when I was assigned to the 113th FIS, Indiana ANG at Hulman Field in Terre Haute, we were flying F-86A Sabres. And it was time to retire the Sabres to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB outside Tucson, Arizona.
Capt. William `Bill' Layne, my Flight Commander and a pilot for Lake Central *Airlines, and I volunteered to ferry a pair of Sabres to D-M over the weekend. The flight plan included a stopover at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, where my brother Erich also flew F-86As with the Arizona ANG, known as the "Copperheads". Erich was an ex-Navy pilot who had somehow managed to transfer to the Air National Guard. Since he was an engineer with Air Research Corporation in Phoenix, it was easy for him to fly with the Copperheads.
We were able to arange a formation flight to D-M, whereby Erich would escort Bill and I. Bill, of course, always had a camera and was able to permanently record we two `Brothers In Sabres'. These pictures not only record a significant event in my career, they also perpetuate memories of two fine aviators who lost their lives in aircraft accidents; Capt. Wm. `Bill' Layne crashed in an F-84F at Terre Haute in 1959; and my brother Maj. Erich Hettlinger who lost an engine in an F-104 at Phoenix in 1961.
Myself, I joined the Air Force in 1952, flew F-86Fs at Nellis in '53, flew Ds with the 47th FIS in '53/'54, then Es and Ds with the 40th FIS at Yokota in '54/'55. Joined the Indiana ANG in '57 in F-86As. Retired from the Indiana ANG as Commander in 1989 with the rank of Major General.
NAVY BLUE & GREY
by Larry Davis
This is a history of the Navy/Marine Fury program, basically a blue or grey version of our beloved F-86. The first F-86 was an Air Force version of the Navy FJ-1 Fury, the first operational jet fighter in the Navy. Developed during the late days of WW2, the FJ-1 was a straight wing jet fighter using the axial flow J35-GE-2 engine, rated at 3850 lbs. thrust. This gave the FJ-1 a top speed of 582 mph at 10,000 feet, not enough to compete with the German jets already flying. With that, North American developed a swept wing version which became the P/F-86 Sabre. The Navy had Grumman develop the renowned F9F Panther jet fighter, which was available for use in Korea. But Navy and Marine pilots soon found that it wasn't competitive with the MiG-15 that the Soviets were employing against our forces over Korea. Grumman did indeed, develop a swept version of the Panther - the F9F-6 Cougar. But North American wanted a piece of the Navy pie. They decided to `navalize' the Sabre for carrier operations.
Known as North American project NA-181, the Navy Blue Sabre was an F-86E with carrier launch and retrieval equipment, i.e a landing hook and catapult launch hooks, and a greatly lengthened nose landing gear for a greater angle of attack during carrier launch and retrievals. In addition to that, the XFJ-2 Fury had folding wings and was armed with four Oerlikon 20mm cannons instead of the normal six .50s used in the F-86s. Bob Hoover made the first flight in the XFJ-2 on 27 December 1951.
Although the XFJ-2 prototypes were powered by the same engine used in the F-86E, the J47-GE-13, production airplanes would be powered by the J47-GE-2, a Navy version of the - 27 engine used in the F-86F. This brought performance to a par with the F-86F - top speed was 676 mph at sea level, with a combat ceiling exceeding 41,000 feet. Although the prototypes were delivered in Navy Blue colors, the Navy had no intention of using the FJ-2 Fury as a fleet aircraft. The Navy bought 200 FJ-2s for use by the Marine Corps.
In March 1952, a new engine became avail-able, the J65-W-2 Wright Sapphire, which offered over 7600 lbs of thrust versus the 5200 lbs available with the J47-27 engine in the F-86F. On 11 December 1953, the first of 389 production FJ-3 Furys was rolled out in Columbus. It differed from the FJ-2 in having an enlarged intake to bring more air to the new J65 engine. Otherwise, it was identical to the FJ-2.
The first production FJ-3s were delivered to the Navy in Spring 1954, and VF-173 became the first carrier qualified Fury squadron in May 1955, when an FJ-3 landed aboard USS `Bennington. All the initial aircraft were delivered in Navy Blue. However, in July 1955, the Navy changed its tactical paint scheme from dark blue to medium grey with white under-sides. Other changes included deletion of the leading edge slats and adding a hard wing with fences. Additional hard points were added for ordnance, which now included the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. In August 1956, VF-211 went to sea aboard USS Bon Homme Richard armed with AIM-9 equipped FJ-3Ms, the first operational squadron to use the Sidewinder in the Pacific. (VA-146s F9F-6s with Sidewinders, had went to sea in the Atlantic a month earlier.) Furies with Sidewinder capabilities, were designated FJ-3M. By August 1956, the Navy had 23 squadrons of FJ-3/FJ-3M Furies in operation, which inluded three squadrons of Marine FJ2 Furies.
Development of the FJ-4 was begun at North American's Columbus plant in February 1953. The main thing the Navy wanted was an increase in internal fuel capacity for longer range. North American not only gave them the additional range, but they also gave the Navy a higher performance aircraft at 35,000 feet. A new thinner wing with greater area, was used on the FJ-4. The first flight of an FJ-4 came on 28 October 1954, and the first of 152 production airplanes were delivered beginning in February 1955.
In December 1956, the first attack version was flown. It was designated the FJ-4B, with six underwing hard points and, like the F-86F-35 and F-86H, was equiped with a LABS computerized bombing system to deliver atomic weapons. North American built 222 FJ-4Bs before production was closed. Between November 1952 and May 1958, North American/Columbus delivered 1112 FJ Fury aircraft to the Navy and Marine Corps.
AIR FORCE CROWNS
40TH JET ACE
On 15 January 2008, the Department of the Air Force officially upgraded a `Probable' MiG-15 credit to `Destroyed', which made Lt. Charles `Chick' Cleveland an Ace in the Korean War. Chick Cleveland already had four MiGs to his credit scored between 5 August and 28 September 1952. This is the story of #5.
"During the Korean War, I was assigned to the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Kimpo AB. On 21 September 1952, flying an F-86E, I engaged a MiG-15 near or north of the Yalu River, at an altitude of approximately 30-35,000 feet. During a long tail chase that lasted about 5 minutes, from a range of about 1800-2000 feet, I fired several bursts from my guns, striking the MiG's right wing and engine area. There was an explosion in the ,engine area, and the MiG started trailing a long stream of smoke. He was on fire even at that altitude.
We started to gain on the MiG as he started to descend. But we were being chased by MiGs from above and behind. When they got within range, . my wingman, 1Lt Don Pascoe, called a defensive break. We abandoned the chase and returned to Kimpo. On the ground, Don urged me to claim a `kill' or `Destroyed'. But because I didn't see the MiG pilot crash or eject, I didn't. Instead I claimed, and was awarded a `Probable'." When I left Korea I had 4 Destroyed and 2 Probables.
A friend, Dolphin D. Overton, himself an F-86 pilot with 5 victories, had long been convinced that the 21 September 1952 action met the requirements of a confirmed `kill'. In 1999, he set out to prove it. He located Don Pascoe, who supplied a strong statement of support. Maj.Gen. Frederick `Boots' Blesse, a 10 victory ace in Korea, concurred and took the case to the American Fighter Aces Assn.
The AFAA, an organization that guards its integrity closely, referred the case to its Victory Confirmation Board, made up of 5 aces from WW2, under the Chairmanship of Steve Pisanos. They unanimously agreed, and in a letter dated 11 April 2000, the AFAA awarded me the confirmed victory and named me the 40th jet ace in the Korean War.
Unbeknownst to me, in a long series of letters, phone calls, and visits from 2000 to 2002, Dolph Overton attempted to convince the Air Force Historical Research Agency that they should change the official Air Force record. The AFHRA stated "we must base r decisions on sound historical principles and methods." They wanted original documents, not an operational judgement made 48 years after the fact. I was disappointed with the decision, but as an amatuer historian myself, agreed they were doing their job as they saw it.
Dolph didn't agree. In 2004, he discovered the Russian records of aerial combat in the Korean War at the National Archives in Silver Springs. He had the records for 21 September 1952, translated into English, and also obtained the 5th AF Daily Intelligence Summary (#138) for 22 September 1952, which recapped F-86 activity for the 21st. Dolph made a thorough analysis of Bulletin 138, which gave the time of encounter, location, altitude, number of planes in each flight, squadron, and call signs. He then compared it with the Russian account and found some similarities and some striking differences.
The main differences: on 21 September 5th AF confirmed 5 Destroyed; Robbie Risner - 2, Joseph Fields, Simon Anderson, and Charles Moyle - 1 each; plus my Probable. But the Russians admitted just 2 losses. They also claimed 2 F-86s shot down, which wasn't true. One F-86 had taken some hits but returned to base safely.
The main similarity - only the Destroyed claim of Charles Moyle and my Probable matched the 2 admitted Russian losses. Dolph submitted the records and the analysis to Dr. Von Hardesty, a respected historian and a curator at the National Air & Space Museum, asking for his comments. Dr. Hardesty said "the geographical locale and general description of the air combat, coincide with Cleveland's air sortie of that date."
Some time in 2004, Dolph submitted the package to AFHRA embodying the Russia records, the 5th AF Intelligence Summary, and a detailed analysis that showed that only Moyle's and my claims matched the Russian admitted losses. AFHRA again declined to change the aerial victory credit, citing the lack of original Air Force historical documents awarding me the confirmed victory, and saying they were not qualified to give an operational opinion or act as a victory confirmation board.
Dolph then asked me to get involved, and I agreed to submit a package to the Air Force Board for the Correction of Military Records. I did so in March 2007, requesting a hearing. I was accompanied by Dolph Overton and `Boots' Blesse. The BCMR granted the hearing on 28 November 2007. Both Dolph and `Boots' offered strong testimony in my behalf. The Board reccommended approval, and paperwork was signed by the designee for the Secretary of the Air Force on 15 January 2008. I was now officially, the 40th jet Ace of the Korean War - 55 years after the fact!