THE AIR WAR: First Blood for the Sabres

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In Korea last week, the fastest operational U.S. jet fighter plane got its first trial in combat, and the pilots shot down seven enemy planes. The American jets were North American F-86 Sabres, which had been clocked at 670.981 m.p.h. at Muroc Dry Lake, the Air Force's proving ground in California, and were reputed to be even faster. Russia's vaunted MIG-15, which had "walked away" from F80 Shooting Stars in Korea, is certainly almost as fast as the Sabre (and may be equally fast), but the F-86s were touted as sturdier, more maneuverable and harder-hitting. The F-86s in Korea belonged to the 4th Fighter Group, commanded by Colonel John Meyer, leading European theater ace of World War II.

In the first battle, over enemy-held territory ten miles south of the Korea-Manchuria border, a formation of four F-86s, led by Lieut. Colonel Bruce Hinton of Stockton, Calif., throttled down to their slowest cruising speed to disguise their true speed from the enemy. The trap worked: four MIGs came languidly up to investigate. Covered by his wingman, Colonel Hinton fired three bursts into a MIG and saw it go spinning down in flames. "I know I got that one all right. I must have killed the pilot," he said, "he made no attempt to get out—didn't even open his canopy."

Four days later, another Sabre formation tangled with several small groups of MIGs and shot six of them down, with no U.S. losses. The dogfight swirled from the 30,000-ft. level to treetop heights. One of the enemy jets disintegrated in the air and the five others crashed. A seventh was damaged before the surviving MIGs broke off the engagement and scurried back to the privileged sanctuary of Manchuria. This victorious U.S. formation was commanded by Colonel Meyer himself, who shot down one MIG.

Having proved themselves in combat, the Sabres may be useful as protective cover for bombers and for the slow, propeller-driven Mustangs which have been the Air Force's work horse for ground attack in the Korean war. If Russia decided to commit a swarm of fast jets, the Mustangs would be sitting ducks if unprotected—but not if top-covered by enough Sabres.