HOW IT WAS! KUNSAN AIRBASE OTHER UNITS (1951) 27th Air Installation Squadron 27th Fighter-Escort Wing (SAC)

Acknowledgement: Special thanks to David A. Britt, CMSgt, USAF (ret) of Biloxi, Mississippi for his narratives describing the initial conditions at Kunsan (K-8).

27th FEW Per bend Azure and Or, in sinister chief a dexter hand clenched couped at the wrist; in dexter base a magnolia blossom, leave all Argent fimbriated and garnished Sable, all within a diminished bordure of the second. Motto: INTELLIGENT STRENGTH. Approved for the 27th Group on September 12, 1940 and for the 27th Wing on July 11, 1952.

Background: The 27th FEW was located at Kearney AFB, Nebraska after World War II. It relocated to Bergstrom AFB, TX as part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). After the outbreak of the Korean hostilities, the 27th FEW was mobilized and deployed to Japan to augment the allied Korean forces. According to the AFHRA, "To help meet the threat of the Soviet-built MiG-15 fighter in Korea, the U.S. Air Force diverted Strategic Air Command's 27th FEW with its F-84 ThunderJets to the Far East instead of sending it as planned to England. In early December 1950 the wing established a rear echelon at Itazuke, Japan, and took its F-84s to Taegu AB, South Korea. Less than two months later, fearful that Chinese ground forces would overrun UN jet bases in South Korea, Fifth Air Force withdrew the 27th to Japan. The wing continued combat from Japan until replaced in late June 1951 by the 136th FBW."

According to the AFA Magazine (Oct 2000) , on Dec. 6, 1950, the 27th Fighter Escort Wing (FEW), a Strategic Air Command unit from Bergstrom AFB, Tex., began flying combat operations from Taegu, introducing F-84 Thunderjet fighters to the war. On Jan. 21, 1951, "large numbers of MiG-15s attacked USAF jets, shooting down one F-80 and one F-84. Lt. Col. William E. Bertram of the 27th FEW shot down a MiG-15 to score the first USAF aerial victory by an F-84 Thunderjet."

Its combat components consisted of the 27th Fighter-Escort Group composed of the 522nd, 523rd and 524th FES flying F-84s. The unit was stationed at: Yokota AB, Japan, November 11-30, 1950; Taegu AB, South Korea (advanced echelon), December 1, 1950-January 31, 1951; Itazuke AB, Japan (rear echelon), December 9, 1950-January 31, 1951; Itazuke AB, Japan February 1-July 15, 1951. After being replaced by the 136th FBW in July 1951, it returned to Bergstrom AFB, TX. In 1958, the unit relocated to Cannon AFB, NM where it was the only unit flying the EF-111A.

Shipment to Japan: David A. Britt wrote, "I joined the 27th Fighter Escort Wing at Kearney, Nebraska in 1948 and then went with the Wing to Bergstrom AFB Austin, Texas. The wing personnel and F-82s went to North Island Naval Air Station, California where they were loaded on two aircraft carriers, the Battaan and the Bairoko. I was on the Bataan. They loaded our aircraft into the hanger deck and on the topside. The troops slept on army cots here and there through out the ship. My cot was tied to one of the F-82's wheel landing gear on the hanger deck. After 21 days at see we landed in Japan and then were transferred to Itasuki AFB."

It appears that the unit disembarked in Yokosuka and went to Yokota AB from November 11-30 to stage. The unit was split into two elements: a forward echelon and a rear echelon. The forward echelon deployed to Taegu from 1 Dec 50 - 31 Jan 51. The rear echelon was at Itazuke AB from 9 Dec 50 - 31 Jan 51.

Val Leite contributed the following dates, excerpted from the 27th FEW Year Book.

November 9, 1950; Commanders were alerted 27th FEW was going to Korea.
November 11, 1950; First Thunderjets left Bergstrom. Initial troop movement began.
November 14, 1950; First shipment of Thunderjets left California aboard USS Bairoka.
November 16, 1950; Col. Packard and Staff left for Far East
November 16, 1950; 2nd group of Thunderjets departed California aboard USS Bataan.
November 25, 1950; Some personnel were airlifted to kempo, Korea.
November 27, 1950; 3rd and last batch of Thunderjets departed on the USS Cape Esperance.
November 30, 1950; First group of Thunderjets arrived at Yokasuka, Japan (aircraft were then transfered to Kizurazu AFB, Japan).
December 1, 1950; The 27th FEW was attached to the Fifth Air Force. Another group of 27th FEW Thunderjets and crews operated from Taegu.
December 7, 1950; Thunderjets operations started out of Itazuke AFB.
January, 1951; Thunderjets moved from Taegu to Itazuke AFB.
January 31, 1951; Last missions flown from Taegu, 27th FEW then replaced by the 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing.

It should be noted that the November 25, 1950 date indicates some personnel sent to Kimpo AB in Seoul to assist in the drive north. The date was after they had repaired the runway -- one of the few developed airstrips in Korea capable of handling jet aircraft. The runway was very short in length and required JATO assists for fully-loaded jet aircraft. The personnel would have been attached to the "5th AF 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing Hobo Squadron." The job of the unit at Kimpo was to assist in the drive into North Korea, but they would soon be evacuated as the Chinese swept down pushing the Americans and allies back across the 38th Parallel in December and finally taking Seoul in January.

Forward Echelon (Taegu): In December the 27th FEW was split into a forward echelon which deployed to Taegu (K-2), while the rear echelon remained at Itazuke. The forward echelon was situated at Taegu (K-2) from 1 December 1950 - 31 January 1951. The situation appeared desperate for the allied forces. US troops from the Changjin Reservoir area fought their way to Hagaru-ri, while a relief column from Hungnam fought its way toward them, reaching Koto-ri, about seven miles away. Communist troops prevented the two groups from linking and encircled them both, forcing them to rely on airlift for resupply. On Dec 5, Pyongyang was evacuated. On Dec 6, the 27th Fighter Escort Wing (FEW), a Strategic Air Command unit from Bergstrom AFB, Tex., began flying combat operations from Taegu, introducing F-84 Thunderjet fighters to the war. By Dec 24, the X Corps had been evacuated from Hangnam Harbor. On Dec 25, Chinese forces entered South Korea. On Dec 31, the Chinese Communist Forces in Korea launched an offensive against UN troops south of the 38th parallel and Gen. Ridgway ordered Eighth Army troops to a new defensive line 70 miles farther south. On Jan. 1, almost half a million CCF and North Korean troops launched a new ground offensive, 5th Air Force embarked on a campaign of air raids on enemy troop columns.

3 O'clock High by Alton A. Pendleton gives an excellent account of a fighter pilot assigned to the 524nd FES, 27th FEW at Taegu. Excerpts from "Chapter One" tell of the traumatic initial months of the war:

(NOTE: On Jan. 20, 1951, after weeks of almost unbroken absence, MiGs appeared again over Korea, resulting on this date in the first encounter between USAF F-84s and CCF MiG-15s. On Jan. 21, large numbers of MiG-15s attacked USAF jets, shooting down one F-80 and one F-84. Lt. Col. William E. Bertram of the 27th FEW shot down a MiG-15 to score the first USAF aerial victory by an F-84 Thunderjet. On Jan. 23, thirty-three F-84s staging from Taegu attacked Sinuiju, provoking a furious half-hour air battle with MiG-15s from across the Yalu. The Thunderjets shot down three MiGs, the highest daily USAF aerial victory credit total for the month. While 46 F-80s suppressed Pyongyang's anti-aircraft artillery, 21 B-29s cratered the enemy capital's airfields.)

And there I was, Three O'clock high at 42,000 feet in my jet fighter to a group of 52 B-29's lumbering along at 22,000 feet. We were approaching the Yalu River, between China and North Korea. The target was the road/railroad bridge connecting the two countries. This was an important bridge because it was their main supply line. The fighters, 48 strong, were in a lazy weave and straining our eyes for the Mig 15's that were due to intercept the bombers at any second. We knew they would be high and attack us out of the sun. As we moved nearer to the target, I spotted contrails across the river. For the past thirty minutes there had not been one word on the radio, and then, I heard loud and clear; "Bandits at ten o'clock, coming in." Immediately the throttles went to 100% and the dog fight was on.

There was a steady stream of Mig's attacking in flight of two's. My God, I bet there were 200 of them. I was flying wingman so it was my job to stay with the leader and protect him. There were Mig's all around me, some of them I could have shot at if I had been flying lead. I saw two Mig's about 1,000 feet in front of me, then two more Mig's flew right under me and I really got a good look at them from about 30 yards distance, then in a flash , they were gone. About that time, four Mig's appeared in front of me and I had about the proper lead on them. I gave the tail end Charlie a long burst of 50 caliber API (Armor Piercing Incendiary) bullets, and he lit up like a Christmas Tree. Then they were gone. I looked for my leader, and he was gone. There I was, all alone."

That was one hell of a feeling. I was a sitting duck! I tried to work my way South and join up with any friendly fighter I could. The friendly's avoided me like the plague. I fired at a few more Mig-15's who got in my way. I just tried to scare them off and work my way out of this mess and get home in one piece. I was about 30 miles South of the Yalu River when I spotted a lone F-84-E about two miles to the right. I tried to join on him and he broke into me, naturally, I had to break left to keep him from shooting at me. Finally when we were just North of Seoul, I aggressively wiggled my wings, indicating the other aircraft was to join on me, and he promptly did. When we landed at K-2 (Taegue ), I found that it was a Second Lieutenant West, from the 522nd Squadron. I was in the 524th Fighter Escort Squadron, 27th Fighter Escort Group.

My squadron had Blue markings on the wing and tail, but my assigned aircraft, buzz number 324, was painted red. This was the markings of the 522nd Sq. The 523rd Squadron had Yellow markings. I was a First Lieutenant in 1950, with 11 years service. I joined the US Army Infantry in 1939, transferred to the Air Corps, Randolph Air Base in June of 1949. I went from Private to Staff Sergeant, then entered Aviation Cadet Training in March of 1943 as an Aviation Student. I graduated on December 23, 1944 with Class 44-J. At that time I was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.

We were based at Taegue (K-2), and that is where we landed. We completed our aircraft forms and walked to the intelligence tent for debriefing. We insisted in our mission whiskey, a double shot of cheap bourbon. The bomber pilots got the good stuff, Old Grand, etc., but of course they deserved it. Those Mig pilots really shot up the formation. Our forces bombed that bridge practically every morning at 1000 hours from 22,000 feet. I overheard one of the pilots say, "Those Mig Drivers know just when to finish their vodka and start engines". The element of surprise was not used to our advantage in this operation.

The 49th Fighter Wing was permanently based at K-2, and we lived in tents. The only exception was the officer's mess; it was constructed of stucco. I think we shared one or two of the large hangers for aircraft maintenance. We lived in squad tents, with eight men to the tent. We did have the luxury of an air mattress, cot, and sleeping bag for our bed. The tents had side curtains that we rolled up in the day when it was rather warm, and each night it dropped to near freezing before morning. We had two stoves in our tent, one used fuel oil, and the other burned wood. We scrounged wood anywhere we could find it. We made wooden floor in our tents out of boxes, but they were strictly for firewood. I moved into tent number nine because all my drinking buddies lived in tent number eight (it was known as Hog Heaven), I knew they would be loud, and I was a very sensitive sleeper. I had had insomnia ever since 1946, when I was stationed in Germany. Tent number nine had six second Lieutenants and Bill Baisley and I were first Lieutenant. As a mater of fact, since I came up through the ranks, Private through S/Sergeant, before I went through aviation cadets; I had served seven months in the infantry, and had a total of 11 years in the regular Army.

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Our outhouse with shower had no heat and was located about 60 yards from our tent. I usually took a hot shower, with a cold water rinse, when I first got up in the morning, but I quit doing that on cold mornings. We spent many hours drinking and telling war stories in the tent we used as an officer's club. Many of us had jumbo hangovers the next morning and a cold shower could wake you up and make you feel better. That 60 yard dash in your shorts was just too much for me in that near freezing weather. We did read a lot and we played a little ball, poker and shot dice, but I spent much of my leisure time drinking. Booze was cheap and plentiful. The tour for a fighter pilot in Korea was 100 missions and a tour of about six weeks with the Army on forward air control.

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We really didn't like those ground support missions, because if we dropped one bomb on friendly troops the Air Force really caught hell and we never lived that incident down. We flew to the target at 20,000 or better to save fuel, and it was very cold at that altitude. We used and electrical release to drop the bomb. If one bomb shackle was too tight, or if that bomb failed to release when we hit the bomb pickle button, that bomb would wipe out some of our ground troops. The pilots on our group much preferred Mig missions and dog fights. It was thrilling and you got to put that airplane through its maximum performance. The thrill of getting a MIG-15 in your sites was exhilarating. It really made the adrenaline flow. We could pull 9 or 10 G's without a G Suit, without blacking out. If you held that turn for any length of time you might get what we call a red- out (blood leaving your head and going tot the lower part of your body). We all liked to fly and we were trained to fight, so we took our missions as they came.

(NOTE: Initially slow T-6 trainers were used as Forward Air Controllers, but later were replaced by F-51 Mustangs with smoke rockets to mark the target.)

On Jan 4, Seoul fell to the CCF and the forces advanced to Wonju. On Jan 12, Wonju fell, but the Chinese stopped their advance at this point and started falling back in some areas. The Chinese were saving themselves for the Spring campaign, but the allies did not know this. To them is was simply a break in the action. By Jan 17, the situation was appearing desperate. Even the F-86s from the 4th FIG were switched to air-to-ground roles from Taegu like the F-84s of the 27th FEW. On Jan 19, FEAF started a 13-day intensive campaign to interdict the flow of supplies to the enemy frontline troops. By Jan 31, Suwon had been retaken, but the FEAF feared another major Chinese offensive. As a result, the 27th FEW was pulled back to Itazuke AB and rejoined the rear echelon on 1 Feb 51. It remained at Itazuke until relieved by the 136th TFW on 15 Jul 51.

Rear Echelon: Cloyd Greer was part of the rear echelon at Itazuke. He wrote, "I never made it to Korea as the F-84s were sent back to Itazuke as they were able to carry more armament and bomb loads; had a longer air time than the F-86s; and were not not as maneuverable as the 86s. The 86s were more of a fighter and the 84s were used as bomber escort. Hence the 27th Fighter Escort Wing designation. As I recall the 86s could only stay airborne about 45 minutes where the 84s could carry wing tanks with fuel and/or napalm which which they could drop anytime and get into aerial combat." (For a description of the F-84, go to F-84E/F/G.)

Cloyd went on, "The steel matting you are referring to was as far as I know only used to part the 84s along the taxi ramps. The maintenance docks used steel plates to rest the planes on in the docks as they had a tendency to get stuck in the holes of the matting. I recall one time a hot rod pilot revved up excessively and made a directional turn and in so doing lifted up the steel strip (about 3 ft by 20 ft) and it was flying around like a GIANT BUTCHER KNIFE and he got chewed out pretty good by the Base Commander."

27th Air Installation Squadron Diverted (Kunsan): According to the 8th Fighter Wing History, the 27th Air Base Group was assigned between 1 Apr 1951-24 Jun 1951. This is rather strange as the 27th Air Installation Squadron (AIS) arrived at Kunsan on 11 Feb 51 to set up operations -- two months before the 27th ABG arrived. At this time, we believe the 808th EAB who arrived in April 1951 actually provided the overall direction for the setup of the base -- with miscellaneous attached units under their supervision. Perhaps because the 808th EAB was a SCARWAF unit -- Special Category Army With Air Force -- it may have needed an USAF administrative unit to "take control of the base" before it could start work. All of this is supposition, because the presence of the 27th ABG does NOT make sense.

David A. Britt went on, "Our aircraft operated out of Itasuki for a while and then some personnel and aircraft were transferred to Taegu AFB, Korea. One attempt was made to fly remaining troops into Taegu; however, they were shelling the field and we were sent back to Itasuki." For about six months, David's unit was attached to the Itazuke Installation Squadon (Civil Engineering).

However, the need for air bases with developed runways in Korea was a prime concern. The F-80 and F-84 jet aircraft had insuffient fuel capacity to sustain combat operations for long from bases in Japan. (NOTE: It would be many months before they developed the "Misawa tanks" for the F-84 which extended the range of the aircraft.) In addition, jet aircraft required developed runways to operate from. For this reason, in the early days of the Korean War, the FEAF was forced to convert all the jet aircraft unit BACK to prop-driven F-51 Mustangs with F-51s shipped over from ANG units. This was the first "reverse conversion" in the USAF history. Taegu was used as a forward base for jet aircraft, but it had a tendency to rip up tires -- and at times landing gears -- on the PSP runway. Concrete runways in Korea were a major priority.

The development of a runway at Kunsan AB (K-8) became a major priority in 1950. Fifth Air Force had taken over Kunsan AB in October 1950 and immediately started plans for constructing a concrete runway there. However, the first priority was putting the base infrastructure in place. Though much was previously done by the Occupation forces (3rd Btn, 63rd Inf Reg), most of the buildings with any metal -- such as quonset hut structures or hangars -- were stolen. Only the masonry or wood structures remained. For the 5AF the first priority was setting up the base.

By the time the 27th Installation Squadron touched down at Kunsan AB (K-8), Kunsan Harbor had been cleared of North Korean mines and the Army Quartermaster in Pusan had moved a tugboat up to open up the operations of Kunsan Harbor. LST filled with supplies were the first ships to land. Later cargo ships -- defueled to allow for the shallow draft of Kunsan harbor -- would be utilized. The first elements of the 14th Transport Co. would soon follow. Upon arrival at Kunsan, the 27th Installation Squadron immediately started off-loading materials from LSTs loaded with plywood and equipment for construction.

The groups at Kunsan were basically a hodge-podge of "advance parties" or small units split away from their main units to support this mission. Basically, the first priority was off-loading the LSTs of any materials needed for building Kunsan. The second priority was putting up the Tent City for the incoming troops of the 808th EAB from Florida. The third priority was putting the base infrastructure together to support the 3rd Bomb Wing scheduled to arrive after the 808th EAB finished the runway.

The 27th Installation Squadron (AIS) arrived at Kunsan on 11 Feb 51 and started immediately to construct the tent city required to house the new personnel. The 808th EAB would arrive in April 1951 to start construction on the original east-west runway. When they first arrived it appears the Tent City was still not complete. They bedded down initially next to the original east-west runway that was being built. By June 1951, the 808th had relocated to Tent City. However, when the 809th EAB arrived to help the 808th EAB with the construction, they were sent to the south end of the base to live in tents. the 809th left after two months to build another airstrip up north.

The Jamesway buildings were also started as soon as indigenous labor support could be obtained. The prefab units were constructed for the incoming USAF units. The first flying elements of the 3rd Bomb Wing arrived in August 1951.

The 27th AIS would remain at Kunsan until 05 Feb 52 and was credited with a 12-month tour. After the 3rd Bomb Wing (L-NI) arrived in August 1951 to take over the base, the 27th AIS personnel would have been attached to the 3rd Air Installation Operations (AIO). (See 3rd Air Installation Operations.) On 15 July 1951, the 27th FEW was relieved by the 136th FBG at Itazuke AB, Japan and returned to Bergstrom AFB, TX -- leaving the 27th AIS behind. Those 27th AIS personnel at Kunsan remained in place until their 12-month tour had been completed. They departed Korea on 5 Feb 52.

Security Problems at Kunsan AB (K-8): In the local Kunsan area, Communist insurgents were running rampant up to late 1951. The ROK Army did NOT control the countryside. In fact, shortly after the 3rd Bomb Wing arrived in Aug 51, the Communists shelled K-8 from one of the off-shore islands. Not long after this incident, the 3rd Bomb Wing supported the ROK Army in attacking Communist positions near the base.

What had happened was that when the allies broke out of Pusan in Oct 50, the retreating North Koreans were caught in a pincer movement. The allies were pushing up from the south, as well as spreading inland from Inchon and the east coast to retake the northern part of South Korea. The elements of the North Korean 6th Division on the west coast were being chased down by task forces from the 24th Infantry and movement north was blocked. The North Korean 2nd Division on the east coast were in a desperate retreat being chased by task forces from the 35th Infantry. Finally the North Koreans abandoned their vehicles when the roads became clogged.

The decision was made to disperse into the all but impenetrable Chiri-san (Chiri Mountain) area northeast of Kunsan. The NKP 6th Division moved around the eastern side and the NKP 2nd Division moved around the western side of Chiri-san. This almost trackless waste of 750 square miles of 6,000 to 7,000-foot-high forested mountains forms a rough rectangle northwest of Chinju about thirty by twenty-five miles in dimension, with Chinju, Hadong, Namwon, and Hamyang at its four corners. This inaccessible area had long been a hideout for Communist agents and guerrillas in South Korea. Now, as the North Korean forces retreated from southwest Korea, many enemy stragglers and some organized units with as many as 200 to 400 men went into the Chiri Mountain fastness. There they planned to carry on guerrilla activities.

In Kunsan, the hastily assembled ROK Army units controlled the countryside by day, but the communists controlled it at night. The ROK Army units formed defensive barriers around Kunsan Harbor and Kunsan AB (K-8) as soon as construction of the base began. The standing order was for the ROK Army guards to summarily execute any individuals found in an "unauthorized area." Summary executions were commonplace -- though not normally witnessed by Americans. What made this unfortunate is that the large percentage of the Korean populace in Kunsan was starving and many would attempt to sneak onto the base simply to steal food to survive. When these starving people were caught, the ROK did not differentiated between them, the "slickey boy" thieves and Communist insurgents.

When the 27th Installation squadron first arrived at K-8, the situation appeared desperate for the allied forces. In Dec 50, the Chinese had launched a massive surprise attack on the allies. MacArthur's promise to have the troops home by Christmas exploded in his face. The US forces were fighting their way out of North Korea. By Dec 24, the X Corps had been evacuated from Hungnam Harbor on the east coast and the Eighth Army had pulled back below the 38th Parallel to form a defensive line.

David Britt remembered, "I thought back to the password we used at Kunsan. When someone approached you, you would ask, 'Who goes there?' They had better answer, 'Tea Kettle' and you would reply, 'Coffee Pot'."

On 1 Jan a million CCF and North Koreans launched a massive attack and Seoul fell on 4 Jan and Wonju fell on 12 Jan. With the loss of Kimpo AB, the need for another base on the Korean peninsula became a top priority. All priority was given to the Kunsan project to open up the base. The Reserve Engineering Aviation Battalions were activated and notified of shipment overseas. However, it would not be until April when the advance units of the 808th EAB arrived. Pending there arrival, the 27th Installation Squadron was tasked with restoring the infrastructure to Kunsan AB. Materials were shipped in from Japan via LSTs to support this effort. The railway systems were still not considered safe.

Suddenly in January the Chinese stopped their advance and started falling back in some areas to recuperate for the Spring campaign. The allies launched a massive counterattack. By Jan 31, Suwon had been retaken, but the FEAF feared another major Chinese offensive. As a result, the forward echelon of the 27th FEW was pulled back to Itazuke AB. However, the elements from the 27th Installation Squadron remained at Kunsan until the 27th FEW was relieved by the 136th TFW on 15 Jul 51. The 27th Installation Squadron then rejoined their unit and returned to Bergstrom.

Logistical Problems: In Air Power, The Decisive Force in Korea (p229) it states, "Installations and Engineer Aviation units had very little equipment on hand at the outbreak of hostilities. This was particularly true of engineer heavy equipment. Bulldozers, cranes, shovels, motorized graders, and scrapers were not obtainable for several months. Most of the existing equipment had been in constant use for several years and required constant maintenance and replacement of parts to be kept operational. No equipment was available at the outset to fill shortages of organized units nor to equip organizations formed after hostilities began. Parts supply was a critical problem. In many cases it was necessary to cannibalize dead-lined equipment to keep other equipment operational. To make matters worse, much engineer heavy equipment was lost during United Nations withdrawals."

"Many units were short equipment kits and sets that were vital to proper operations. When these items eventually began to arrive, it was found that essential parts were missing. In most cases these kits had been packed for use during the Second World War and were not inspected prior to shipment to the theater of operations. At the beginning of the Korean campaign, construction and repair materials were in low priority for procurement and transportation in comparison with the relatively high priority given other war materials. Consequently units were forced to resort almost entirely to purchase of most items of construction supplies and materials on the Korean market. As the supply channels broadened, many article gradually became available in limited quantities. But when units moved from one location to another, equipment had to be transported primarily by the wierd Korean rail system. Without guards for each piece of equipment, thieves would remove every part they possibly could before it arrived at its destination. At times equipment was in such condition upon arrival at its destination that it had to be salvaged."

"The shortage of trained engineering personnel was equally acute. Since none of the other United Nations participants was able to furnish its own airfield construction units, the Engineer Aviation and Installation units had to construct airfields for all the United Nations air forces in Korea. Enough Engineer Aviation units to cope with the workload was not available. Working on a twenty-four hour per day schedule, the few units in Korea concentrated their early efforts primarily on airfield traffic surfaces. Through their untiring effort and ingenuity, many new, converted, or rehabilitated Japanese airstrips were added to the list of cargo and tactical fields."

"The shortage of Engineer Aviation units shifted responsibilities for construction of major airbase facilities and in some cases for airfield traffic surfaces on wing installation squadrons. But their mission was to repair and maintain buildings and grounds, to operate and maintain base utilities, to provide structueral and crash fire protection, to train auxiliary fire fighters, and to provide organizational maintenance on assigned power equipment. Their equipment and personnel authorizations were based on the normal requirements at prepared operating bases. Thus the construction responsibilities assumed by the installation squadron constituted an almost impossible work load."

"The problem was partially overcome by both engineer units and installations squadrons through the use of locally hired labor and native contractors. The construction capability of Korean personnel generally was good when they could be give proper supervision. But because of their lack of knowledge of American construction methods and standards, the uses to which they could be put were limited. Highly skilled Korean labor was scarce -- only a few trained equipment operators, draftsmen, and engineers were available. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, painters, typists and others were available in various stages of skill, but the majority of the labor supply was in the "pick and shovel" class. Interpreters, of course were essential and proved invaluable. Labor battalions were organized and performed well in such jobs as ditching, filling, earthwork, and filling bomb craters. This help was of great importance on some jobs because of equipment shortages or inaccessibility of the site to heavy equipment. At one installation, the placing of a concrete runway fill was accomplished entirely by local contractors using native hand labor. Continuing experience in Korea led to better and more effective use of indigenous labor. But we were slow to realize the effectiveness of methods that appeared crude, slow and wasteful of manpower when compared to those employing modern construction equipment."

NOTE: The photos below are of the base (Camp Hillenmeyer) as the 3rd Battalion, 63rd Infantry Regiment, 6th ID left it. Notice the lines of metal quonset huts. However, when David arrived at K-8, the base had been picked clean except for the dependent houses on the north end of base.

Aerial view of Camp Hillenmeyer Main Base (Courtesy Robert Grenig)

Aerial view of Camp Hillenmeyer Main Base (Courtesy Robert Grenig)

Aerial view of Dependent Area (Courtesy Robert Grenig)

27th Installation Squadron Arrival at Kunsan (K-8): David A. Britt went on, "Shortly after, they loaded us up again and we headed across the Sea Of Japan. I was in this group. The aircraft began to descend and we kept waiting to see something. When the aircraft came to a complete stop all we could see was grass."

When the unit arrived, the runway had not been built as yet. The 808th Engineering Aviation Battalion had arrived in April 1951 and were in work doing the initial excavation. His seeing only "grass" confirms that he landed on the old sod landing strip used by the Japanese. It was 2800 feet long and listed as an "emergency landing strip."

He went continued, "As we disembarked from the aircraft we saw three buildings standing along in the grass. There were no windows, doors or roofs on any of the three buildings. Looking around we could see no building or people of any kind around the area. An officer in a Jeep with other vehicles said, "Welcome to Korea, let's get the aircraft downloaded. The duffel bags were all stacked in the three building shells and tarps were tied over as roofs. We had nothing, we ate canned food and I slept on some of the duffel bags that night." David later commented, "As for the three buildings I spoke of, as I remember they were side by side all shaped the same and were about 15' by 30' masonry."

Materials from Kunsan Harbor: The 14th Transport Co. had already opened up the operations at Kunsan Harbor. (See 14th Transport Co..) Materials for construction on the base were being shipped in from Japan, as well as supplies for the growing refugee population at Kunsan. North Koreans with nowhere else to go were herded into refugee camps in Kunsan which were nothing more than warehouses. Rations of a small amount of charcoal and rice were distributed, but it was barely enough to survive. Starvation, pestilence and abject poverty were everywhere. This was not simply the ravages of war, this was the condition of Kunsan dating back to the Occupation days -- only now with the influx of refugees, the horrific conditions were multiplied in scope.

David continued, "The next day we began building a tent city which would become known as Kunsan AFB, Korea. I drove one of the six-bys and transport supplies to construct the tent city.&! ! nbsp; We went to a nearby port, back and forth for days. You would back down into an LST boat where Korean men would load your truck. You would then head for the base. Just after leaving the port the road ran through a rather long and crooked tunnel. Many of our men lost their cargo in that tunnel." The Wolmyong tunnel (Taebong Tunnel) still exists today, but is blocked for pedestrian traffic only. This was the area where the North Korean refugees were clustered together.

Taebong Tunnel (1947) (Poor Quality Reproduction).
To the right is Taebong Tunnel. To the left is the Temple which faced a large open area
The tunnel and temple were about two blocks from the loading point for the trucks at Kunsan Harbor.
(Courtesy James Wilt)

Wolmyong tunnel (Taebong Tunnel) still exists today under the Wolmyong Park in Kunsan City. Until the early-70s, it was still used for vehicular traffic and the main street ran east-west through the city. Today the tunnel is used only for pedestrian traffic and the main street runs north-south. If connects the park to the fresh fish market along the waterfront.

David continued, "The Koreans would lay a child in the road just around the tunnel bend. The natural reaction was to stop, and many did. While you were catching your breath, your truck would rock twice and when you looked through your rear window you had an empty truck. There was nothing to do but turn around and go back to get another truck load. At first they placed shotgun guards on each truck, that took up to much manpower so they told us not to stop in the tunnel for anything. They said these children are well trained and you couldn't run over them if you tried. I was caught in two of these theft attempts. I didn't stop but ! ! my heart was beating faster than it ever had."

Road to Kunsan (1952)

"I carried several truck loads of fuel to the base fuel dump. It was always interesting to me to see the ground go out in waves as one of the drums would hit the ground." The original POL dump was on the north end of base and an above ground tank was built by the 808th EAB for the aircraft fuel. The effect of "waves" was because the underlayer of much of Kunsan AB was simply mud and the land was unstable.

The base had been built up on reclaimed land from the Yellow Sea tidal flats. Kunsan AB was an island originally but much of the land on the base was reclaimed land from the mud flats. The original Japanese sod runway was built on the island part of Kunsan AB, but other portions of the base were in the "filled in" areas. According to The U.S. Air Force in Korea by Robert Futrell (p395), "Construction troops at Kunsan Airfield encountered Korea's worst drainage problems. The site was only a little way inland from the mud flats bordering the Yellow Sea, and the local soil was a grayish-blue clay which had long been inundated for rice culture." Because the land was unstable, massive amounts of rock and concrete were required to stabilize the runway and aircraft parking areas. As soon as the 808th EAB arrived, they opened up a stone quarry (borrow pit) north of the base.

808th EAB Arrives -- Apr 51: When the 808th EAB arrived, Kunsan was still nothing but mud. There were numerous problems associated with the mud underlayer that made the first attempt at the runway shake like "jello" when a truck was driven over it. The runway was dug up and more rock/concrete fill added. Other crews of the 808th was busy laying PSP everywhere. For some specialists, they were assigned tasks to put the base together. For example, the 808th was tasked with building the above ground aircraft fuel tank. In addition, many of the 808th specialists assisted in electrical and infrastructure work on the base. (See 808th Engineering Aviation Battalion (SCARWAF).)

3rd Bomb Wing Arrives -- Aug 51: On 18 August 1951, the 3rd Bomb Wing (L-NI) moved to Kunsan AB. The 808th EAB had completed the 5,000 foot runway for the light bombers, but the conditions at the base were still relatively primitive. The 808th EAB was in the process of extending the runway to 9,000 feet. The living conditions on the base was still relatively primitive. Many of the creature comforts such as latrines and showers were still under construction. Some of the parking areas and taxiways were still being covered with PSP even as the 3rd BW started its missions from Kunsan. Everywhere there was nothing but mud.

When the 3rd Bomb Wing took command of the base, the 27th AIS personnel fell under the 3rd Air Installation Operations (AIO). Basically there was no real change in the work as there was just too much to do and still not enough people to do it. (See 3rd Air Installation Operations.)

Building of the Base: In Air Power, The Decisive Force in Korea (p232), it states, "All base-construction projects involved far more than building runways and their appurtenances. Since a jet air wing in combat could consume as much as 125,000 gallons of fuel each day, two detachments of the 931st Engineers supervised Korean laborers in the erection of tanks to hold a five days' supply of jet fuel at each of the major jet bases. ... In the early days at all Korean airfields, Air Force troops lived and worked in winterized tents, but more permanent buildings gradually replaced the tents. At Taegu air installations personnel contracted with Korean builders for stucco buildings. The initial cost was low, but these oriental structures rapidly deteriorated and required heavy maintenance costs. For this reason, steel quonset huts and "tropical shell" kits prefabricated in Japan were extensively used in Korea, both for housing and working quarters. Most structures were put up by Korean laborers or contractors under the supervision of base air installations personnel."

Kunsan AB (1952)
Click on map to enlarge
(Handdrawn map by Kalani O'Sullivan)

Roads: The base roads followed the same layout as laid down by the Occupation forces. Some roads were improved such as the road to the bomb dump on the south end of the base. Not much work was done in this area. The road configuration is basically the same as it is today -- except that Avenue B has been cut in places due to building of the Base Exchange and Dormitories.

Electrical: One of the first tasks would have been to restore electrical power to K-8. A coal-fueled steam-turbine generator had been installed in Kunsan City in 1945 -- in the same location as the present day KEPCO plant along the Kumgang River. The power lines to K-8 had been strung to all the facilities in the Occupation days, but the primary electrical energy was from the hydroelectric plants in North Korea. The Kunsan plant was simply a backup source.

After the Korean War outbreak, the generator in Kunsan was the only commercial electrical source. The electricity was unreliable and amperage weak. Some people complained of the lights being so dim one could not read at night -- and many times there was no electricity at all. Almost everyone reported using candles at one time or other.

After electrical power from the Kunsan electric plant had been restored, the task of wiring up the newly erected Jamesway huts and facilities started. Again the indigenous labor was used. Some commented on how the Korean linemen climbed the electrical poles using a blocks of wood with nails in it tied to their feet and a rope around the waist, while Americans were rigged out with climbers' spikes and leather belts. The 808th EAB electrical personnel were also assigned to assist in wiring up the base and performing other tasks to get the base ready for the 3rd Bomb Wing.

Auxiliary Power units were not brought in until after the 27th AIS had departed. In 1952-1953, the base added an auxiliary power substation equipped with four 100KW generators to provide electricity to the base (excluding airfield lighting) when the Kunsan City plant would go off line. This substation was located on the north end of base near the POL storage area. The location is still currently a power substation for off-base power.

Jamesway Prefab Buildings and Tent City Construction: The 27th Installation Squadron started work constructing prefab Jamesway hootches for the 3rd Bomb Wing units coming in -- mainly through the use of indigenous Korean labor.

The Jamesway buildings were constructed over a concrete slab. These buildings were used mainly by the 3rd Bomb Wing personnel. The sides of the buildings were exterior plywood and then covered with slats. The roof was plywood topped with corrugated iron sheets. The sheets had to be weighted down with sandbags to keep them from flying away in high wind conditions. The entrance was one set of double doors. In winter, the building was heated by oil heaters at the ends fed by fuel drums on wooden stands outside. In the summer, the ventilation was very bad. Personnel would sleep on metal frame cots with air mattresses covered with mosquito netting.

James F. Farr of Farmington, Connecticut with his house boy
in 1952 in front of Jamesway huts in the Airmen Billeting area.
(Courtesy James Farr)
(Click on the image to enlarge)

Air Force personnel who could not be accommodated in the Jamesway huts were temporarily billeted in 12-man tents erected within the Airmen Billeting area. In the winter of 1951-1952 some of these tents burned down due to the oil heater malfunctions.

The old Occupation forces dependent housing became the Bachelor Officer Quarters (BOQ) for the 3rd BW. All officers (all services) were billeted in the BOQ area to the north end of the base. The holes in the floor of these old units and inoperative plumbing were low on the priorities list in early 1951. There was too much else to do. By mid-1952, most BOQ units had running water, but the flooring still hadn't been repaired. Additional plywood Jamesway huts were built later on in 1952 for the officers of the VMF(N)-513 and 474th FBW when these units arrived.

After the 27th AIS left, housing became critical as the 474th FBG and the Marine VMF(N)-513 squadron were stationed at the base. Some USAF personnel had to be housed in quonset huts or in 12-man tents until space became available. The enlisted Marines were billeted separately from the USAF and Army.

Korean Laborer at K-8 near the 808th EAB Tent City (1951)
(Courtesy Al Gould)

The Army units were billeted in the "Tent City." The 808th EAB tent city was constructed away from the runway -- above the USAF hootches -- in what is now the Kunsan AB Golf course. During the days of the Occupation forces (3rd Battalion, 63rd Infantry Regiment), the area was a low-lying area with only a few buildings situated on the edge of the rice fields that surrounded the base (Camp Hillenmeyer). During the monsoon season, a pond formed on the western edge from the runoff. Photos of the tent city during the Korean War indicates the area had been built up prior to construction of the tent city. Because of the lack of heavy equipment such as graders in the initial days of the Korean War -- a shortage that existed throughout the Korean theater -- the area was almost certainly leveled through the use of coolie-laborers carrying sand in A-frame carriers (chige) on their backs. The use of coolie labor to level areas was not unusual as the original Japanese runway was built the same way. After the area had been filled and graded, the unit relocated to this area.

David Britts wrote, "The tent city grew out of that grass field from boxes of every shape and size were stacked." The supplies were hastily deposited into the field adjacent to Avenue C. Soon the field -- about two football fields long -- was stacked with piles of plywood about ten feet high.

He later wrote, "As for the tent city I spoke of, I may have used the word tent too loosely. As I remember the structures had plywood sides that came up four feet from the ground level and were framed in with two by fours for the rest of the structure. A canvas was placed over the structure to complete the buildings. In the sleeping quarters there was a potbelly stove that vented up through the top of the structure. I heated a lot of shaving water in my helmet through the hole in the top of that stoves. As far as the size of the quarters, I would think they were 12 man. All structures were connected together by two by four side walks, like they had in the old American West."

These "duck walks" that connected the tents were essential in Kunsan's rainy season and the clay mud made walking very difficult. They were everywhere in place of sidewalks.

He went on, "The mess hall had the stainless steel field stoves. We had large pots of hot water to wash our mess kits in. Once when we wanted to live high on the hog, we took riot shot guns and went out into the fields around the base and shot pheasants. That was a treat even though I did not shoot any. Not long after we got the city set up we had Korean girls working in the mess tent." (NOTE: The pheasants still abound in the area. However, because special licenses are required for shotguns and plus the pheasant hunting season in winter only, the pheasants are still plentiful.)

He went on, " There was an interesting gauge of our progress that developed just outside of the base. A momason and her girls began building a large house. They had their house completed and were in business well before we got the base operationally ready."

Indigenous Labor Contract Office: Most certainly, one of the first actions was to start an "Indigenous Labor Contract Office" to hire interpreters and other semi-skilled workers to assist on the base. As was mentioned before, the steel quonset huts and "tropical shell" kits (Jamesway huts) were prefabricated in Japan and put up by Korean laborers or contractors under the supervision of base air installations personnel. However, the lack of knowledge of American construction methods and standards did lead to problems. For example, the idea of interior drywall was foreign to Koreans carpenters.

Payment of contractors could be complex as the won had been inflated so much that payment for a small project would require duffle bags full of the money. The won was almost worthless.

Highly skilled Korean labor was virtually unknown in Kunsan. The problem dated back to the Japanese occupation when the Japanese reserved all managerial or technical jobs for ethnic Japanese. When these Japanese managers, engineers, draftsmen and technicians were repatriated after WWII, there was no one left in Korea to fill the void. It was stated before, "Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, painters, typists and others were available in various stages of skill, but the majority of the labor supply was in the "pick and shovel" class."

The most important native hire were the interpreters. These were usually individuals trained in English by the Christian missionaries. Every headquarters unit had an interpreter/typist. An unfortunate side note was that the women employed as interpreters were considered "prostitutes" by the Korean populace for working closely with the Americans. Despite this hurtful gossip, these women remained in their positions simply because their salaries usually fed their entire families -- including extended families. Communication with laborers by Americans for the most part was done using simple Japanese phrases or sign language.

Kunsan AB (1951-1952)
Click on map to enlarge
(Handdrawn map by Kalani O'Sullivan)

Kunsan AB: Flightline and Tent City (1952)
Looking south
Click on photo to enlarge
(13th Bomb Squadron (LNI) Website)

Kunsan AB: Flightline (1952)
Looking east
Click on photo to enlarge
(13th Bomb Squadron (LNI) Website)

Kunsan AB: Officers Quarters (top) (1952)
Tent City to lower left
Looking north
Click on photo to enlarge
(13th Bomb Squadron (LNI) Website)

Water Supply: David remarked, "I was assigned water purification because I was a plumber. I had already build all the straddle trenches we needed. I fired up the water purification plant. After a short period of time Korean children came to get jobs on base. I hired a boy to help operate the plant. He took my clothing home at night and his grandmother washed and ironed them. I got back most of the clothes."

He later wrote, "There was an old cement water tank that was left on a hill on base property. We tried to restore it; however it was laced with some chemicals and with all the sandblasting we could not salvage it." He later wrote about an army unit that shot up a rubber water storage unit indicating that there was no water tower at the time. The water supply was stored in rubber bladders. (NOTE: The "cement water tank...on a hill" is an unknown as the 508th Utility Company during the Occupation years used a pond on the north side of the BOQ area as a water source and had their water purification plant set up there. Later on in the war, water was pumped from Okku Reservoir to the base to a de-sedimentation (Bldg 100) atop what was known as "Water Point" in 1953 -- on what is now "Gunsmoke Hill." The water purification plant was relocated to the hill.)

Unfortunate Incidents: Dave continued, "After the aircraft arrived we had two unpleasant situations occur. There was always Korean men cutting the grass that grew just outside the base perimeter. One young man, probably in his late teens, walked over to look at one of the aircraft. The security police arrested the young man and turned him over to the ROK Army troops who had a small detachment on the corner of the base. The young man was beyond a doubt mental. He died that night during interrogation." It should be noted that the Korean Army guards were under orders to execute anyone caught in a restricted area. Summary executions on the flightline were common. However, one must remember that the Communists were still roaming free outside the perimeter of the base. In fact, shortly after the 3rd Bomb Wing arrived, the Communists actually shelled the base from an off-shore island.

He went on, "The other incident was when an American troop was killed by some of the Koreans for raping a Korean girl. His body was found in a barn some distance from the base. Many army organizations were visitors to Kunson most of the time. They would stand down there before returning to the front. The young man who was killed was from one of these groups."

The units David speaks of were from the early 1951 time frame. At that time, the front lines were in flux with the MLR (Main Line of Resistance) shifting daily. After the lines stabilized in 1952, there were not many visits from front-line units to Kunsan.

He went on, "The USAF had a rather large hospital system built at Kunson. This drew lots of different units to become our guests. One night an Army unit shoot up our rubber water tank. They were kicked out the next morning." The hospital area was the 3rd Hospital Group. The large size was because of the fear that Seoul would be overrun again by the Chinese and the base became a fall-back hospital facility for the peninsula. It was well-equipped with the best equipment and large wards. (See the 3rd Medical Group.)

Memorable Incidents: He added, "I had the pleasure of meeting the Korean President at Kunson. He and the Area Commander came to the base one day in a jeep. Both gentleman walked around and shook hands with many of us." (NOTE: The President was Syngman Rhee (Yi Syng-Man) who would prove to be a thorn in America's side later on. Even today, the only reason South Korea is still technically at war with North Korea is because Syngman Rhee refused to sign the Armistice Agreement. It was signed by the Commander of the UN forces -- who happened to the U.S. forces commander -- and the Chinese "volunteer" army and North Korea.)

27th FEW Returns to U.S. -- 27th AIS Remains in Korea: The two elements -- the forward echelon at Taegu (K-2) and the rear echelon at Itazuke -- regrouped and remained at Itazuke AB from 1 Feb 51 - 31 Jul 51. Its relief was the 136th FBW which was activated in Jun 51. It departed Langley AFB, VA in Jul 51 and arrived in Itazuke AB, Japan. The 27th FEW was relieved by the 136th FBW at Itazuke (APO 929) and Taegu (APO 970) and then the 27th FEW rotated back to Bergstrom AFB, TX.

However, they left the 27th Air Installation Squadron in place at Kunsan until their normal 12-month rotation date. They departed Korea on 5 Feb 52 -- six months after the 3rd Bomb Wing (L-NI) had taken over the base. David stated, "I left Korea and Japan and flew back to Texas. I remained with the Wing until my discharge in 1953. I went back home to my home state and joined the railroad. In 1962 that railroad went bankrupt and I returned to the Air Force where I completed 30 years service and retired as a CMSgt. I would like to tell you that I have many memories of Korea, unfortunately in my 70th year the lights are growing faint." Humorously, he later wrote, "My wife reminded me that my mother's records had some of my records from the 27th FEW days. I went up into the attic and much to my surprise I found a Records Check printout. That printout states that we entered Korea 11 Feb. 1951 and departed 05 Feb 1952, Tour-length 012. That record also said the official name of our unit was the 27th Air Installation SQ." Our thanks to Mrs. Britt whose memory is still bright.

Last elements out in Japan: Some personnel remained behind to train the incoming 136th FBW. Cloyd Greer, an aircraft mechanic with the rear echelon in Itazuke wrote, "I arrived in Japan (Yokosuka) Dec 1950 and left in 1951 a little later than the main part of the 27th as I stayed behind to train our relief of National Guard and Reservists. I think as I remember they were the 36th or 136th F.E.W."

Val Leite wrote, "As far as to who replaced us, I maybe mistaken but I thought it was the 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing. Both units spent some time together and the transition went smoothly."

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