On Combat

In 1999, Korean War civilian deaths at No Gun Ri (click for an in-depth summary) captured prominent media attention. After a joint US-ROK investigation, President Clinton formally apologized for the incident.

Although the investigation did not find any USAF or USN tacair involvement, a contemporary memo was found in the National Archives within the 5th AF regarding requests to strafe Korean refugees (posted directly below).

CNN interviewed AF pilots flying at that same time, and found some that were willing to comment on similar contemporary incidents.

Look at the headquarters and pilot perspectives; if civilians were attacked, who was responsible: the headquarters, pilots, or ground parties? There seems to have been a diffusion of responsibility between the three groups. None seem to have solid ownership of the potential strafing of civilians; all have a “dodge.” Pilots were doing what they were told. Ground FACs can be presumed to have poor information. HQ was out of the loop. It sounds like second thoughts on the part of the pilots were elevated to HQ, who then may have said “no.”

Upon receipt of this memo, what would you have done as Gen Timberlake?

I would have ordered pilots to not attack refugees and advised 8th Army that 5AF will not strafe refugees without direct written orders from MacArthur. This would have forced the issue into the open, taken a stand on the propriety, and likely have sent itthe issue away.

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ADVANCE HEADQUARTERS
FIFTH AIR FORCE
APO 970, Unit 1

25 July 1950

MEMO TO GENERAL TIMBERLAKE
Subject: Policy on Strafing Civilian Refugees

I. THE PROBLEM:
1. To determine the policy for guidance of all Fifth Air Force units in regard to strafing of civilian refugees on the highways.

II. FACTS BEARING ON THE PROBLEM:
2. It is reported that large groups of civilians, either composed of or controlled by North Korean soldiers, are infiltrating U.S. positions.
3. The army has requested that we strafe all civilian refugee parties that are noted approaching our positions.
4. To date, we have complied with the army request in this respect.

III. DISCUSSION:
5. Our operations involving the strafing of civilians is sure to receive wide publicity and may cause embarrassment to the U.S. Air Force and to the U.S. government in its relation with the United Nations.
6. It appears that such civilian groups are marching on the highways through U.S. ground positions. It is not understood why the army is not screening such personnel or shooting them as they come through if they desire such action. Further, it is felt that more suitable targets are available for the air effort, the destruction of which would be of more value to the army in the long run.

IV. RECOMMENDATIONS:
7. For the protection of the Air Force, it is recommended that a policy be established whereby Fifth Air Force aircraft will not attack civilian refugees, unless they are definitely known to contain North Korean soldiers or commit hostile acts.
8. It is further recommended that we so inform 8th Army Headquarters.

TURNER C. ROGERS
Colonel, USAF
D C/S Operations

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Original Memo

Pilot Interviews from CNN:

Retired Air Force pilot Herman Son, reached at his home in St. Louis, Missouri, said he wasn’t sure whether civilians were hit in the airstrikes.

“To be perfectly honest I have no way of verifying that,” Son said. “I did not, even then, know who was who. We were told by controllers on the ground that infiltrators dressed in white mingled with Korean refugees.”

Son flew F-80s and F-51s for the 35th Fighter-Bomber Squadron which was based in Japan.

One of his squadron mates, Robert Dewald of Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, told CNN, “We certainly didn’t fire on anything we weren’t cleared to fire on. Mostly we were drawing fire from these people, and suspected they were enemy troops, strongly suspected they were enemy troops.”

“We did have some doubts about whether these were soldiers, and whether some civilians mixed in with them,” Dewald said. “We knew the North Koreans would mix in refugees to try to protect themselves.”

Another former U.S. pilot, Alvin Wimer of Salem, Oregon, told CNN that on two occasions in July, 1950 he was directed by Army spotters on the ground to strafe small groups of people who were dressed in civilian clothes.

He says he made notes about the incidents at the time because they “troubled him” even though he had been told the groups contained enemy infiltrators.

“There were two missions in which we were directed to strafe what appeared to be civilian personnel,” Wimer said. “Whether they were infiltrators, we have no way of knowing.”
He said in one of the two incidents, the civilian clad people appeared to be dug into foxholes along a river bank, and did not appear to be civilians.

“In retrospect, remember we were young people fighting a war by the old rules,” Wimer said. “We did not attack civilians. And that’s why it was troubling to me. I made in my personal notes: directed to attack what appeared to be civilians. The second time I think they were civilians.”