The Korean War saw the B-29 Stratofortress play a significant role as the primary bomber aircraft for the Far East Air Force (FEAF). However, initial attacks on targets in Korea were met with little resistance. It wasn’t until China’s entry into the conflict that the U.S. bombers faced a new threat: the MiG-15 interceptor.
Designed to take down the B-29 Superfortress, the MiG-15 sparked a series of intense battles in the notorious MiG Alley near the Yalu River.
As 1950 came to a close, Soviet-built MiG-15s began challenging B-29s and B-26s during daylight missions over North Korea. This led to a shift to nighttime bombing runs from bases in Japan, and Okinawa as the B-29s struggled to defend against the MiG-15s.
However, clashes continued until the last year of the conflict…
Battle Results
The following table is taken from The Last War of the Superfortresses: MiG-15 vs B-29 over Korea by Leonid Krylov & Yuriy Tepsurkaev (This book is a very recommended read from the Soviet pilot’s perspective of the B-29 vs MiG-15 over Korea).
In this table, the authors list each battle’s results contrasting Russian reports with publicized U.S. reports of the same engagement:
- Date of the Air Battle
When referring to night battles, the date used is that of the previous day. For instance, a battle from July 10 to July 11 would be referred to as “10 July.” - Number of Victories
This section contains data on the number of officially recorded victories in sorties against B-29s, specifically excluding information on damaged enemy aircraft. It may not provide the complete count of daily victories, but includes the following:- 64th IAK.: Victories over B-29s or close escort aircraft.
- Far Eastern Air Force (FEAF): Victories attained by B-29 gunners or pilots in close escort fighter groups
- Actual Enemy Losses (according to date from the Opposing Side)
The information presented in this section may not align with the complete number of losses incurred by both sides daily, and comprises only the following:- 64th IAK: Losses of B-29s and their escort fighters recorded in the Western publications available during the research
- Far Eastern Air Force (FEAF): Actual losses of MiG-15s caused by enemy fire from B-29s or escort fighters, as per the materials from the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
| Date of the Air Battle | Number of Victories | Type | Pilot (Gunner) | Rank | Unit | Actual Enemy Losses (according to date from the Opposing Side) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 November 1950 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 B-29 | A.Z. Bordun L.M. Dymchenko | Major Snr Lieutenant | 72nd GvIAP | One RB-29 from the 91st Medium Reconnaissance Squadron was seriously damaged during an emergency landing at Kimpo: five crewmembers were killed. According to other data. this aircraft made an emergency landing at Johnson air base in Japan. |
| FEAF: 1 | 1 MiG-15 | Harry J. Lavene | Sergeant | 91st ARS | No losses. | |
| 10 November 1950 | 64th IAK: 2 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 | Yu.I. Akimov G.I. Kharkovskiy | Lieutenant Major | 139th GvIA 139th GvIAP | One B-29 was shot down (serial No. 45-21814) from the 37 1st Bombardment Squadron of the 307th Bombardment Group. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 12 November 1950 | 64th IAK: none | One B-29 from the 98th Bombardment Group was seriously damaged and made an emergency landing in South Korea. | ||||
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 14 November 1950 | 64th IAK: 5 | 1 B-29 3 B-29 1 F-80 | Podgorniy G.I. Kharkovskiy Sokolov | Captain Major Captain | 67th IAP 139th GvIAP 67th IAP | One B-29 from the 19th Bombardment Group and I from the 307th Bombardment Group were heavily damaged. It is possible that the 19th Bombardment Group aircraft carried the serial No. 44-62152 and was written off the following day. |
| FEAF: none | 1 MiG-15 | Richard W. Fisher | Staff-Sergeant | 371st BS | Captain Podgorniy's MiG-15 from the 67th IAP was damaged after being fired upon by a B-29. | |
| 1 December 1950 | 64th IAK: 2 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 | G.M. Grebenki P.I. Orlov | Snr Lieutenant Snr Lieutenant | 29th GvIAP 29th GvIAP | No losses. |
| FEAF: none | A B-29 fired on Lieutenant Grebenkin's MiG-15 from the 29th GvIAP: holes were found in the cockpit canopy. the port side of the stabiliser and the port wing plane. | |||||
| 6 December 1950 | 64th IAK: 3 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 | I. Bogaryrev A.S. Minin S.I. Naumenko | Captain Lieutenant Captain | 29th GvIAP 29th GvIAP 29th GvIAP | No losses. |
| FEAF: none | Lieutenant N.N. Serikov failed to return from the sortie; it is assumed he was shot down by a B-29. | |||||
| 10 January 1951 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 B-29 | P.M. Mikhaylov | Major | 177th IAP | No losses. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 14 February 1951 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 B-29 | V.I. Kolyadin | Lieutenant-Colonel | 28th GvIAP | This battle is not mentioned in the resources researched. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 25 Febuary 1951 | 64th IAK: 4 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 | V.G. Monakhov P.B. Ovsyannikov A.I. Parfenov N.G. Pronin | Snr Lieutenant Major Captain Captain | 28th GvIAP 28th GvIAP 28th GvIAP 28th GvIAP | No losses. |
| FEAF: none | Captain Pronin's MiG-15 from the 28th GvIAP was damaged - the starboard wing was holed and the aileron rods were damaged. | |||||
| 1 March 1951 | 64th IAK: 2 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 | V.I. Kolyadin P.B. Ovsyannikov | Lieutenant-Colonel Major | 28 GvIAP 28 GvIAP | Ten B-29s from the 98th Bombardment Group were seriously damaged; three of these (serial Nos. 44-27341, 44-61830 and 44-69977) made emergency landings and were written off. According to other sources, only three B-29s were damaged. |
| FEAF: 1 | 1 MiG-15 | William H. Finnegan | Staff-Sergeant | 343rd BS | No losses. | |
| 30 March 1951 | 64th IAK: none | One B-29 from the 19th Bombardment Group was seriously damaged. | ||||
| FEAF: 2 | 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 | Norman S. Greene Charles W. Summers | Staff-Sergeant Technical Sergeant | 28th BS 28th BS | No losses. | |
| 7 April 1951 | 64th IAK: 3 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 F-84 | S.P. Subbotin I.A. Suchkov B.A. Obraztsov | Captain Captain Snr Lieutenant | 176th GvIAP 176th GvIAP 176th GvIAP | One B-29 (serial No. 44-86268) from the 37 1st Bombardment Squadron of the 307th Bombardment Group was shot down. The fighter escort did not incur any losses. |
| FEAF: none | One MiG-15 from the 196th IAP was shot down; the pilot, Lieutenant Andrushko, ejected. | |||||
| 12 April 1951 | 64th IAK: 14 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 F-80 1 F-80 1 F-84 1 F-80 | G.I. Ges A.M. Kochegarov P.S. Milaushkin V.A. Nazarkin B.A. Obraztsov A.A. Plicktin S.P. Subbotin I.A. Suchkov F.A. Shebanov K.Ya. Sheberstov S.M. Kramarenko I.V. Lazutin S.P. Subbotin V.N. Fukin | Captain Captain Snr Lieutenant Captain Snr Lieutenant Snr Lieutenant Captain Captain Snr Lieutenant Captain Captain Snr Lieutenant Captain Snr Lieutenant | 176th GvIAP 196th IAP 176th GvIAP 196th IAP 176th GvIAP 176th GvIAP 176th GvIAP 176th GvIAP 196th IAP 176th GvIAP 176th GvIAP 176th GvIAP 176th GvIAP 196th IAP | One B-29 each from the 19th Bombardment Group and the 307th Bombardment Group were shot down. Five B-29s from the 19th Bombardment Group and one B-29 from the 307th Bombardment Group were seriously damaged. The last one made an emergency landing at Suwon and was written off. According to the authors' assessment, Bomber Command losses amounted to no more than six B-29s of which four were lost over the target or over the sea, and a further two were written off following emergency landings. |
| FEAF: 11 | 2 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 | Billy G. Beach Royal A. Veatch Ercel S. Dye Lyle R. Patterson David R. Stime Robert A. Winslow James Jabara Howard M. Lane John C. Meyer Bruce H. Hinton | Sergeant Sergeant Staff-Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant Captain Captain Colonel Lieutenant-Colonel | 28th BS 30th BS 371st BS 30th BS 371st BS 30th BS 334th BS 336th FS 4th FW 336rd FS | Five MiG-15s from the 196th IAP were damaged: - Snr Lieutenant B.S. Abakumov's aircraft - eight holes; the pilot landed back at base - Snr Lieutenant Vermina's aircraft - one hole: the pilot landed back at base - Snr Lieutenant A.V. Dostoyevski's aircraft - four holes; the pilot landed back at base - Snr Lieutenant Zykov's aircraft two holes; the pilot landed back at base - Snr Lieutenant Yakovlev - made an emergency landing in a damaged aircraft 15 km away from the airfield |
|
| 31 May 1951 | 64th IAK: none | No losses. | ||||
| FEAF: 3 | 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 | Michael R. Martocchia Otis Gordon Jr Bobbie L. Smith | Staff-Sergeant Junior Lieutenant Junior Lieutenant | 28th BS 335th BS 335th BS | Sabres from the B-29 close support group shot down Major Perevozchikov (from the Air Force Scientific-Research Institute Group). Two MiG-15s from the 196th IAP were damaged: - Snr Lieutenant Alekhnovich's aircraft (from the Air Force Scientific-Research Institute's Group) seven holes Snr Lieutenant Boboin's aircraft (from the Air Force Scientific- Research Institute's Group) the tail section of the fuselage was crumpled slightly by the jettisonable external fuel tanks | |
| 1 June 1951 | 64th IAK: 2 | B-29 | Ye.M. Stelmakh | Snr Lieutenant | 18th GvIAD | One B-29 from the 98th Bombardment Group was shot down: a further two were seriously damaged. |
| FEAF: 4 | 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 | James C. Davis Earl A. Kanop Simpson Evans Jr Richard O. Ransbottom | Staff-Sergeant Sergeant Lieutenant US Navy Captain | 343rd BS 343rd BS 336th FS 336th FS | Snr Lieutenant Stelmak's MiG-15 from the 8th GvIAP was shot down. The pilot ejected, but was killed in a skirmish with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. A MiG-15 from the 8th Guards Fighter Air Division was damaged; the pilot, Snr Lieutenant Ageyev, landed back at base. | |
| 26 June 1951 | 64th IAK: none | There was a suggestion that one B-29 had been destroyed by Snr Lieutenant Fokin (from the 17th IAP). This suggestion though was not confirmed at a later stage. | One B-29 damaged but returned to base. | |||
| FEAF: 1 | 1 MiG-15 | Harry L. Underwood Arthur E. Oligher | Cptain Junior Lieutenant | 182nd TFS 182nd TFS | Snr Lieutenant Agranovich's MiG-15 from the 17th IAP was shot down: the pilot was killed. | |
| 9 July 1951 | 64th IAK: none | No losses. | ||||
| FEAF: 2 | 2 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 | Gus C. Opfer Milton E. Nelson | Sergeant Captain | 30th BS 335th BS | One MiG-15 from the People's Liberation Army Air Force was shot down: the pilot was killed. | |
| 22 October 1951 | 64th IAK: 6 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 F-84 1 F-84 1 F-84 | A.P. Smorchkov Stepanov V.S. Shabanov Konev A.P. Smorchkov L.K. Shchukin | Lieutenant-Colonel Snr Lieutenant Snr Lieutenant Snr Lieutenant Lieutenant-Colonel Snr Lieutenant | 18th GvIAP 18th GvIAP 18th GvIAP 18th GvIAP 18th GvIAP 18th GvIAP | One B-29 (serial No. 44-61656) from the 19th Bombardment Group was shot down. The escorting fighters did not incur any losses. |
| FEAF: none | Two MiG-15s from the 18th GvIAP were damaged - supposedly by an F-84. | |||||
| 23 October 1951 | 64th IAK: 13 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 2 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 F-84 1 F-84 1 F-84 | S.A. Bakhayev Bykov Bychkov G.K. Dyachenko Kornienko A.N. Nikolayev D.P. Oskin A.P. Smorchkov A.M. Shevarev I.A. Rybalko V.F. Shulev L.K. Shchukin | Captain Snr Lieutenant Captain Snr Lieutenant Captain Snr Lieutenant Major Lieutenant-Colonel Snr Lieutenant Snr Lieutenant Snr Lieutenant Snr Lieutenant | 523rd IAP 17th IAP 17th IAP 523rd IAP 18th GvIAP 17th IAP 523rd IAP 18th GvIAP 523rd IAP 523rd IAP 17th IAP 18th GvIAP | Between eight and 10 B-29s from the 307th Bombardment Group were lost: - Three shor down over the target serial Nos. 44-70151 (370th Bombardment Squadron), 42-94045 (37 1st Bombardment Squadron) and 44-61940 (372nd Bombardment Group) - Between five and seven B-29s were damaged or destroyed during emergency landings in South Korea, or were written off on their return to base - One F-84E (serial No. 50-1220) from the 111th Tactical Fighter Squadron was shot down: the pilot, Junior Lieutenant John W. Shewmaker, vanished without trace |
| FEAF: 5 | 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 | Fred R. Spivey Jerry M. Webb Ralph E. Banks Richard D. Creighton Farrie D. Fortner | Sergeant Sergeant Captain Major Junior Lieutenant | 371st BS 371st BS 336th FS 336th FS 154th TFS | The aircraft was shot down by Sabres on its return to base over the People's Republic of China and Snr Lieutenant Khrutin (from the 523rd IAP) was killed. Three MiG-15s were damaged: - Snr Lieutenant A.N. Nikolayev's aircraft (from the 17th IAP) - one hole in the tail fin after being fired upon by a B-29 - Lieutenant A.P. Smirnov's aircraft (from the 18th GvIAP) four holes in the nose section of the fuselage close to the cockpit - Snr Lieutenant Ustyuzhaninov's aircraft (from the 18th GvIAP) - supposedly hit by an F-86 whilst breaking away from an attack on a B-29 | |
| 24 October 1951 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 B-29 | A.P. Smorchkov | Lieutenant-Colonel | 18th GVIAP | One B-29 (serial No. 44-61932) from the 98th Bombardment Group was seriously damaged; it made an emergency landing on water in Wanson Bay. |
| FEAF: 1 | 1 MiG-15 | Harold M. Setters | Technical Sergeant | 344th BS | Lieutenant-Colonel Smorchkov's MiG-15 was damaged. | |
| 27 October 1951 | 64th IAK: 4 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 F-84 1 F-84 | A.N. Karasev D.A. Samoylov D.A. Samoylov A.P. Trefilov | Lieutenant-Colonel Snr Lieutenant Snr Lieutenant Major | 523rd IAP 523rd IAP 523rd IAP 523rd IAP | Four B-29s from the 19th Bombardment Group were damaged (one seriously). |
| FEAF: 5 | 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 1 MiG-15 | Merle A. Goff Michael R. Martocchia Harry E. Ruch Leeman M. Tankersley Leonard B. Eversole | Sergeant Staff Sergeant Private 1st Class Sergeant Corporal | 28th BS 28th BS 28th BS 93th BS 30th BS | Three MiG-15s from the 523rd IAP confirmed: Snr Lieutenant M.A. Zykov's aircraft - one hole in the fuselage | |
| 10 June 1952 | 64th IAK: 3 | 2 B-29 1 B-29 | A.M. Karelin M.I. Studilin | Captain Lieutenant-Colonel | 351st IAP 147th GvIAP | Two B-29s from the 19th Bombardment Group were shot down - serial Nos. 44-62183 (from the 28th Bombardment Squadron) and 44-61967 (from the 30th Bombardment Squadron) One further B-29 (serial No. 44-87775) from the 28th Bombardment Squadron was seriously damaged and made an emergency landing near Gimpo. |
| FEAF: none | Captain Korelin's MiG-15 was damaged by wreckage from a B-29. | |||||
| 14 June 1952 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 B-29 | F.S. Volodarskiy. | Captain | 147th GvIAP | This battle is not mentioned in the Western publications researched. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 3 July 1952 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 RB-29 | A.M. Karelin | Major | 351st IAP | One RB-29 (serial No. 44-61727) from the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron was shot down; 11 crewmembers were taken prisoner (they were handed back at the end of the war) and two were missing. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 23 August 1952 | 64th IAK: none | No losses. | ||||
| FEAF: none | 1 MiG-15 flown by Captain Poltavets (from the 147th GvIAP) was destroyed whilst returning home following a battle 12 km from its base. The aircraft was damaged by fire from 12.7 mm machine guns; this was supposedly from a B-29. | |||||
| 9 September 1952 | 64th IAK: none | No losses. | ||||
| FEAF: 1 | 1 piston- powered aircraft | Robert L. Davis Robert W. Smith | Private Private | 343rd BS 343rd BS | No losses, | |
| 12 September 1952 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 B-29 | Yu.N. Dobrovichan | Snr Lieutenant | 147th GvIAP | 64th IAK documents indicate that that this B-29 crashed 17 km east of the city of Tegvan. Specifically. maps of SHORAN radar sites were found in the wreckage of the bomber. According to American statistics, one B-29 (serial No. 44- 86343) from the 37 1st Bombardment Squadron of the 307th Bombardment Group failed to return from a sortie; this is attributed to anti-aircraft artillery fire. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 18 November 1952 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 B-29 | Yu.N. Dobrovichan | Snr Lieutenant | 147th GvIAP | I B-29 (s/n 44-86392) from the 345th Bombardment Squadron of the 98th Bombardment Group was shot down. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 9 December 1952 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 B-29 | Yu.N. Dobrovichan | Snr Lieutenant | 147th GvIAP | One B-29 (serial No. 45-21822) from the 98th Bombardment Group was lost: the reason for this loss is not specified. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 30 December 1952 | 64th IAK: 4 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 | A.G. Andreyev Z. Iskhangaliev A.M. Karelin M.D. Muravyev | Snr Lieutenant Snr Lieutenant Major Snr Lieutenant | 535th IAP 351st IAP 351st IAP 535th IAP | One B-29 (serial No. 44-62011) from the 28th Bombardment Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group was shot down. A further two were written off on the basis of the damage they incurred. |
| FEAF: none | Major Karelin's MiG-15 was damaged by wreckage from the B-29. | |||||
| 10 January 1953 | 64th IAK: 3 | 1 B-29 1 B-29 1 B-29 | I.P. Golyshevskiy Kultyshev Ya.Z. Khabiev | Captain Major Snr Lieutenant | 351st IAP 351st IAP 535th IAP | One B-29 (serial No. 44-61802) from the 307th Bombardment Group was damaged by fire from a MiG-15; it was destroyed on its return to Okinawa. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 12 January 1953 | 64th IAK: 2 | 1 B-29 1 RB-29 | A.I. Gubenko Ya.Z. Khabiev | Snr Lieutenant Snr Lieutenant | 351st IAP 535th IAP | One RB-29 (serial No. 44-62217) from the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron was shot down. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 28 January 1953 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 B-29 | A.M. Karelin | Major | 351st IAP | One B-29 (serial No. 42-62357) from the 28th Bombardment Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group was shot down. |
| FEAF: none | No losses. | |||||
| 30 January 1953 | 64th IAK: 1 | 1 B-29 | A.M. Karelin | Major | 351st IAP | One B-29 (serial No. 44-27262 or 44-61920) from the 307th Bombardment Group was seriously damaged and made an emergency landing in South Korea. |
| FEAF: none | Major Karelin's MiG-15 was seriously damaged by defensive fire from a gunner on board a B-29. The pilot landed back at base after an engine failure. |
Abbreviations
ARS – Air Reconnaissance Squadron
BS – Bombardment Squadron
FEAF – Far Eastern Air Force
FS – Fighter Squadron
FW – Fighter Wing
GvIAD – Guards Fighter Aviation Division
GvIAP – Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment
IAK – Fighter Aviation Corps
IAP – Fighter Aviation Regiment
TFS – Tactical Fighter Squadron
Further reading
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress Facts: 11 things to know
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress Units of the Korean War (1950-1953)
- Known B-29 Superfortress Losses in Korea (1950-1953)
- The B-29’s Campaign in the Korean War: A chronology
- Soviet Korean War Aces
Bibliography and source
- The Last War of the Superfortresses: MiG-15 vs B-29 over Korea by Leonid Krylov & Yuriy Tepsurkaev