Kim Sung wrote:His name was Yi Kun-Sup (이근섭).
He was killed when his P-51 was shot down in Anyang (안양) on July 4, 1950.
According to some doubtable sources, he shot down more than 20 allied fighters during the Pacific War.
I think his given name was Kun-Suk ( 근석) As in this link
http://ki.warmemo.co.kr:8101/warmemo/js ... 625HM00009
(hanmun: 李根晳) transliterated as Lee Gun-Suk in the English version of the ROKAF Official History.
The ROKAF started ops with 10 F-51's July 3. The Official History and other sources give 10 as the number of qualified Korean pilots so the number of planes initially requested, but USAF inventory records also show 10 F-51's issued to units in the FEAF a/o June 30 1950 so presumably in ready status (with 37 others on hand in Japan were presumably in storage; most of the F-51's used to convert some FEAF F-80 units back to F-51's later in the summer, were shipped from the US West Coast by aircraft carrier). Maybe 10 was a convenient compromise for the initial number. Interestingly, 4 of the initial 10 F-51's reached Suwon with USAF pilots during an NK air raid June 29 and claimed [3] Il-10's and an La-7 (probably a Yak-11).
In any case Lee flew the first ROKAF F-51 mission July 3, then the Official History gives this account of his loss July 4:
". A formation of four, led by Col Lee, Gun-Suk, approached Shiheung at 1230 hours. The formation identified a thick column of enemy vehicles, spearheaded by 20 tanks. The ROKAF pilots quickly split into two attacking elements. Col Lee and Lt Col Kim, Young-Hwan began strafing the enemy tanks while Maj Park, Hee-Dong and Capt Jang, Song-Hwan orbited over the target area trying to detect additional enemy movements. As Col Lee began a nose-dive maneuver, his aircraft was hit by enemy anti-aircraft artillery fire. Col Lee recognized there was no way he would escape death and gave up his life by diving his crippled F-51 into an enemy tank."
I'm not saying that has to be true, just providing the official version. Lee was posthumously promoted to Brigadier General. His biography in the same book in part says:
"Lee, Gun-Suk was born on 17 January 1917 at Kuwonli, Pyongannamdo Province. He graduated from Pyongyang Senior High School and learned to fly at the Japanese Unggok Flight School, Youth Pilot Course. He completed the course in 1934. Lee was first assigned to Kilgang Unit, Japanese Army and won first place in a Japanese Army flight contest. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the ROK Army, along with six other founders of the ROK Air Force, on 14 May 1948."
Not much detail on Japanese military career, nor in the link. This seems still to be a sensitive topic in South Korea, war time Japanese military careers of respected people.
Klemen L, was your source the book "The Anguish of Surrender"? it pops up on Google with a similar quote to what you said, "Aoki" was Lee. Does any other source say it?
Per "Bloody Shambles" vol 1 by Shores et al, the 77th Sentai lost 3 Ki-27's Dec 25 1941 (and the 64th Sentai 2 Ki-43's) escorting Ki-21 bombers (4 lost) over Rangoon, against 67th Sdn RAF Buffalo's (4 lost) and AVG P-40's (2 lost), each side's claims at the time higher of course. One of the 77th pilots missing and presumed dead by his unit was a Warrant Officer Aoki, so that fits. Being so early in the Pacific War 20 victories does seem highly unlikely, but it seems he actually did fly combat against the Allies.
[edit, in "JAAF Fighter Units and their Aces" by Hata et al the 77th Sentai POW Dec 25 '41 is listed as "Sgt.Maj Ri Kontetu", matching the first two syllables of 李根晳 at least, I don't know if 晳 is ever pronouced "tetu" in Japanese; he's not in the list of pilots with 8 or more victories in that book.]
The general story of a WWII Korean ace against the US that various US Korean War pilots met (or perhaps heard of and later mistakenly remembered personally meeting) appears in a number of books, but no name. I guess this is at least one source of the story, a connection I hadn't seen before, fascinating.
On the other side (of the Korean War) the vice chief of the NK air force at the start of the war, Lee Whal (李闊) was a graduate of the "Nagoya AF school" per the book "Buk han inmingun daesa" (北韓人民軍隊史) and his JAAF service is also mentioned in US intel documents, the source there being the Yak-9 pilot Bak Gyung-Ok shot down and captured right at the beginning of the KW.
Joe
