Successful Fighter Combat: An Historical Comparison Fighter Aviation

摘要

During World War II and the Korean War, fighter combat rapidly developed as an art form and successful pilots had several common characteristics (57:5). This paper will show characteristics contributing to the success of combat fighter pilots in World War II and Korea and compare these traits to requirements of modern fighter combat in the United States Air Force. In order to make a logical analysis of past success, several limits have been placed on this study. In selecting pilots for study. In selecting pilots for study, only U.S. fighter pilots were considered. Pilots from other nations may have had cultural differences that would have made comparison with modern U.S. aviators very difficult. In addition, the author is not multi-lingual and research of foreign pilots is dependent on translation. Additionally, comparison was different because combat situations of Japanese, German, and Korean pilots were dramatically different from those of U.S. pilots. Navy and Marine pilots were excluded in an attempt to eliminate mission differences, such as fleet defense versus air superiority, and to facilitate comparison with modern fighter combat missions. Finally, the study was limited to the examination of five pilots in an attempt to limit the length. Limiting the paper enhanced the study and its utility to modern aviators, while the methods used to study these men provided a backdrop for organization. First a definition of the 'successful' combat fighter is stated, and compared to the pilots in two wars.