F-80 Shooting Star Units of the Korean War (Combat Aircraft, 128)

The F-80 Shooting Star was fielded at the close of the Second World War, as the U.S. Air Force's first operational jet fighter. It was still in use when the Korean War broke out in 1950. F-80 units flew a variety of missions over the Korean Peninsula prior to the Armistice in 1954, getting the most out of a tough but aging airframe.Author Warren Thompson provides a quick introduction on the F-80's assigned to the Far East, before getting into their combat missions. The story is told in a chronological fashion, with lots of first person accounts to provide the details of combat. The author notes how the fielding of the MiG-15 by Communist forces changed the role of the F-80, which focused on close air support and battlefield interdiction while the newer F-86 picked up the bulk of the counter-air mission. There is a nice concluding chapter on the reconnaissance version of the F-80. A concise and well written account, with lots of period photographs and modern illustrations, highly recommended to students of the Korean War.

Excellent stories, facts and outcomes. Photos are great too. If you want to understand how our first operational fighter jet did in war, along with the human sacrifice it will be a great read for you.

The F-80 lead a Great span of lifetime. I remember the Kansas ANG was still flying them in 1958

Good photos, informative captions, excellent text, as is usual for Warren Thompson. Would buy it again without hesitation. Usual Osprey artwork in profiles, painting.

I flew the F-80. Great memory book.

Some very interesting photos from that era.

Excellent

thank you

Un excellent livre avec nombre de récits de pilotes et de belles photos couleurs originales. Un seul regret : il manque un tableau chronologique de l'ensemble des unités de F-80 engagées et de leur remplacement par des F-84 et des F-86…

Corea un lieu de guerre tres loin de Europe nous avons eu pas point quelqe information en cela

Très bon