History for Chron

Spokane native 1st Lt. Paul Carter, who served as a radar operator in a B-29 Superfortress, said the air war over Korea is getting more difficult despite less fighting on the ground.

Carter, a veteran of 60 missions over Korea during his recent 10-month deployment, said the North Korean MiG-15 fighters were more than a match for the World War II era B-29s.

On one recent flight, MiGs downed five of the nine B-29s in Carter’s flight.

“Our losses on that mission just about ended daylight raids by B-29s,” Carter said. “The gunners just can’t track fighters that speedy.”

Also on that same flight, Carter’s airplane took a 37 mm cannon round from a Mig-15 in the Superfortress’ bomb bay, but the B-29 managed to return.

After that incident, the U.S. Air Force began flying night missions because the MiGs were not well equipped for dark flying conditions.

However, North Korean forces then began ringing bomb targets with search lights.

“Their MiGs fly around just outside the searchlight pattern and dive on each plane as search lights pick it out,” Carter said.

Carter was returning home to meet his newborn daughter in Spokane for the first time. He was then heading to serve as instructor at Forbes Air Force Base in Kansas City.