Special Operations.Com
U.S. Special Operations
in the Korean War
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1st
Raider Company GHQ
Due to the unique time period of
the Korean War in relation to U.S. Special Operations
history, very few units that deployed were actually
considered "special operations" units.
Some groups, however, such as the U.S. Army Rangers,
Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs), USMC,
and USAF C-47 crews did play a significant role
in the Korean War. Information on these units, however,
is scarce and hard to come by. For this reason,
and to enhance the information provided here, some
of the links below are to special mission units
- those teams who performed difficult and unique
missions - but are not often credited with their
actions due to their secretive or low-profile operations.
Wonsan
Mine Clearance -- Underwater
Demolition Team (UDT) Activities off Wonsan, October
1950
Association
of Ranger Infantry Companies (Airborne) of the Korean
War (RICA)
K-14
TAC Recon - "During and just after the Korean
War, Kimpo Air Force Base (K-14) was home to the 11th,
12th, and 6166th TAC Reconnaissance squadrons. The
squadron airplanes were RB- and WB-26C Invaders, painted
black and stripped of all armor and weapons...The
missions were taking reconnaissance photographs, recording
weather patterns, and tracking enemy radars. The flights
were flown in all conditions, the worst of weather,
and the middle of the night."
Douglas
B-26K (A-26A) "Counter Invader" - Redesignated
B-26 in 1948, the Invader served again during the
Korean Conflict (1950-53), mainly as a night intruder
against North Korean supply lines.
Apollo's
Warriors: US Air Force Special Operations during the
Cold War
Visit KimSoft's site for scores of
links to intel
and counterintel information from the Korean War.
Stop by this site to check out a comprehensive
grouping of Korean
War battle maps.
Some notes on US SOF operations in the Korean War:
The primary special ops airplane was the C-47. One
mission involved leaflet and loudspeaker missions
flown by a detachment within the 21st Troop Carrier
Squadron, also known as "The Kyushu Gypsies."
The detachment assistant commander was Harry Aderholt,
who took command of the unit after it moved to 5th
Air Force later in the war. There was also a special
project known as "Beachcomber" which invoved
US Army and USMC teams operating on remote islands
off the coast of North Korea. They were resupplied
by C-47 crews who either dropped supplies or landed
on stretches of beach when possible.
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