F-86 Sabre vs MiG-15

A fully objective, balanced description and appraisal of the air battles over the hotly-contested airspace above the North Korea-China border, with enlightening discussion of the relative merits of each type. As the routed North Korean Peoples Army (NKPA) withdrew into the mountainous reaches of their country and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) funneled in its massive infantry formations in preparation for a momentous counter-offensive, both lacked adequate air power to challenge the US and UN. Reluctantly, Josef Stalin agreed to provide the requisite air cover, introducing the superior swept-wing MiG-15 to counter the Americans straight-wing F-80 jets. This in turn prompted the USAF to deploy its very best the F-86A Sabre to counter this threat. In this period, the unrelenting campaign for aerial superiority witnessed the introduction of successive models of these two revolutionary jets into combat. This meticulously researched study not only provides technical descriptions of the two types and their improved variants, complete with a fighter pilots assessment of these aircraft, but also chronicles the entire scope of their aerial duel in MiG Alley by employing the recollections of the surviving combatants including Russian, Chinese, and North Korean pilots who participated.