188

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

1950-Contin ued

First Marine Division landed on Wolmi Island at 0630

and, after landing craft were regrouped and the tide

was again favorable, followed up with a successful

assault of the mainland at Inchon.

Beginning 12 September carrier support was pro-

vided by two carriers in preliminary strikes in the

objective area and on highways leading into Seoul,

and was augmented by two escort carriers the day

before the landing and by the arrival of Boxer on D-

day. The HMS Triumph, operating with the Blockade

and Covering Force, provided air defense for the

assault forces enroute. As the troops advanced inland,

carrier support continued until 3 October with close

air support missions and strikes against enemy lines

of communications.

18 September Fleet Logistic Air Wing was replaced

by Fleet Logistic Air Wing, Atlantic/Continental, and

assigned status parallel to that of the previously estab-

lished Fleet Logistic Air Wing, Pacific.

19 September Two days after the capture of Kimpo

Airfield by troops working inland from Inchon, the

first elements of MAW-l arrived from Japan, and early

the next morning began air operations from Kimpo

with strikes supporting troops advancing on Seoul.

23 September An H03S-1 helicopter, equipped

with an automatic pilot developed by the Aeronautical

Instruments Laboratory, was successfully flown with

three axis automatic control at Mustin Field,

Philadelphia, Pa.

2 October The Bureau of Aeronautics authorized

the establishment of Project Arowa (Applied Research:

Operational Weather Analysis) at Norfolk, Va., for the

purpose of developing basic meteorological research

data into practical weather forecasting techniques.

10 October The carrier force moved into action off

the east coast of Korea with strikes and sweeps from

Wonsan to Chongjin in preparation for amphibious

landings at Wonsan. When a heavy concentration of

mines in the harbor delayed the scheduled landings,

the carrier attack shifted northward and inland to assist

the advance of UN forces which, by the time the land-

ings were made on the 26th, had swept past the

intended objective area and were advancing toward

the Yalu River.

28 October The Chief of Naval Operations directed

that each station, air group, wing, and squadron estab-

lish a permanent Instrument Flight Board to check the

instrument flying proficiency of Naval Aviators and

Naval Aviation pilots and to supervise and coordinate

the instrument training of all pilots attached. It was

further directed that, with certain exceptions, all

Group I Naval Aviators maintain a valid instrument rat-

ing after 18 months from date.

29 October The fast carrier force retired to Sasebo,

Japan, as the advance of UN forces toward the Yalu

River rapidly reduced the area which could be

attacked and there was no further need for its services.

31 October The National Advisory Committee for

Aeronautics (NACA) issued a report on tests at the

Langley Aeronautical Laboratory in which a wind tun-

nel was used to determine the characteristics of a fully

submerged, high-speed submarine. The interrelation-

ships of basic naval sciences dealing with aeronautics

and naval architecture were thus reemphasized.

6 November As enemy opposition stiffened, the fast

carrier forces returned to action, attacking targets in

their assigned area east of the 127th meridian. Two

days later, the force was given a primary mission of

cutting off Chinese Communist reinforcements from

Manchuria by destroying the international bridges

across the Yalu River.

9 November The initial strikes against bridges cross-

ing the Yalu River at Sinuiju were opposed by enemy

MiG-15s. In this, the first encounter of Navy jets with

Amen

downed

Navy's

first MiG

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