Presentation Date: August 26, 2004
SR LT Ken Rowe
North Korean Air Force Fighter Pilot, Escaped Communism by Flying His MiG-15 to Kimpo AFB, Korea. * Escaped Communism by Flying His MiG-15 to Kimpo AFB, Korea. * At 19, Became Youngest Jet Fighter Pilot in North Korean Air Force *His Squadron the First MiG-15 Fighter Unit; Started Aerial Combat from Uiju Airfield Nov. 1951; Relocated to Antung Airfield (renamed Dandong) Manchuria * Flew Over 100 Combat Missions Against F-86s, 1951-1953 * On Third Defection/Escape Attempt, 21 September 1953, Succeeded by Landing at Kimpo AFB, South Korea; Surprised to Learn of $100,000 Reward * Came to USA; Earned Engineering Degree; Became USA Citizen & Patriot * Wrote Book: A MiG-15 to Freedom, Published in 1996 * His MiG-15 On Display at USAF Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton. Written by Col John Crump
Flight to Freedom
After more than 100 missions against F-86 Sabres, Ken Rowe survived the Korean War to deliver an intact MiG-15 fighter to the United States Air Force.
Ken Rowe, was 17 years old when he entered the North Korean Naval Academy. At that time he was still known as No Kum-Sok, the son of an anti-communist father and a mother with a strong Catholic faith. His father had worked for a Japanese corporation on civil engineering projects and railroads connecting North Korea's rugged mountains with the country's coastal plain. Kum-Sok was born on January 10, 1932 in Sinhung, near Hamhung, Korea. As World War Two came to a close in Japanese occupied Korea, the young man was attending school with a childhood dream of going to the United States. Kum-Sok had seen pictures of the United States, especially of the New York City skyline, and he dreamed not only of seeing America, but of becoming an American citizen. The Red Army's occupation of North Korea at the end of the war put those dreams in jeopardy.
With a goal of a free college education, Kum-Sok was admitted to the Naval Academy. At first, because he was truthful about his father's Japanese employer, he was denied entrance. But, trying again, Kum-Sok lied to another examiner, and was admitted. "The examiner who flunked me - - I saw him at the Naval Academy campus one day. He looked at me like, 'How did you get here?' " As he studied at the Academy, Kum-Sok secretly planned to leave North Korea and Kim Il-Sung's navy.
When the Korean War broke out in June, 1950, Kum-Sok was one of eighty North Korean Naval Academy cadets who had passed a rigorous physical examination and were transferred to the North Korean Air Force. The cadets were being trained by the Soviet Air Force in Manchuria to become the first of North Korea's jet fighter pilots.
Up to that point, the war in the air had consisted of propeller driven Soviet aircraft flown by North Koreans, and most frequently, shot down by US Air Force pilots flying jets. Rowe says he was surprised by the actions of early propeller fighter pilots. Especially the story that one of them who was shot down over Kimpo airbase in South Korea in August, 1950. The pilot had drawn his pistol as he drifted in his parachute, and was shooting at troops below who would have captured him. He was shot and killed before landing on the ground.
"When I heard of that news... (I questioned) how could a guy become that much of a communist in less than five years? Before the Soviet Army entered North Korea, there were virtually no communists in North Korea. So I was surprised that guy could be so much of a communist."
Ken soloed in the Yak-18, a light, basic trainer. Then came the Yak-11, an all metal aircraft. At the age of 19, No Kum-Sok became the youngest fighter pilot in North Korea. China joined the conflict in November, 1950, and that's when the Soviets deployed a fighter division - - two Squadrons - - at Antung airbase in Manchuria, at the mouth of the Yalu River. Those MiG-15s were marked with the star insignia of Red China.
Rowe recalls that was when the jet age arrived for the North Korean Air Force. "The Soviets deployed an elite MiG-15 division from Moscow to the city of Anshan, about 120 miles northwest of Antung, for the sole purpose of training North Korean pilots." This Soviet MiG Division entered the war in 1952. Ivan Kozhedub, one of the Soviet Union's Triple Heroes commanded the training unit, and Rowe says Kozhedub sent a squadron commander and the future top Soviet MiG-15 ace, Yevgeni Pepelyaev to determine the progress North Korean pilots were making, initially concluding they didn't have enough flight hours.
Ken's MiG-15 squadron was the first North Korean MiG-15 unit thrown into aerial combat from Uiju Airfield in North Korea in early Nov. 1951. After repeated B-29 night raids on the field, including strafing by F-86 fighters, all the MiG-15s relocated to Antung (now Dandong) airbase in Manchuria. Ken's fighter squadron was mostly stationed at Antung until the war ended July 27,1953. Ken quickly became an element leader in a flight of four MiGs. He lost his wingman returning from a mission in which they entered clouds, but the wingman never came out.
"I don't know whether he was shot down. The next day China's army sent a telegram saying he'd hit the ground... I went to the site and saw the plane completely shattered. We buried him on the North Korean side of the river." Over time, Ken discovered the limitations of the MiG-15. Though it was a more maneuverable fighter at high altitude than the F-86, the MiG-15's top speed lagged below its adversary. The MiG-15 has higher rate of climb and higher ceiling since it's thrust to weight and lift to drag ratios are higher than the F-86's.
Rowe says Soviet flight instructors reminded them to fly 1000 km/hr in a combat zone. At an air temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, 1000 km/hr would translate into only .82 Mach. Rowe says, "That's not fast. You go into a combat mission and fly .82, and you'd get killed right away." The maximum speed of MiG-15 is 0.95 Mach, whereas the F-86 can slightly exceed sonic velocity while diving.
The MiG-15 also had no g-meter to show the stresses of combat aerobatics, and Rowe remembers, "I was afraid to pull too much, for fear I might go into a hard snap roll." Many US Air Force pilots witnessed MiG-15s doing snap rolls as they turned away from attacks, often entering spins that ended with the aircraft hitting the ground.
While the MiG-15s armament of (2) 23mm machine guns and a 37mm cannon packed a punch, their rate of fire was slow. Rowe says their successful use required shooting at close range. "The first time I fired was at an American fighter plane, either an F-80 or F-84. I was very far away. If I didn't fire, I would have gotten into trouble. So I fired at long distance.
"There was a vicious noise and vibration. It was as if I was sitting on a cannon platform. The tracers went out and dropped. That means the target was too far... it was beyond range." In February of 1952, the first wave of Korean MiG pilots were stood down and the second wave of young pilots became operational. The days of Russian pilots controlling MiG Alley along the Yalu River were coming to an end as American pilots, flying the improved F-86E began to gain air superiority.
In late spring of that year, Rowe says his MiG division commander floated the idea to strafe American fighters at Kimpo, but at that time was vetoed by the Russian commander. Meanwhile, Communist air forces reached peak numbers of operational aircraft - - North Korea had 270, China had 2,000, and the remainder were Soviet. USAF reports noted that MiG pilots believed fresh from completing training seemed more willing to engage in combat and were tougher opponents.
By May of 1953, the Soviets were pulling their pilots out of Manchuria and letting the North Korean and Chinese Air Forces take over MiG operations. USAF records show this was a most hazardous period for MiG-15 pilots, as near universal adoption of the F-86F and new tactics led to a slaughter of MiGs. In May, 1953 alone, 56 MiG-15s were lost versus a single F-86. On June 30, sixteen MiGs were shot down.
John Lowery, an F-86 pilot with the 334 Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter-Intercept Wing notes, "According to our flight records on the 26th of June, 1953, we both flew combat missions and tried to kill each other. And now, we're the greatest of friends." In late 1952, Gen. Mark Clark had ordered 1,000,000 leaflets be dropped on the south side of the Yalu River, to launch what would become known as "Operation Moolah."
Rowe says the leaflets - - in Russian, Chinese and Korean languages - - told of an offer for "any MiG pilot who would bring their flyable MiG to South Korea, there'd be a reward of $100,000." Approval of the plan went all the way up through Army ranks to then Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson.
The leaflets were not seen by any North Korean, Soviet or Chinese pilots, nor by any MiG pilot stationed in North Korea at that time. More importantly, MiG-15 pilots would have known nothing about the value of the US dollar, making the money offer meaningless, and giving no pilot reason to have defected for the reward. Rowe also says the offer's directions were to fly over Cho-do Island, which would have been hazardous for MiG pilots, as they had no sea survival gear. Ken says he never heard of the opportunity, nor even saw the leaflets until 30 years later. July 27, 1953 brought an armistice to the Korean War. Rowe says he was happy to be alive, "But I had one unfinished mission, and that was to escape."
Unlike other escapes of pilots from Communist countries - - landing their aircraft in neutral countries - - Rowe had the challenge of flying his plane to an airfield which was home to the very F-86s Rowe had flown against. "My danger was not only getting out of North Korea, but also flying into enemy airspace, where an American plane might intercept and shoot me down."
"Where do I land? The only place I can land is at an American airbase. That's the only place with a long enough runway. I figured my chance of success was only about twenty percent. So I was thinking, should I escape or just stay here and suffer the unhappy life. I was scared, I was struggling." August 15th, brought an opportunity for Ken to escape. The North Korean capital city of Pyongyang held a big parade celebrating Korea's liberation from the Japanese, a parade similar to Soviet parades in Red Square. Rowe flew his MiG in formation over the parade.
"At that time I was thinking of escaping. But, then I was not ready. I was not ready to die. The cease fire had been signed only 18 days earlier, so I thought I should enjoy my life a little bit." Ken's next opportunity came shortly thereafter - - 56 days after the armistice. His unit, the most experienced MiG-15 squadron, had been moved to Sunan, on the outskirts of the North Korean capital, where the runway had been repaired from repeated B-29 bombings. MiG-15s, smuggled by rail into N. Korea after the armistice, had been re-assembled at the base. Despite the peace talks, there was a renewed sense of war.
Rowe says top North Korean officials wanted the MiG-15 pilots combat ready. After the MiGs were reassembled, pilots were to take their fighters up individually and prepare again for operational status. It was an opportunity Ken realized he could not pass up. On top of that, as Rowe would later learn, the main radar at Kimpo radar was off line for maintenance on September 21, 1953. Ken remembers, "They said you are the one to fly first, on September 21st. So that morning came. I was ready. Then I got slightly scared. I saw the North Korean Air Force vice commander, who said, 'Fly carefully, because the runway is not in good condition. And, when you take off, don't get lost.'
"I said no, I'm not going to get lost. Then I told the guy who is flying after me - - the second pilot to take off - - I told him he needed to take off first." Rowe says he also told this pilot to stay up a long time, because if he returned to base soon, officials on the ground would call Rowe back also.
When the MiGs took off, and flew out of sight, Rowe took off alone and turned his jet toward Kimpo airbase. "My heart was pumping the blood so fast that, my jacket was going up and down here (his chest) one inch. The blood was not flowing out of the heart into the vein fast enough. I thought I might die before I even reach the DMZ." Ken quickly passed over the demilitarized zone, noted F-86s in the air over what should be Kimpo, and then heard the tower back at Sunan calling his location repeatedly. Ken never responded. "Kimpo runway was showing up on the horizon. Now, the problem is how to avoid F-86s, how to avoid the antiaircraft guns. Then I'll be okay."
As Rowe approached the long, black parallel runways at Kimpo, he noticed five or six F-86s to the southeast of the airbase. Then he saw one American jet landing on a runway towards Rowe, and a wingman on final approach behind that first F-86. Despite a northerly wind on that day, Rowe approached the runway downwind for a quick landing to avoid detection. "I was thinking about how to signal the antiaircraft gunners not to shoot at me. I opened the speed brakes to slow down... flaps down... landing gear down. Then I rocked the plane furiously, left and right. I thought they might see me by then. Then I fired colored flares - like fireworks - yellow, green, red and white.
"Then I landed. As soon as I touched down on the runway, I couldn't believe what I did. I had successfully accomplished my escape plan beyond my wildest expectations." Rowe says an emotional wave of freedom flooded through him as he applied the brake to slow down the plane on the runway. Only then did he realize he had somehow missed the second F-86 which landed in the opposite direction on the far end of the same runway as Rowe. They had passed each other at high speed but avoided a disastrous head-on collision. Ken says he taxied over to a group of parked F-86s (a slot just vacated by two 334 Fighter Squadron F-86s from John Lowery's flight), and shut down his MiG-15. An F-86 pilot sitting in his cockpit on alert, was reading a magazine as the MiG rolled up. Rowe says the pilot later told him he thought about arming his fighter's six .50 cal machine guns and firing at the MiG, but thought better of it.
Rowe opened his canopy, dropped to the ground, and asked to be taken to the headquarters. He recalls American pilots coming out to his MiG, and hearing comments on the "sweet landing" he had made. On his way to 4th Fighter Intercept Wing headquarters in a jeep, Rowe was finally asked to surrender his pistol. John Lowery was standing on 'BOQ Hill' when No Kum-Sok taxied his MiG-15 into the alert area. He says "I was lucky to have witnessed Ken's first step toward freedom and toward becoming an American." Back to the north, Ken's fellow MiG pilots that day were not so fortunate. All five of them, including Rowe's best friend, were executed.
"He knew I was an anti-communist. Just about two weeks before I escaped I told him I'm going. He said he was scared, and that if I went, he'd be in trouble." A small military press conference revealed to Rowe the reward for delivery of a MiG offered by "Operation Moolah". A larger, second press conference brought questions about why he escaped, his future plans and what he planned to do with the reward money.
Shopping at a PX for essential items, Ken quickly found out the value of the dollar, and he left the store with shaving supplies and sundries, underwear and socks - - all for under sixteen dollars. Rowe says at that time 100 dollars was more than a year's salary for most Koreans.
Soon, Ken was on Okinawa, where he assisted US test pilots flight testing the MiG-15, and told of his experiences with the North Korean and Soviet Air Forces. He worked for USAF Intelligence before coming to the United States in May, 1954. The MiG-15 Ken flew to Kimpo that day is now on display at the USAF Museum in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. Ken became a United States citizen and earned his engineering degree and worked for corporations including DuPont, Boeing, General Dynamics, General Motors, General Electric, Lockheed, Grumman, and Westinghouse. Ken was a professor of engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for 17 years and retired in 2000.
Ken's Catholic upbringing also led to his meeting his wife, Clara. She worked at the Catholic Relief Organization office on the 65th floor of the Empire State building. A priest introduced Ken and Clara, then later presided at their wedding. They have now been married for 44 years.
Ken Rowe has documented his life and details of his daring escape from North Korea in the book A MiG-15 to Freedom, published in 1996, with a limited reprint this year. The book can be ordered through Phil Schasker at discount price of $30.00 with Ken Rowe's autograph.