North American F-86 Sabre - USA
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With talk of an armistice only weeks away, F-86 pilot Ralph Parr was afraid that the Korean War would be over before he would get into air combat. Flying a routine patrol over the Yalu, Parr spotted a glint of light low against the ground and suspected enemy aircraft. Rolling into a Split-S, Parr dove his F-86F down from 41,000 feet and closed rapidly on the suspicious image. Soon he saw four MiG-15s right in front of him, but a quick look left and right revealed that there was really a total of 16 enemy aircraft. Not one to miss an opportunity, Parr engaged the closest aircraft and was immediately in a boiling dogfight right on the deck. After destroying two Migs and damaging another the remaining aircraft fled for the North. Ralph Parr finished the Korean War a double ace, shooting down ten enemy aircraft in just 30 missions over five weeks.
"Shooter's Odds" by Artist Ross Buckland
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