L-16s in Korea
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An excellent report on U.
S. Army L-16s in the Korean conflict can be found in “Frontline Report: Lightplanes in Korea,” Flying Magazine,
July 1951. |
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An Aeronca L-16 photographed over Wonju, Korea, 1950 |
Early liaison aircraft lacked airspeed, armour, and armament,
yet they have fulfilled some of the most dangerous roles in military
conflict.
They were the "grasshoppers" who flew low and slow
over enemy territory, spotting artillery and monitoring enemy troop movements,
then reporting back to attack co-ordinators to call in the heavy iron.
Before the advent
of the rescue helicopter, it was the liaison pilot who was sent to land at
near-impossible sites to pick up downed aircrew, hauling wounded pilots from
dirt roads and tiny jungle strips, often carrying far more weight than the
frames of their tiny fabric-covered aircraft were ever designed to lift into
the air. That’s why the Canadian
Bushhawks Liaison Squadron calls their story, “The Legacy of the Unsung
Heroes”…
...FOR EXAMPLE...
On February 20, 1951, Captain John Olihovik of the U.S. 7th
Infantry landed his L-16 in a creek bed behind enemy lines to rescue a Navy
pilot from a downed Corsair. Olihovik
received the Navy's highest award for valour for the rescue. His citation reads:
When a Navy aircraft was hit by
enemy ground fire and crashed into the riverbed of the Chu'chongang, Captain
Olihovik, flying an unarmed plane, proceeded immediately to the area and, skillfully
landing in the rough terrain, made his way on foot to the stricken aircraft
despite intense, direct fire from enemy troops only 300 yards away. Reaching and lifting the critically injured
pilot, he carried him back to the rescue plane which was idling 100 yards
distant. Miraculously escaping almost
certain death, injury or capture, Captain Olihovik took off and flew the
injured man directly to the Chech'on airstrip where he was quickly transferred
to a field hospital. By his daring
initiative and superb courage, he served to inspire other pilots to heroic
efforts, thus contributing to the effectiveness of the striking power in the
task force as a whole. His selfless
devotion to duty in the face of grave personal risk reflects the highest credit
upon Captain Olihovik and the United States Armed Forces.
