Sergei Kramarenko - The Korean War (1950-53) - Clash of Titans

Clash of Titans

On 17 June 1951 Kramarenko and his six wingmen almost fell in an American ambush when they engaged eight Sabres who were acting as bait for three more F-86s lying in wait and ready to attack from above. What follows is Kramarenko's account of the duel he had against an American ace of World War II:

"Then the Sabres changed to another tactic. Individual pairs of their most experienced pilots would sit off to the side, and when combat was joined would pounce on the trailing aircraft of our group, and frequently shoot them down. My flight was flying to reinforce the strike group in the lead battle. As we got to the place of combat, the enemy were just finishing up moving out over the sea. Our side was also running out of fuel, and they were heading for home. As we got there, we could see an eight of Sabres coming right at us at the same altitude. Without thinking, I gave the command “Let’s attack them” and turned at a nearly 90 degree bank to wind up 600 meters behind this group. It was just as I got the leader in my sights and gave him a burst that I got a sensation of that something was behind me. That sensation made me turn right and look behind me, and what it was I do not know to this day. Perhaps I had seen something. But inexplicable as it was, there I now saw less than 100 meters behind me the huge nose of a Sabre and the blasts and tracers of its six machine guns firing at me. Without thinking, in the space of a few hundredths of a second I reacted automatically, and my MiG momentarily did a half roll, dropping into a dive. While in the dive, I looked back and saw a group consisting of three Sabres right behind me in a dive. I could have initiated a dive, but I have been told that the Sabre was heavier than the MiG, so it should dive better. Because of that, to dive wasn't an option. Then I saw right in front of me a cluster of saving clouds. My only choice was to head my aircraft towards one of them. Once inside the cloud, I made a very sharp turn of 90° to the left, I got out of the clouds and performed a right turn. I supposed that the lead Sabre would thought that my MiG kept on diving straight after getting out of the cloud. And that was exactly what happened. Now, below me, there were these three Sabres, which were looking for me downwards. Without losing not even a second, I jumped them. I have turned the wits. Now it was my turn to attack. But somehow they spotted me and immediately they split: the wingmen performed a diving turn to the left, and the leader a climbing right turn. This tactic allow them to neutralize my attack and to transform me into their prey: it was a trap. Whichever one I attacked, I would be forced to turn my tail to the others and then they would get me under fire. What was I to do? I could climb up and give battle, but I did not want to get into this interesting and advantageous situation: if you are going to do battle with strong pilots, with the Sabre wing commander, you had better be in a better position. It is true that they were 3, but it didn't matter to me: I was very self-confident in my skills and my MiG. But now, I should decide fast who I shall to attack. Should I attack the pair which was diving, or the Sabre which was climbing? If I would jumped the first ones, the latter would dive after me and he would shoot me down. That's why I choose the later, because it was closer and was making a climbing turn to the right. So, I dived and soon I put myself behind him, I aimed, and at a distance of about 600 meters, I opened up. To slow down and to hold my fire until to be closer it was impossible, because the two remaining Sabres could catch me. My shells struck the Sabre. Evidently, some of the projectiles should hit it close to the engine, because the aircraft began to leave a trail of dark-gray smoke. The Sabre began to descend, and later entered in a steep dive. I could not see all the fall, because when I looked back, I saw a couple of Sabres at 500 meters. A little bit more, and both would open fire with their 12,7 mm (0,50") machineguns. Evidently, that was when I made a mistake. I should increase my angle of climbing and drag the Sabres to high altitude, where the MiG had the advantage. But I came to that conclusion only a long time later. At that time I reversed my heading, passed over the Sabres and in a slight dive I led my aircraft to a small group of clouds. Once there I turned to the right and went I got out of them, I started a ‘Boyeboj Razvorot to the left, but I didn’t found the Sabres bellow where I expect them to be, but behind at my left. I threw my aircraft in a dive, but instead of a sharp pull-up into a climb I began to slowly roll my aircraft into a flat dive. The Sabres, who didn’t expect that, stayed in the height, far above and behind. I dived to the right towards the hydroelectric station over the Yalu river . This huge reservoir had a dam of 300 meters height and a power station which provided energy not only to half of Korea but also the whole North-East of China. Precisely it was the main target we should protect. Besides us, their defense consisted in a dozen of anti-aircraft batteries, which had the order to shoot at any airplane which get closer to the dam. I had the hope that the gunners of these batteries would help me to get these Sabres out of my tail. And that was what happened: the gunners accomplished their order to open fire at any intruder, and in front of me it appeared a dark cloud caused by the detonation of the anti-aircraft shells. I didn’t want to evade that cloud, because the Sabres would reduce the distance and they would shot me down. At that moment I preferred to eventually die in the hands of my fellow gunners, rather than the bullets of the Sabres, so I headed for the very center of a cloud. The aircraft punched into the cloud. Once inside and away from the shell bursts I immediately swung the aircraft from side to side, up and down. Grabbing the stick, I pulled back on it. The results were that the wings fluttered a bit. But after several tens of seconds passed, suddenly I was once again out in the sunshine. The aircraft had punched through the black cloud. Behind and below me were the dam and the reservoir. Off to the left I could see the departing Sabres, having lost me in the cloud and perhaps figured I was dead. Following me had proven to be useless, the sea was near, and not wanting a new fight, even though I had come close to passing out from the stress. In order to not lose consciousness I focused my attention in front of me and pinched the arteries in my neck, as I did not want the blood to leave my head. It was far easier for the Sabre pilots to take this stress – they had a special anti-G suit which, when it sensed increased stress on the pilot, filled with air and, grasping him tightly, prevented the blood from leaving his head. Up until then our designers had never thought of such an idea. I circled the airfield a couple of times, landed and then, taxiing over to the hardstand, saw my wingmen. They, having lost me during the sharp turn, continued to go after the eight Sabres, but when they got to the coastline had to turn back, searched for me, and not finding me, returned to the airfield. Subsequent examination of my gun camera footage showed good hits on the Sabre. Ground command reported where it had impacted.”

The Sabre downed by Kramarenko was the F-86A BuNo 49-1281 of Lt.Col. Glenn Todd Eagleston (4th FIG's commander, a famed World War II ace with 18.5 Luftwaffe kills while flying a P-51 Mustang, and two victories against MiGs in Korea), who belly-landed his jet at Kimpo Airbase South Korea. The jet was damaged beyond repair and was written off. The leader of the two Sabres who came to assist Eagleston was also a notable combat pilot: Lt.Col. Bruce Hinton, the first Sabre pilot who shot down a MiG on 17 December 1950.