The outbreak of the Korean War in the last century was ultimately fueled by the two superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, but the United States chose to personally lead the troops to intervene, while the Soviet Union assisted China and North Korea in the dark. It is reported that in addition to providing a large amount of materials and equipment, the Soviet Union also sent an air force to participate in the war. So, what was the Soviet Air Force doing when the Volunteers were fighting bloody battles on the front lines?
First of all, the reason why the Soviet Air Force had a low presence on the Korean battlefield was mainly due to the fact that their operations were all carried out in secret. In order to maximize secrecy, Soviet pilots not only wore volunteer clothes, but also piloted fighters with the words Volunteers. In addition, their combat range is also limited to the vicinity of the "MiG Corridor".
MiG Corridor
The "MiG Corridor" was a safe corridor laid by Soviet pilots over the plains on the south bank of the Yalu River in order to intercept the US army, when the Soviet Union sent up to ten divisions before and after, and countless US fighters were shot down during the period. It is no exaggeration to say that without the MiG Corridor, the volunteers would have suffered several times more casualties, even if they had won the final victory.
background
In fact, as early as the volunteer army decided to fight in Korea, the Soviet Union promised to send an air force to contain the US Air Force. It was only Stalin who was more cautious and waited until the first victory of the Volunteer Army that he sent an aviation division to participate in the battle. Subsequently, the Soviet Air Force, mainly the MiG-15, and the U.S. Air Force, mainly the F86, engaged in a confrontation in the "MiG Corridor".
It should be known that the MiG-15 and F86 were the most advanced fighters at the time, and theoretically, the Soviet Air Force had the capital to fight deep into the battlefield. But after all, the influence of the two superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States was too great, so the Soviet Union did not dare to announce the news of its participation in the war to the outside world, so it chose to contain the US military near the Yalu River. This will not only prevent the US military from bombing our homeland, but also ensure the safety of our army's logistics supply and transportation routes.
Tacit
Of course, at that time, the United States thought the same as the Soviet Union, and it did not dare to intensify the contradictions between the two countries. As a result, even though the U.S. Air Force engaged in many encounters with the Soviet Air Force in the MiG Corridor, none of them identified the other. But for how many planes were shot down from each other, for various reasons, the data has not been made public.
However, through the results of the war, it is not difficult to see that at least in the "MiG Corridor" airspace confrontation, the Soviet Air Force should have achieved a certain advantage, otherwise the volunteer army on the front line would not have had the opportunity to push the "United Nations Army" all the way back. It has to be said that the Soviet Air Force is definitely the hero behind the victory in the Korean War.
However, the help provided by the Soviet Union has always been limited, so to some extent, it has only relieved the pressure of the volunteer army's air superiority, and has not created an absolutely safe air environment for our army. But in any case, without the MiG Corridor, the price the volunteers would have to pay is hard to imagine.