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Your enquiry regarding the number of 77 Squadron Meteors shot down by MiGs has been passed to me.
It is possible that Meteors damaged by MiG-15 fire were counted by MiG pilots as destroyed – this is a common enough occurrence.
The following Meteors were destroyed or damaged as a result of encounters with MiGs:
First clash: 29 August 1951 above Chongju
• damage to Sq Ldr Dick Wilson’s Meteor (A77-616) – lost aileron, holes in wing & main fuel tank – returned to Kimpo.
• WO RD Guthrie’s Meteor (A77-721) hit and he ejected; taken POW.
5 September 1951 near Yalu River
• damage to Sgt WS Michelson’s Meteor (A77-726) – port tail plane – recovered & returned to Kimpo.
After these two encounters, 77 Squadron’s role changed to bombing escort and withdrawn from fighter role in MiG Alley.
26 September 1951 near Anju
• Sgt ED Armit’s Meteor (A77-949) hit (starboard wing root) but landed safely. Aircraft was repaired & returned to service.
24 October 1951 – B-29 escort near Sunchon
• FO PV Hamilton-Foster’s Meteor (A77-316) badly shot up – hole damage to port wing, fuel tanks, starboard tailplane and fuselage and severed elevator controls. Lost control, spiraled, but regained control and landed safely at Kimpo.
27 October 1951 – B-29 escort over North Korea
• Sq Ldr DL Wilson hit – badly wounded in right hand and unspecified damage to Meteor, but presumably in cockpit region.
3 November 1951 – fighter sweep in Anju area
• Sgt ED Armit’s Meteor (A77-373) hit by AP round which passed through port engine and through centre section main spar. Returned to base safely
• Sgt DM Robertson (5 miles NE of Anju) received hits on his Meteor (A77-373) and returned to Kimpo with all hydraulic and air pressure systems failed. A fire started in the port wheel well just prior to Robertson performing a successful wheels-up landing, but extinguished itself.
1 December 1951 – fighter sweep in Sunchon area
• Flt Sgt W Middlemiss (A77-559) received hits in his port wing tip and port engine nacelle, which necessitated a main plane change.
• Sgt ED Armit hit early in encounter and probable that his aircraft (A77-949) exploded in mid air, killing Armit.
• Sgt Vance Drummond’s Meteor (A77-251) hit and reported that he was streaming fuel and had lost his electrics. He bailed out and his Meteor was seen to crash and burn. Drummond was taken POW.
• Sgt BL Thomson (flying A77-29) failed to return to base after the encounter and was last heard asking for a course to base. He did not acknowledge the course advice but managed to crash land safely and was taken POW.
Despite shooting down one MiG (credited to F/O Bruce Gogerly) and another probably destroyed in the 1 December encounter, 77 Squadron was withdrawn from fighter sweeps over North Korea due to the inability of the Meteor to match the MiG-15’s performance. Their role was switched, in early 1952, to ground attack. Nevertheless, there are three further encounters known between the Meteors and MiGs.
27 March 1952 – Armed reconnaissance mission over North Korea
• A77-446 hit by MiG fire and suffered major damage to port tail pipe, port wing and aileron fuselage and canopy. On landing, brakes failed and Meteor ran off runway – pilot (unidentified) not injured.
*Note – although the above encounter is mentioned in the Official History, no note is made of it in the Squadron Record Book.
2 October 1952 – clash with MiGs
• F/O Oliver M Cruikshank (RAF) killed while attempting to bail out from his Meteor (A77-436) which had been badly hit by a MiG. The aircraft was seen to crash into the sea.
27 March 1953 - final engagement between MiG-15s and Meteors, near Sariwon
• Sgt D Irlam hit and his Meteor (A77-446) suffered a shattered port aileron and disabled compass and compressed air system.
With regard to the other Meteors you have listed, I can make the following comments:
1. A77-385 1952/05/12 (Damaged by MiG, crash landed). Did the pilot (name?)
stay alive?
The Operations Record Book (ORB) for 77 Squadron states:
“12 May 1952 – Rocket strike to the east of Sariwon. Four Meteors including A77-385 (# 4 in the flight) flown by Sergeant M A Outhwaite.
Results: …rocketed and destroyed 4 buildings at YC6059, damaged 4 huts at YC3812. Two aircraft received minor damage from .50 cal fire and No 4 (Outhwaite) hit a jet stream and crashed on landing.”
Outhwaite survived the crash and was flying the next day. There was no attack by a MiG on Outhwaite’s Meteor.
2. A77-15 530127 BOOTH, Francis H.G., FLOFF KIA Missing after
attack run on two tunnels 3 mi E of Sinmak (WE911)
The Operations Record Book (ORB) for 77 Squadron states:
27 January 1953 - Armed recce. Flight of 4 Meteors (A77-139, -163, -207, and -15).
“Results: Contacted controller, the Flight carried out a recce from BT7834 to YD4018 working in pairs. One truck damaged at BT6887 and two buildings destroyed at YC33442. In the vicinity of Sinmak attacks were made on trains in 2 tunnels. Pilots consider this attack to have been ineffective. Aircraft A77-15, pilot F/O FHG Booth did not return from this flight and was last seen climbing away after making an attack on railway tunnels in the vicinity of Sinmak. There were no other sightings and the flight returned to Base.”
Later that day, a search for Booth and his aircraft was conducted by F/L VJ Hill (A77-851) and F/L HV Shearn (A77-368)
“Results: Contacted Controller, the 2 Meteors were assigned to carry out a search for a missing aircraft in the vicinity of Sinmak. This search was carried within a ten mile radius of Sinmak but no sight of the missing aircraft was seen. The two parallel tunnels located at BT605545 which were attacked by the missing pilot were flown over but no significant sightings were made and the flight returned to Base.”
Yet another search for Booth was made late on 27 January by Wing Commander JW Hubble (A77-415) and F/L HV Shearn (A77-11), searching “a lane 5 miles wide starting south of Sinmak to BS6099 with negative results.”
On 2 February 1953, another search flight was mounted, prompted by a sighting. The ORB states: “The search flight was investigating markings in the snow, resembling the “wings” insignia. It was thought that they may have been made by Flying Officer FH Booth, who was posted “Missing, particulars unknown” on January 27 1953. The markings in the snow were still clearly visible this day, but no mirror or smoke signals were observed.”
As Booth was a RAF officer, his personal effects and affairs were taken care of by F/O JW Price, who was also an attached RAF officer.
While an attack by a MiG cannot be discounted in determining Booth’s death, none were sighted by the remaining flight members at the time of his disappearance.
3. A77-343 530308 HILLIER, Donald NMI, SQLDR KIA Poss hit by
ground fire, crash not observed
The ORB states:
8 March 1953 Armed Recce – four Meteor patrol led by Squadron Leader D Hillier in A77-343.
“Result: Contacted Controller, the flight were briefed to recce from Sonchon to Yangdok to Mamchenjem. Two strafing attacks were made on object (possibly a tank) at BT834. This was the only attack made on this mission. Aircraft A77-343 Pilot S/L D Hillier (04425) did not return from this mission, last sighted pulling out after attack in vicinity BT834. The remaining aircraft made an intensive search of this area with negative results.”
A note is made in the next day’s entry: “9/3 - …A further search for signs of Sqn Ldr Hillier’s aircraft were carried out on the return leg of the missions, but no further sign was sighted.”
4. A77-46 530211 HALLEY, John B., PO KIA Poss crashed
during bomb run, no egress noted
The ORB states:
11 Feb 1953 – Armed Recce – four Meteor flight with Flight Sgt JB Halley as #3 in A77-46.
“Result: Contacted Controller, the Meteors carried out an armed recce from Sariwan to Anpandari; one truck destroyed at BT6537; four boxcars damaged in vicinity BT4060; one truck destroyed BT4876; three large fuel trucks and one other truck destroyed in vicinity BT7748; two trucks destroyed in vicinity BT5176 and three trucks destroyed in vicinity BT5874. Aircraft A77-46, F/Sgt Halley, JB (A5309) did not return from this mission and was last seen making an attack on vehicles in valley in vicinity of BT5072. There were no further sightings and the flight returned to base.”
Halley was immediately posted “Missing, believed killed”.
5. A77-627 520413 COLEBROOK, Maxwell E., PO KIA Hit by gnd
fire, headed home, did not return to base
The ORB states:
13 April 1952: Airbourne alert patrol relieving patrol TEN. Two-man patrol consisting of F/L PM Middleton in A77-393 and Sgt ME Colebrook in A77-627.
“Results: Patrolled with negative air sightings, strafed and damaged 3 motor cycles at YC4364 also killing 2 of the riders. At YC500610, No 2 strafed a suspected gun position and when pulling up to the north east called that he had been hit. No 1 looked back at No 2 and saw that the ventral tank was on fire and called this fact to No 2. No 2 acknowledged the call and 5-6 seconds later stated that he had jettisoned the ventral tank and was going straight home. He then said that both engines were all right. No further transmissions or sighting of No 2 were made. No 1 then returned to base.”
“Sgt Colebrook was posted missing in action particulars unknown.”
6. A77-856 530517 DOOLITTLE, George P., FLOFF KIA Lost approx 10
mi N of Haeju
The ORB states:
17 May 1953: Interdiction Rocket Strike – patrol of 16 Meteors, of which F/O GP Doolittle was # 12. Doolittle was an attached RAF officer.
“Result: Contacted Controller, the flight were assigned to another attack on the target at YC497239 which was attacked earlier this day by Meteors. The flight proceeded to this area and expended 115 Napalm rockets into the area destroying nine buildings. Aircraft A77-856 F/O GP Doolittle failed to return from this mission.”
A note is made that Doolittle’s Meteor “failed to pull out of a dive after releasing rockets and the aircraft was observed burning on the side of a small hill near the target area.” No MiGs were sighted.
7. A77-953 520805 HASLOPE, Lancelot C., FLTLT KIA Crashed on
take-off from Kimpo Airfield, cause unknown
The ORB states:
5 August 1952: Strike patrol of six Meteors on Supply Shelters
“Results: ….Flt Lt LC Haslope (035396) crashed on take off, the aircraft burnt and the pilot killed (A/C s/n A77-953).”
A note is made that Haslope “was killed instantly”. There is no mention of strafing by MiGs.