Word: mig
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...force was showing more fight than it had for a long time. Swarms of the enemy's fast, agile MIG-158 rose to contest the air with U.S. F-86 Sabres. On some days, "props" (propeller-driven planes) from both sides joined in the dogfights. The sharpshooting Americans wound up the seven days of battle with a bag of twelve Red planes destroyed, 29 damaged. But over the same period, ten U.S. planes were lost-six to enemy ground fire...
Since they joined the air war last year (TIME, Jan. 1), the Sabre squadrons had, up to last week, not lost a single plane. Although the unidentified MIG pilots were said to be poor shots, everyone knew that the charmed immunity of the Sabres could not last forever. Last week, the Air Force lost three Sabres, of which at least one was shot down in sight of U.S. pilots...
...Force officers guessed that most of the MIG pilots, whoever they may be, are not Chinese or Koreans. They go to great lengths to prevent identification, rarely venture within ten miles of the front lines, keep radio silence in the air. Captain James Jabara, the world's first jet ace, circled a MIG pilot who had bailed out of his burning craft and tried to get a good look at him as he floated down. But the helmeted and goggled enemy pilot kept his head hunched down and Jabara could not see even a wisp of hair...
...Someone tells you there's a MIG on your tail. Then you don't feel so good. You want to get out of this mess and go home. You know he isn't a good shot, but he's pointing a couple of guns at you. This is the worst feeling...
Meanwhile, Moscow was underlining the urgency of Hoyt Vandenberg's air-defense mission in Paris. The Russians were reported to have moved 500 MIG-15 jets and jet bombers into East Germany to replace their old, propeller-driven planes...