In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Korean War, the official history offices of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force and their respective historical associations collaborated to sponsor as comprehensive a symposium as possible, including as participants some of the coalition partners who contributed forces and weapons to the war. The intent of this symposium, titled Coalition Air Warfare during the Korean War, 1950 -1953, was to focus not only on the contributions made by the armed forces of the United States, but also on those of America's allies. The diverse group of panelists and speakers included not only scholars with subject matter expertise, but also veteran soldiers, sailors, and airmen who had served in that conflict. It was hoped that the melding of these diverse perspectives would provide interesting, if sometimes conflicting, views about the Korean War. The symposium organizers designated an agenda of six specific panels for investigation, including Planning and Operations; Air Superiority, Air Support of Ground Forces; Air Interdiction and Bombardment, Air Reconnaissance and Intelligence, and Logistical Support of Air Operations. Each session began with commentary by the panel chairman, which was followed by formal papers, and in some instances included a lively question and answer session. The papers and most of the proceedings found their way into print and are recorded here in an effort to permanently capture the activities, challenges, contributions, and heroics of the coalition air forces and the airmen who fought during the Korean conflict.
Jacob "Jack" Neufeld is the Director of the Air Force Historical Studies Office. He previously served as Senior Historian and was the Director of the Center for Air Force History. Mr. Neufeld is also the editor of Air Power History, the quarterly journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation. He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in history at the New York University and did doctoral studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Commissioned in the U.S. Army, he served with the Corps of Engineers at Ft. Campbell, Ky. and Ft. Belvoir, Va. from 1964-1966. He has written and edited numerous works in military history, and the history of technology, including the Development of Ballistic Missiles in the United States Air Force, 1945-1960. He taught history at the University of Maryland, Montgomery College, and American Military University. Currently, he is writing a biography of General Bernard A. Schriever. Dr. George M. Watson, Jr. has had a long and productive career with the Air Force History and Museums Program. He is a 1966 graduate of the University of Maine, earned an M.A. from Niagara University in 1968 and attained a Ph.D. in Modern European History from The Catholic University of America in 1974. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War having served with the 101st Airborne Division in that country from 1969 to 1970. He has worked as a staff historian at the former Air Force Systems Command, Chief Historian of the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General, and Chief of the Air Staff Division history office in the Pentagon. He is presently the Chief of the Special Projects Branch at the Air Force Historical Studies Office. Dr. Watson has contributed to a number of edited volumes and journals and has interviewed numerous key Air Force personages, both military and civilian. He is the author of The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, 1947-1965 and co-author of With Courage: The Army Air Forces in World War II. He was a contributing author and editor of the two-volume history of the United States Air Force: Winged Shield, Winged Sword. His personal memoir of his Vietnam experience, entitled Voices from the Rear: Vietnam 1969-1970, was published in December 2001. His latest book, Secretaries and Chiefs of Staff of the United States Air Force, was published in 2002.
