Complex question on conventional escalation possibilities in the Korean War

My Grandpa retired naval aviation, captain Flew migs during the Cold War and is a Vietnam Veteran. He can note The Soviet Air Force had some good planes, but they didn’t know how to use them.

I believe he described That control tower would do a lot of the planning for them Rather than independently lead I’ll make sure to verify next time I call him.

The Americans have the superior Air Force, which we could reduce the level Interception By striking first. I wonder when were the first airplanes to fly over the north pole from Russia to the United States? I’m not an expert on aviation But who would be more more likely be able to fly such a distance, the Americans or the Soviet On a regular basis?

In this post, I’m talking about my grandpa on my mom side. He knew someone who died in the Korean War. Also, I’m not an expert on nuclear missiles, but During the Cuban missile crisis in 1961 The Americans had a higher number of long range missiles. One of the big reasons the Cuban missile crisis was so important was because the Soviets could send their short range misses to Cuba where they’re in strike distance of America. My uncle Chuck Said promise me you’ll get me from school if there is a nuclear Armando he was only in kindergarten.

Perhaps it’s even weirder the whole red menace, cultural phenomenon Is that America agreed to an armistice in the Korean War Later switch to extremely weird counter culture movement. Granted in America, we’re a bunch of hippies

Both of my great uncle served, in that war .

1. Very well. I thought the U.S. had B-29s elsewhere such as in Japan or Britain.
2. Because the fact that the Soviets were more or less in technological parity with the U.S. would mean that both is trying to outcompete the other.
3. Fair enough, but at least gives ideas for the numbers at the time. Sadly, most are lost to time.



Thanks for this. Interesting material to read on.



I'm interested in your family's military history.

Going back, even if the USAF was more superior than the VVS, people at that time were overestimating the Soviets because it was the scary boogeyman trying to spread communism to the globe. The fact too they still have 2 million troops across the Iron Curtain and the fact the USSR was still allied with the PRC at this period. This alliance was there even though Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong hated each other.

As for the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. placed Jupiter missiles in Turkey and Italy, which too could reach the Soviet Union before it got detected. The same for the Soviets deploying their missiles in Cuba since those missiles had the range of the entire CONUS save for Seattle in the northwest.


Like I said, the U.S. was more or less in parity with the Soviets (who were flying missions alongside their Chinese and North Korean allies) when it came from F-86s vs. MiG-15s.

Woah it's bigger than I thought. No wonder why those MiG-15s were overestimated.

If they weren't technological parity then yes. It's that Soviet numbers were something to be feared.

But the U.S. also had lapses.

For one, their early warning networks around the U.S. mainland was crap or non-existent. So attacks - either air raids or nuclear bombings - on cities like Chicago, Detroit, and New York had lapses.

The Pinetree line could only detect once Soviet bombers were already near U.S. airspace. The Mid-Canada Line established in the mid-1950s was improvement to that, but there more improvement needed. Which finally resulted in the DEW Line later on.

But I have yet to read what SAM systems the U.S. had at this period. 

Similary, what did France, Britain, Japan, and South Korea have to protect against REDFOR bombers.

In regards to conventional escalation of the Korean War itself, not only would the Soviets be bombing ports, bases, and air fields in South Korea and Japan but they could try limited raids on Alaska, Canada, and the mainland U.S. as a whole just like what the Japanese in WWII did.