page_title: 91st Cyberspace Operations Squadron
section_title: Korean War
hierarchical_section_title: 91st Cyberspace Operations Squadron / History / Korean War
caption_attribution_description: A U.S. Air Force Boeing RB-29A Superfortress (s/n 44-61727) from the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron over Korea. This aircraft was shot down by MiG-15s, possibly over China or the extreme northern part of Korea on 4 July 1952. 11 of the crew of 13 were taken prisoner, two crewmembers died.Original caption: "View of RB-29 of the 31st Reconnaissance Squadron, somewhere over Korea., ca. 07/1952"
context_page_description: The 91st Cyberspace Operations Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, currently assigned to the 67th Cyberspace Wing at Kelly Annex, part of Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
  The 91st delivers cyber warfare capabilities to combatant commanders. It provides the Air Force with manpower.
context_section_description: With the invasion of South Korea by communist forces from the north in June 1950, the United Nations (UN) responded by sending military forces, primarily from the United States, to the aid of the South Koreans. A major deficiency in MacArthur's forces was a lack of accurate battlefield maps of the peninsula. As one of the best equipped photo reconnaissance units in the USAF, General MacArthur quickly called on the 91st to join the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) fighting on the Korean peninsula. The 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron moved from McGuire Air Force Base, NJ to Johnson Air Base and Yokota Air Base, Japan to begin supporting UN troops in Korea. It was assigned directly to SAC's Fifteenth Air Force, attached to Fifth Air Force.
  The 91st eventually flew the largest number of different airframes in the Korean War and had more assigned personnel than any other flying unit in the Korean War. With over 800 assigned personnel, the squadron had six different types of aircraft assigned, to include the Boeing RB-29 Superfortress and Boeing RB-50 Superfortress, North American RB-45 Tornado, WB-26 Invader, KB-29 tankers and Convair RB-36 Peacemaker. Throughout the conflict, the RB-29 and RB-50s were the workhorses of the unit.
  The RB-29 flew throughout the Korean peninsula in the early part of the war, but was soon in trouble with Soviet MiG-15 aircraft added to the air war by the communist forces. The propeller-driven aircraft of the 91st were attacked and suffered extreme damage and battle losses. In response, jet-enhanced RB-50J and jet-powered RB-45C reconnaissance aircraft were deployed from RAF Sculthorpe, England. Other aircraft working from England were detachments of RB-45s temporarily stationed at RAF Manston, Kent an RB-29 unit at RAF Lakenheath and an RB-36 detachment stationed at RAF Brize Norton.
  While RB-45 reconnaissance aircraft managed to outrun and outmaneuver MiGs on numerous occasions, they too eventually became targets. Although they were allowed to fly missions to heavily defended northwestern North Korea, after April 1951 they were required to be escorted by Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star and Republic F-84 Thunderjet jet fighter escort aircraft. By January 1952 they were restricted to night operations using flash bombs to illuminate photographic targets. This proved unproductive, however, because when the RB-45 forward bomb bay was open to drop flash bombs, the planes buffeted too badly for accurate photography.
  The squadron was also called upon to conduct psychological leaflet drops with its assigned RB-29 aircraft. Not only did the 91st drop Korean “Psyops” leaflets throughout the Korean peninsula and into Manchuria and China, but Russian language leaflets were also dropped as it was suspected that advisers from the Soviet Union were assisting the communist forces.
  In addition to bomb damage assessment, targeting and aerial photography for the Bomber Command and FEAF, the 91st conducted Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) and “ferret” missions in theater mapping radar emissions of air defense sites. It conducted the first ferret missions ever by the USAF. Overflights of Soviet-controlled Far East islands began in 1951. An example of this type of work was reconnaissance missions which were conducted over Karafuto following reports that the Soviets had built extensive underground installations and missile-launching facilities on the island. In Project 51, 91st SRW RB-45s took off from Yokotato conduct reconnaissance over the southern portions of Sakhalin Island. Photographic and radar reconnaissance overflight missions were also flown over the Murmansk-Kola Peninsula and Siberia. In late 1952, six RB-36s were sent to Yakota to fly with the 91st and fly high altitude reconnaissance over Manchurian targets.
  Shortly after the Korean Armistice Agreement, On 29 July 1953 a 343d Reconnaissance Squadron RB-50 temporarily attached to the 91st was shot down by Soviet fighters about ninety miles south of Vladivostok. The Soviet Union did not deny the plane's location was over water, but claimed that the bomber had 
caption: 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron RB-29A over Korea.[note 3]
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