page_title: Lou Spence
section_title: Korean War
hierarchical_section_title: Lou Spence / Korean War
caption_attribution_description: Pusan, South Korea. Wing Commander L. Spence, Commanding Officer No. 77 Squadron RAAF in the cockpit of his Mustang aircraft prior to takeoff on an operational mission over South Korea.
context_page_description: Louis Thomas Spence, DFC & Bar was a fighter pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Australian Air Force. During World War II he flew with No. 3 Squadron, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, and commanded No. 452 Squadron, receiving a Mention in Despatches. He led No. 77 Squadron in the opening months of the Korean War, and was awarded a bar to his DFC, as well as the US Legion of Merit and the US Air Medal, for his leadership.
  Born in Bundaberg, Queensland, Spence worked in a bank before joining the RAAF in March 1940. In August the following year he was posted to North Africa with No. 3 Squadron, which operated P-40 Tomahawks and Kittyhawks against German and Italian forces; he was credited with shooting down two German aircraft. Spence commanded No. 452 Squadron in 1944, flying Supermarine Spitfires in defence of Australia's North-Western Area against the Japanese. After a brief return to civilian life following World War II, he rejoined the RAAF in October 1946. He took command of No. 77 Squadron, operating P-51 Mustangs as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, in February 1950.
context_section_description: Spence and his family were about to go on holiday before returning to Australia when, on 25 June 1950, No. 77 Squadron was placed on standby for action in the Korean War, which had just broken out. The unit was specifically requested by General Douglas MacArthur, commander of United Nations (UN) forces. No. 77 Squadron flew its initial escort and patrol sorties from Iwakuni on 2 July, becoming the first non-American UN unit to go into action. That day, Spence took eight Mustangs on an escort mission for United States Air Force (USAF) B-26 Invaders attacking a bridge south of Seoul. Families still living at Iwakuni, pending their repatriation from what had become an operational theatre, could watch the Mustangs depart for missions over Korea.
  A friendly fire incident occurred on 3 July 1950, when No. 77 Squadron attacked a train full of US and South Korean troops on the main highway between Suwon and Pyongtaek, inflicting many casualties, twenty-nine of them fatal. Prior to the mission, Spence had raised concerns that the North Koreans could not have penetrated so far south, but was assured by USAF controllers that the target was correct. The incident was widely reported in American newspapers but a public statement by Lieutenant General George E. Stratemeyer, commander of the US Far East Air Force, cleared the RAAF of blame. Spence was recommended for the US Air Medal for "meritorious service" in operations from 25 June to 15 July. His increasingly heavy taskload included diplomatic duties and public relations, as well as squadron administration and many combat sorties.
  No. 77 Squadron did not encounter enemy aircraft in the opening phase of the war, but often faced intense ground fire. During July and August 1950, equipped with bombs, rockets and napalm, the Mustangs supported UN troops retreating before the North Korean advance. According to the official history of the Air Force in 1946–1971, the squadron's part in the Battle of Pusan Perimeter earned recognition "not only for the RAAF but also Australia at the highest political levels in the United States". On 15 August, Prime Minister Robert Menzies presented the Gloucester Cup to No. 77 Squadron as the RAAF's most proficient unit of the past year. General Stratemeyer arrived at Iwakuni a week later to surprise Spence with the award of the US Legion of Merit for "outstanding leadership in the preparation of his unit for combat".
  On 9 September, in cloudy conditions, Spence led three other Mustangs in a low-level napalm attack on An'gang-ni. He attempted to pull out of a very steep dive but crashed in the middle of the town and was killed. Whether he was hit by ground fire or had misjudged his attack is uncertain.  Spence's wife and children were still living at Iwakuni, and his death hastened the departure for Australia of all families on the base. He was succeeded by Squadron Leader Dick Cresswell, who had twice commanded No. 77 Squadron during World War II. Cresswell commented that "thanks to Lou Spence", the squadron "was led perfectly in all the jobs it did".
caption: Wing Commander Spence in his Mustang fighter prior to a mission over Korea, August 1950
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