Battle of Sunchon (air)

No. 77 Squadron RAAF Meteors during the Korean War.

Date	1 December 1951
Location	North Korean airspace
Result	Chinese victory

Belligerents

United Nations

Australia
- No. 77 Squadron RAAF

China (officially);

Soviet Union (unofficially)
- 176 GIAP (176 Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment) (unofficially)

Commanders and leaders

Gordon Steege

Sergei Vishniakov

Strength

Up to 14 Gloster Meteors
(Soviet estimate: 16 Meteors)

20 MiG-15s (RAAF estimate: 40–50 MiGs.)

Casualties and losses

Three aircraft destroyed – one pilot missing, presumed killed and two POW.
(Soviet pilots claimed nine Meteors destroyed.)

None confirmed.
(RAAF records claim one MiG destroyed and one probable/damaged.)

United Nations

China (officially);

The Battle of Sunchon was an air battle fought near the city of Sunchon, North Korea on 1 December 1951, during the Korean War. Up to 14 Gloster Meteor jets of the RAAF's No. 77 Squadron were attacked by at least 20 MiG-15s of the Soviet Union's 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (176 GIAP). The MiGs carried Chinese air force markings, as the USSR was not officially a combatant in the Korean War. Its experience in the battle led to No. 77 Squadron's being redeployed to ground attack duties.

No. 77 Squadron was engaged in an offensive sweep, at 19,000 feet (5,800 metres) when the action commenced, at about 0900 hours. During the ensuing 10 minute action, air combat ranged across North Korean air space, at altitudes of 20,000 to 33,000 feet (6,100 to 10,000 metres). Pilots on both sides were veterans of World War II, with several years experience flying fighters. However, the Meteor was a World War II-era design that was outclassed by the new MiG-15.

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