June 25, 1950  During the early hours of June 25, 1950, Communist North Korean troops launched a sneak attack in the dark across the 38th Parallel, hoping to conquer the Republic of Korea. By the night of June 26th, they had advanced to the gates of Seoul and the U.S. ambassador to Korea requested immediate evacuation of U.S. civilians from the city.

While USAF transport planes were being loaded with evacuees at Kimpo Airfield the next day, four USAF F-82 airplanes, flying top cover from Itazuke Air Base in Japan, were attacked by North Korean YAK aircraft. The F-82s engaged them and both YAKs were shot down without a loss to the F-82s, the first aerial victories for the United Nations in the long and bitter Korean Conflict. As had happened in World Wars I and II, the U.S. air arm entered the Korean Conflict ill-prepared. except for a relative few F-80 jet fighters, the aircraft available for combat were propeller-types of WWII vintage.