Strained Sinews of War

The Commonwealth air contribution to the UN campaign in Korea has received scant attention by comparison with that of the Commonwealth ground forces. Fundamentally unenthusiastic about participation in the Korean War Britain and its closest Commonwealth allies nevertheless saw it as necessary for the achievement of their collective objectives. We argue that their ability to do this was negatively impacted by the limitation of US financial aid after the Second World War and that the consequent damage to the military base of the Commonwealth actually worked against US interests in the Cold War. The Commonwealth air campaign in Korea is perhaps the first occasion when this damage became apparent. Commonwealth air and naval air units were available for early deployment to Korea and they were seen as an especial signifier of Commonwealth military-technical expertise. However, the developing military situation in Korea made the provision of ground forces inevitable, and the limited air assets committed by the Commonwealth, while contributing positively to the operational objectives of the United Nations Command also illustrated the weaknesses of Commonwealth airpower which flew in the face of the institution’s self-image as a technological superpower particularly regarding military aviation technology

Commonwealth · Political science · Japanese History and Culture · Law